NY 2008 Preview: Production Pontiac ST pickup to appear

NY 2008 Preview: Production Pontiac ST pickup to appear
click above image for more high-res pics of the Holden VE Ute

Our friends over at Pickuptruck.com have learned that Pontiac will debut a production-ready ST pickup at this year's New York Auto Show in late March. The Pontiac ST pickup is based on the Holden VE Ute that recently debuted in Australia, and since development of the vehicle consists mainly of grafting the Pontiac G8 front clip onto the Holden VE Ute, the business case for the vehicle is a no-brainer. What did stand between the Pontiac ST pickup and production was the U.S. exchange rate between the Australian and U.S. dollar, but apparently the difference isn't as bad as once thought and the price of the ST won't be out of reach for its target market. Pickuptruck.com also learned that, despite previous reports to the contrary, the Pontiac ST will be offered with a 256-HP V6, as well as a 361-HP V8. The reason is because plans for a Pontiac G8 Sportwagon that would have been powered by a V6 have been cancelled, so the Pontiac needs to offer both a V6 and a V8 for the ST pickup to balance out the effect it has on GM's CAFE rating.

Don't all these unibody pickups in GM's product plans get you thinking? If we were to consult some tea leaves, we might draw the conclusion that GM is considering transforming its small pickups into an all-unibody lineup. It's pure speculation on our part, but to debut two unibody trucks in one auto show season makes us go hmmm...

Gallery: Holden VE Ute

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(Via Autoblog.)

2009 Pontiac Wave5 unveiled in Montreal

2009 Pontiac Wave5 unveiled in Montreal

As you may or may not have known, a rebadged version of the Chevy Aveo sedan has been offered to Canadian car shoppers in the form of the Pontiac Wave, and with the arrival of the facelifted Aveo5 comes a new Wave5 for Canada. We exhanged emails on the matter with the gang at CanadianDriver, and they explained that it has everything to do with the GM dealer setups in Canada. For the most part, there are Chevy/Cadillac stores and Pontiac/Buick/GMC outlets. Small cars are critical to sales volumes, so if Chevy dealers get one, the Buick/Pontiac/GMC guys want one. This is how the Pontiac Pursuit (a.k.a. G5) came to be, and is also why the Wave exists.

Getting back to the topic at hand, what you see here is pretty self-explanatory. It's the new Aveo5 with a Poncho twin-grille schnoz. Unlike the Pontiac G5, this won't be coming across our northern border. If you want one, you have to settle for the giant-grilled Chevy. For more on the Wave5, click on the image above to read CanadianDriver.com's coverage from the Montreal Auto Show. GM's press release is also pasted after the jump.

[Sources: GM Canada, CanadianDriver; Photo: CanadianDriver]

Continue reading 2009 Pontiac Wave5 unveiled in Montreal

(Via Autoblog.)

Solstice F430: Abomination or Pontiac perfected?

Solstice F430: Abomination or Pontiac perfected?
click above to view more images of the Solstice F430

There's a pretty healthy argument to be made for leaving the styling of your Pontiac Solstice alone. It did end up in production virtually off the show floor, as evidenced by the cockpit's spaciousness and spectacular materials (hint: saracasm). But there's always at least one person who's not content to leave well enough alone. Luckily, Mr. Paul MadMods seems to have what's known in the biz as mad skillz. What that means is he has a way of working with his hands in a painstaking manner to turn out customized cars that don't scream 'HACK JOB!'

Aesthetics, however, are another whole thing, and we're sure that this choice of colors and body mods won't sit well with everyone, but you have to give the guy credit, it's all nicely done. We also have to give props for not creating a full-on Ferrari replica. Paul states that his intent was just to incorporate cool cues from cars that he sees. Thus, his Solstice wears an F430 nose, Porsche Cayman side intakes serving as extractors in the front quarters, tons of custom electronics and a snarling custom turbo installation, too. It's pretty amazing to see how much like a kit car the Solstice actually is. It's not the most comfortable little mini-'Vette, but it's well engineered platform-wise. After seeing how easily the Solstice takes to wrenching, we want one of our own to trick out. When we need an F430 nose, we know who to call.

Thanks for the tip, Aman!

(Via Autoblog.)

GM Product Schedule Released

Details of the General Motors / United Auto Workers agreement have been released, including inside information about the future production schedule at the American auto maker. As part of the contract agreement, UAW sought assurances that GM would guarantee that certain products would continue to be built in American factories, as opposed to Canadian, Mexican, or overseas plants.

Included in a document released to the media by UAW were GM's plans to continue building current and future products at 16 of 18 U.S. assembly plants. Also included is apparently confidential information about GM product cycles. These plans include:

• The Corvette and the Cadillac XLR will continue through 2011, with new models to begin production in 2012 at the Bowling Green, Kentucky plant.
• After a couple of years of waiting, the new Camaro is expected to begin production in 2011 at Lansing, Michigan.
• Pontiac's Solstice and the Saturn Sky roadsters will continue assebly through 2012 in Wilmington, Delaware, but they have no announced replacement at this time. The car is rumored to begin production that year in Bowling Green, Kentucky, opening the door for a possible redesign of the two-seaters. Sadly, this could mean the end of the Wilmington plant.
• The Chevrolet Volt, a highly-anticipated electric car, will begin production in 2010 at a plant near Detroit. The MPV7 will also go into production here starting in 2009.
• The Pontiac G6 will continue being made in Orion, Michigan, until 2013. Orion is not yet assigned a new vehicle to manufacture.
• Cadillac models CTS, STS, and SRX will all continue to be built for two years, with a new CTS wagon and CTS coupe starting up in 2009. Two more cadillac styles are expected to be manufactured beginning in 2011. This will all take place in Lansing, Michigan.
• Current models of the Hummer H3 and H3T will end in 2011, with updated models heading into production that year in Shreveport, Louisiana.
• Also in Shreveport, the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon will only exist up through 2011.
• Cadillac's DTS and the Buick Lucerne will stay in production through 2010 near Detroit, in Hamtramck.
• Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS continue in Hamtramck until 2010.
• The Lansing/Delta Michigan plant will also see several GMC, Saturn, and Buick products continue assebly through 2011, with replacements coming in 2012.
• A brand new, globally distributed subcompact is to be produced in Lordstown, Ohio, where the Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G5 small cars are already built. Those cars will be phases out in 2009. Two new cars will also be manufactured here starting in 2011.
• GM will be closing a plant in Doraville, Georgia. Workers there have already been notified.

The one assembly plant not mentioned in the deal builds midsize SUVs. The Moraine, Ohio, location is not mentioned because a separate union covers workers there.

``The whole thing looks fantastic,'' said Dave Green, UAW local president in Lordstown, Ohio, where new subcompacts will be built. However, the nearly 1,000 employees in Doraville, Georgia, might not feel the same. They have since discovered their plant will be shuttered.

Despite what others are reporting, this deal is certainly not final. With 16,000 employees becoming eligible for buyouts for carrying out non-essential duties, and new hires in noncore functions expected to get half the starting salary of an assembly line worker, there is the possibility that union employees will not ratify the agreement.

GM's 74,000 UAW members are to vote on the contract, with voting expected to be complete by October 10.

Pontiac G8 Wagon and Sport Truck Planned

Pontiac plans return of El Camino

The Pontiac G8 has been received in the US with much enthousiasm and seems to be carving its own niche market already, and its not even on sale yet. Rapper 50-Cent proudly showed off his G-stringed G8 at the SEMA show this year.

Automotive News brings some more good news for the United States car lovers. Turns out that three 'insider contacts' have let slip that GM is planning on expanding the G8 line-up with a wagon and sport ute. Both will be based on the same global RWD platform on which the G8 and Chevrolet Camaro sit.

The wagon will basicly be a remodelled Holden Sportwagon concept while the sport truck is based on the Holden VE Ute and is seen in some quarters as the return of the infamous El Camino.

There is still a catch to the plans, if the US dollar continues losing ground to the Australian dollar then exporting might become unfeasable (with US prices becoming too high), and will either delay or entirely cancel the family expansion plans.

Related entries:

Holden VE Commodore Sportwagon Unveiled
Holden VE Ute Range Released
50 Cent's 500hp Pontiac G8 Tuned by Unique Autosports
Holden HSV Ute Configurator

Hot Rod Movies and Travolta Fever

Brought to the forefront of American pop culture in the early 1950s, hot rods were all over the silver screen in a large number of predominately bad movies. Born from the Southern California drag racing culture, over fifty of these films were made per year by the mid-50s, each featuring a hip and/or rebellious anti-hero with a fast-and-loose girl.

There were no stars in these films, and you likely won't remember very many of the titles. Do Running Wild, Hot Rod Girl, or Hot Rod Rumble ring any bells? Made in 1956, Hot Rod Girl is actually a personal favorite from this genre, simply because it must have been the basis for every 1980s ski movie. The plotline on IMDB really sums it up best:

After his kid brother is killed in a street race, a champion drag-racer quits racing. However, a new kid comes to town determined to force him back into racing so he can take his title--and he's already taken his girlfriend.

The cars were always more important than the men who drove them. In an article Matt Stone wrote on the subject for Motor Trend, he quotes Hollywood actor/writer Tim Considine with, "There were the good guy, the bad guy, and the girl--and the girl was probably second [in importance] to the car, just as the girl was second to the horse in the cowboy movies."

Eventually, biker movies gained in popularity, but the hot rod flick never really went away. Tarantino ripped off the genre for Death Proof, and the camp aspect was always there in Death Race 2000. Obviously, Smokey and the Bandit borrowed the same themes: good guy, bad guy, the girl, and the big chase.

Many of the cars built for the hot rod pictures of the early 1950s were put together by Barris Kustoms. Founded by Chicago-born brothers Sam and George Barris, the duo created the Batmobile, K.I.T.T., and the cars for Blade Runner, and Death Race 2000.

But the Chicagoans also assebled a bunch of celebrity theme cars, including Ringo Starr's 1957 Chevy Bel Air, the ultra-tacky Sonny & Cher matching 1965 Mustang convertibles, and the grotesque Elton John Super Star Kart.

Somewhere, amongst five decades of custom car building, Barris Kustoms built Travolta Fever.

Currently up for auction on eBay, this fantastically awful Pontiac Firebird was assebled in 1971, and customized as a show car for John Travolta in 1979. Fresh off his success as Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever and Danny Zuko in Grease, Barris built this piece of work to honor Vinnie Barbarino himself.

After Travolta's success in Urban Cowboy, Barris revamped the interior of the car to reflect America's growing appreciation for cowboys and country music (think Don Cheadle as "Buck Swope" in Boogie Nights). The Firebird was outfitted with gen-u-ine cowhide seats, brown leather everywhere, and a saddle in place of a center console. Travolta Fever (make me laugh every time I type the name) has sculpted fender flares and a large, rear whale tale inspired by the Richard Petty era of NASCAR cars.

It is somewhat amusing to see Recaro listed as one of the original sponsors on the side of the car. None of us here at WCF seems to remember a time when Recaro made overstuffed cowhide seats.

Ventura, California, car collector James Monroe is the most recent owner of the car, which Barris himself auctioned off in 1983. “Travolta Fever is an important piece of entertainment history,” Monroe said in a press release.

Opening bid on the auction is set for $25,000. Since its listing yesterday, there have been no bids. The listing ends at 5pm California time, on Sunday, November 18.

Monroe believes Travolta Fever "is a time capsule that highlights the Hollywood fads of the late 70's and early 80's.”

Some time capsules were meant to stay buried.

Press Release

John Travolta 70’s Show Car ‘Travolta Fever’ on the eBay Auction Block

The sale of ‘Travolta Fever’ coincides with the 30th anniversary of ‘Saturday Night Fever.’

Hollywood, Calif. – Years before mega star John Travolta started piloting his own jumbo jet, he cruised around in ‘Travolta Fever,’ a custom celebrity show car created just for him as his career took off. Now this piece of Americana is up for auction on eBay.

The most famous Pontiac Firebird ever to hit the streets was designed by famed car customizer George Barris who is also responsible for the Batmobile, the Munster Koach, the General Lee and the Monkee Mobile.

“Travolta Fever is an important piece of entertainment history,” says James Monroe, the car’s current owner from Ventura, Calif. “It is a time capsule that highlights the Hollywood fads of the late 70's and early 80's.”

Saturday Night Fever, the movie that catapulted Travolta to stardom and into Grease and Urban Cowboy, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

“Hollywood promoters wanted to create a special car that would fit Travolta's superstar image and tied into Saturday Night Fever,” says Monroe. “Travolta Fever was built to promote John Travolta and his rising career.”

In 1980, when Travolta inspired a nationwide country music craze with Urban Cowboy, George Barris transformed the interior of Travolta Fever with an Urban Cowboy theme complete with appointed cowhide seats and an authentic saddle for the center console. Travolta Fever is also equipped with NASCAR-inspired, sculptured fender flares and a large rear whale tail.

Revell, the famous plastic model maker, produced and sold scale model kits of the Barris customized Firebird. In fact, John Travolta's "Firebird Fever" was one of the first celebrity car model kits ever offered by the company.

After a short time of being shown on the West Coast, Travolta Fever made its way to the Midwest, where it was leased from Barris by American car and custom hot rod designer Darryl Starbird and featured in several of his shows.

Travolta Fever, John Travolta’s custom celebrity show car, along with the TravoltaFever.com Web site are being auctioned together on eBay (Item number 160175750913).

The 10-day listing ends at 5:00 PM on Sunday, November 18.

2009 Pontiac Vibe

General Motors has officially launched its 2009 Pontiac Vibe at an event held today in Detroit. Not surprisingly, the Vibe shares many of its mechanics with its sister car — the recently unveiled Toyota Matrix — although the exterior is unique to the Pontiac brand. Like the Matrix, the Vibe will also offer an all-wheel drive model for 2009.

The Vibe's engine choices mirror that of the Matrix; customers can choose from either a 1.8L four-cylinder rated at 132 horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque or a 2.4L four rated at 158 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. The 2.4L will be standard on all-wheel drive models and GT models and will be optional on the base model..

Depending on the model and powertrain options, customers will be able to choose from several transmissions. Base model cars with the 1.8L engine will come standard with a five-speed manual transmission, with a four-speed auto optional. AWD models will only be available with a four-speed automatic. GT models and cars equipped with the 2.4L engine will come with a five-speed manual, with a five-speed automatic optional.

Fuel economy for the 1.8L engines ranges between 25-26 city and 31-31 highway, depending on transmission is selected. The 2.4L ranges between 21 city and 28-29 highway. As expected, the AWD option decreases mileage to 20/26 city/highway.

All models will feature a MacPherson-strut front suspension design, with the base model using a solid beam rear axle and GT and AWD models using a fully independent rear suspension. Four-wheel disc brakes with ABS will be standard throughout the model range, as well as electronic stability control and traction control.

The exterior of the Vibe is "clean and purposeful," and GM claims it exemplifies the future of Pontiac’s design. Like with the Matrix, each trim level will have its own unique styling cues, with AWD models receiving a roof rack and GT models wearing a new front fascia. The interior is also all-new and has a driver-focused cockpit design. The 2009 Vibe has 49.4 cubic feet of cargo space with its rear seats folded down.

The 2009 Pontiac Vibe is expect to hit dealer showrooms in early 2008.