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classic ad watch
Gale Harold Tries, Fails To Sell Pontiac Azteks
Everyone laughs at the Aztek. Poor Aztek! But at least The General was trying something interesting, either ignoring the focus groups or selecting incredibly unrepresentative focus group members when they made their prediction that their über-cladded crypto-minivan would sell like crazy. And, as part of their ad campaign, they got Queer As Folk actor Gale Harold to do an ad for this fine motor vehicle; watch as he scarfs some sushi, then swings to the beat! Can you hear the marketing wizards bandying about words like "hip" and "urban" and "edgy" in their meetings?
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Pontiac Vibe Commercial Featuring Shwayze. Wait, Who?
You know you're not 'hip' or 'with it' anymore when when you see a musical artist featured in a new ad campaign and you don't know if they're a nobody or a somebody. Does anybody know who Shwayze is? It's kind of a catchy tune, that relies a little heavily on the fact that Shwayze rhymes with everything. The ad is undeniably targeted at that wannabe-indy-hipster-with-cash demographic that Pontiac is probably just drooling over. Maybe Pontiac is trying to pull an Apple and make artists with their ads. Whatever the case, we're still not sure about this whole "Is Car" slogan Pontiac is running. Nevertheless, the product they're churning out lately is way better than the "Driving Excitement" days so we're not complaining.
choose your eternity
Since yesterday's Packard Straight Eight Swap Edition (which was won by the '37 Pontiac) was so much fun, we're going to stick with Alternative Powerplant Hell for another day. All engine swaps are fun, of course, but the best ones involve stuffing an engine much, much larger than anything the car's designers ever considered. When you accomplish such a swap, you get respect; when you start with the knuckle-shredding, sanity-destroyingly tight engine compartment of a small mid-engined car (say, a Fiero or MR2)... well, that's when folks start treating you with the deference reserved for the truly mad!
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PCH, Northstar Swap Edition: Toyota MR2 or Pontiac Fiero?
Since yesterday's Packard Straight Eight Swap Edition (which was won by the '37 Pontiac) was so much fun, we're going to stick with Alternative Powerplant Hell for another day. All engine swaps are fun, of course, but the best ones involve stuffing an engine much, much larger than anything the car's designers ever considered. When you accomplish such a swap, you get respect; when you start with the knuckle-shredding, sanity-destroyingly tight engine compartment of a small mid-engined car (say, a Fiero or MR2)... well, that's when folks start treating you with the deference reserved for the truly mad! More »
novelties
CNN Revisits Italian Fauxrrari Forgeries
Proving once again the speed with which stories are cycled through in a 24-hour-news-cycle network, CNN has decided to run coverage on the gang of Italian Ferrari forgers we brought you back in February. The in-depth coverage includes pointing to, and comparing pictures of, a real Ferrari 328 GTS against the real fake example. Italian-accented experts remark on how good the outside is, then point out how poorly-executed the interior and engine are. Honestly, as far as Fierarris go, this one isn't too bad, and the dimmer among us would probably fall for the fakery unless giving it a more than a passing glance. [CNN]
2009 opel insignia
boring engines, you'll have a choice between either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. What else would we expect from a four-door that's 7.9 inches longer than the current Vectra and is built on the General's new globe-spanning Epsilon II platform. Of course we'd expect a variety of available options — this sculpted boat's going to need to play the role of like, every car in GM's multi-brand lineup. And that's why we should care about this new Euro sedan — because everything else with an Opel badge gets sent state-wide as a Saturn, so we're under the impression we'll be seeing this as the 2011 Saturn Aura. But the platform prostitution doesn't end there — the bones underneath will hold the skin and meat of the 2011 Pontiac G6 and the 2012 Chevy Malibu. Rumor is we'll also see it as the 2010 Buick LaCrosse and the 2010 Saab 9-3. Yes, that means the 2010 LaCrosse would actually get an AWD platform — hmm, maybe there's some life in that old brand. Yeah, right. Full press release after the jump.
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2009 Opel Insignia Revealed, Officially
The General's German brand saw the sign it needed to replace the aged Vectra, so they opened up their eyes — and came up with this — the new 2009 Opel Insignia. It's a new name, a new car and yes, a new badge for the brand preciously misspelled from the name of a gem and it's being revealed in July at the London Motor Show. We're guessing Opel decided to drop this load of shots and details early due to, you know, all the leakage everywhere — both manufactured, silly and otherwise. This new Vectra-replacing four-door will hit the market with a pickup truck-like selection of engine options and powertrains. Buyers of the new Insignia will be able to choose from seven different engines — four gasoline engines ranging from a four-banger 115 HP unit to a V6 with an output of 260 horses and three new direct-injection diesels displacing 2.0 liters and with outputs spanning from 110 to 160 HP. And when you're done choosing yourMore »
choose your eternity
Well, whaddya know- an American Hell Project beat a French one in our most recent Choose Your Eternity poll, with the Malaise Corvette Limo winning by a small- yet significant- margin over the V8-ready Peugeot 404. Unprecedented! We need to honor this tremendous underdog victory by going with an all-American matchup, with a 71-year-old car taking on a 79-year-old truck. Not only that, to honor the amazing Packard Straight Eight we saw in today's Engine of the Day post, each of these projects must be viewed as the potential recipient of a supercharged Packard inline eight engine. So forget those small-block Chevy engines that come with 'em, because the Chevy is just too easy.
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PCH, Packard Eight Swap Edition: 1937 Pontiac Sedan or 1929 Ford Truck
Well, whaddya know- an American Hell Project beat a French one in our most recent Choose Your Eternity poll, with the Malaise Corvette Limo winning by a small- yet significant- margin over the V8-ready Peugeot 404. Unprecedented! We need to honor this tremendous underdog victory by going with an all-American matchup, with a 71-year-old car taking on a 79-year-old truck. Not only that, to honor the amazing Packard Straight Eight we saw in today's Engine of the Day post, each of these projects must be viewed as the potential recipient of a supercharged Packard inline eight engine. So forget those small-block Chevy engines that come with 'em, because the Chevy is just too easy.More »
choose your eternity
With the '69 Citröen ID19 carrying the French to victory over their British rivals in the PCH Superpower Rematch, I can see we'll need to have some more elimination rounds to see whether France or Britain shall be crushed beneath the weight of proudly display the oil-spraying, parts-shedding PCH Superpower Trophy. Today's challenge, however, is a return to a fine PCH tradition with no nationalistic overtones: Two-For-One Hell Projects!
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PCH, Double The Hell Edition: Pair-O-Willys or Benz-Pontiac Combo Platter?
With the '69 Citröen ID19 carrying the French to victory over their British rivals in the PCH Superpower Rematch, I can see we'll need to have some more elimination rounds to see whether France or Britain shall More »
found on ebay
Aerocoupe Grand Prix And Monte Carlo
Always wanted an "Aero Wars" muscle car from the early '70s like the Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird, or the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II, but have never been able to afford one? Well, if you desire an attainable NASCAR homologation special, how about one of these GM G-body specials from the '80s? What we have here is an '86 Pontiac Grand Prix Aerocoupe and an '87 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe, each for sale on eBay. Now, these may not be the most desirable cars right now, but give 'em 20 years and who knows how much they'll be worth.More »
down on the street
We saw a DOTS Fiero a few months ago, and the mid-80s are recent enough that the Fiero may be something of an iffy candidate for DOTShood. However, nice ones are getting fairly rare nowadays and I figured we're due for a GT model in this series. That's the reason we're going to take a look at this very clean '86 Fiero GT I spotted on the island's East End, and it should provide us with fuel for a spirited debate on the contentious Fiero issue. Do we love the Fiero, even though the General bean-countered a great concept into something, well, somewhat less than great?
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1986 Pontiac Fiero GT
We saw a DOTS Fiero a few months ago, and the mid-80s are recent enough that the Fiero may be something of an iffy candidate for DOTShood. However, nice ones are getting fairly rare nowadays and I figured we're due for a GT model in this series. That's the reason we're going to take a look at this very clean '86 Fiero GT I spotted on the island's East End, and it should provide us with fuel for a spirited debate on the contentious Fiero issue. Do we love the Fiero, even though the General bean-countered a great concept into something, well, somewhat less than great?More »
super turbo potential
We love the '80s and not just for Rick Astley, Members Only jackets and New Coke. All that's well and good, but what we really love can be described in one italicized, chromed plastic-emblemed word: TURBO. The 80's economy forced automakers to use weaker and smaller engines, so to boost power we all turned to MacGyver-rigged turbochargers. With all that super turbo potential out there, it was hard for us to come up with a top ten list of the most totally awesome turbocharged American cars from the 1980s — but nonetheless, we did. Ogle the 80's heart-action, then tell us which is your favorite in the poll below.
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Top Ten Totally Awesome Turbocharged American Cars
We love the '80s and not just for Rick Astley, Members Only jackets and New Coke. All that's well and good, but what we really love can be described in one italicized, chromed plastic-emblemed word: TURBO. The 80's economy forced automakers to use weaker and smaller engines, so to boost power we all turned to MacGyver-rigged turbochargers. With all that super turbo potential out there, it was hard for us to come up with a top ten list of the most totally awesome turbocharged American cars from the 1980s — but nonetheless, we did. Ogle the 80's heart-action, then tell us which is your favorite in the poll below.
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12:00 PM on Mon Apr 7 2008
By marnold
12,119 views,
171 comments
classic ad watch
desperate-smelling discounts in between the shots of the undernourished-looking Grand Am-lovin' 80s babe. Hmm... you don't see many of these cars around any more...
Hot Babes Dig Discount Deals On '88 Pontiac Grand Ams
So The General makes this seriously 80s-looking ad for the '88 Grand Am, so much of its time that a fine sheen of chlamydia-scented cocaine crystals will form on your TV screen just watching it. But wait! The General notes that nobody is actually buying Grand Ams, so he orders his admeisters to splice in some stuff about
2008 pontiac g8
Pontiac G8 GT Stock Runs 13-Second Quarter-Mile, Are Those Paper Plates?
When we first saw this video of the new 2008 Pontiac G8 GT running a 13.12 quarter-mile at 106.65 MPH we thought, "Wow, that's kind of fast." It's even faster if you consider that this appears to be an automatic version making its first pass. If you go deeper into the video you'll notice the lack of plates and that paper in the back window. Now it could be something put there by the owner/drag officials. The better theory is that it's a paper plate from the dealership, meaning that this car was driven off the lot and in front of the christmas tree. The best theory is that this car is in the middle of an awesome test drive. We guess those Pontiac G8 commercials are working. [FQuick]
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Pontiac G8 GT Slams BMW 5-Series In Poetic Verse
From the book of car, whatever that is, comes the latest in the march of ads for the Pontiac G8 GT. We all thought the Spy Hunter commercial was clever, and the Hot Wheels one was slick too. This new web-only commercial turns it up a notch, taking the fight right to the lion's den, comparing the new 2008 Pontiac G8 GT to the BMW 5-Series. Hmm, that's an interesting approach from the brand that never used to drive excitement, especially when they claimed they were, but since it's their ad, do we really have to say who comes out ahead in this one? What we really like about this latest commercial is the poetry slam vs. powerpoint presentation style, plus the funny pictures of goats. Subtle allusion to the Pontiacs of the past, perhaps, but automakers should remember that farm animals always make for a good direction for a car commercial. At least in our minds. [Youtube]
2010 pontiac g8 st
The Problem With The Pontiac G8 El Camino
We love the idea of the 2010 Pontiac G8 El Camino, this much goes without saying, but there's been a lot of hemming and hawing about the long term viability of the product from a business perspective. Motor City Blog Man Todd Lassa has a theory on the General's strategy and it kind of makes sense to us. Remember when we all went a little batty at the prospect of a G8 Wagon and then it got canned — kind of? Well Todd got to thinking about the wagon and the El Camino, and mixed in a little marketing strategy from GM's cross town rivals at Ford and came up with an idea: More »
found on ebay
Back when John Z. De Lorean was coming up with cars like the GTO for the Pontiac Division, he also had this crazy idea for a "Mustang killer" that would be cheaper and lighter than a Corvette. Unfortunately, the Banshee was also faster than the Corvette, so the General's overlords- still pissed about the way John Z. sneaked the GTO out the door- axed it (though much of its styling lived on in later Corvettes and Firebirds). Only two roadworthy prototypes were built, a convertible and a coupe... and now that coupe can be yours! Just pony up the Buy It Now of a mere $1,500,000 and you'll own the Coolest Pontiac Ever. [eBay Motors]
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The De Lorean Car That Never Was: 1964 Pontiac Banshee For Sale
Back when John Z. De Lorean was coming up with cars like the GTO for the Pontiac Division, he also had this crazy idea for a "Mustang killer" that would be cheaper and lighter than a Corvette. Unfortunately, the Banshee was also faster than the Corvette, so the General's overlords- still pissed about the way John Z. sneaked the GTO out the door- axed it (though much of its styling lived on in later Corvettes and Firebirds). Only two roadworthy prototypes were built, a convertible and a coupe... and now that coupe can be yours! Just pony up the Buy It Now of a mere $1,500,000 and you'll own the Coolest Pontiac Ever. [eBay Motors]
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2010 pontiac g8 st
Wards Ignores Jalopnik At Epicenter Of El Camino Campaign
Seems Wards Auto noticed our little campaign to resurrect the El Camino moniker for the 2010 Pontiac G8 sport truck, even going to far as to quote Bob Lutz's response to our question at the New York Auto Show. But when it came time to assign a location from which the hootin', hollerin' and shoutin' was emanating from, the best they could come up with was a vague pointing in a direction other than them. Although they were able to see the tens of dozens of press walking through the show wearing our "Vote El Camino Today!" pins, they apparently missed the name Jalopnik printed right underneath it. But at the very least they think our campaign has been "skillful":More »
