Photo: Mecum
It’s ten years now since the Pontiac nameplate was killed for good by the then-struggling behemoth GM. The nearly century-old brand bit the dust because of the crisis that affected the industry back then, and there are slim chances of it ever being revived.
Just one year before its demise in 2009, Pontiac seemed to be riding the high wave, and even had the audacity to release a pace car variant of its star car of that time, the G8.
The machine was presented in January 2008 and made its track debut during the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona, pacing the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race. And as with any other pace car, this particular G8 was something else.
Dressed in racing graphics, the car ran down the track using a 6.0-liter V8 engine that developed 361 horsepower and 385 lb.-ft. of torque (520 Nm), all controlled by means of a six-speed automatic transmission with Driver Shift Control.
“The G8 with its aggressive Pontiac styling and soon to be legendary performance attributes will look and feel right at home running in front of all of the fast machinery at the World Center of Racing this weekend,” said at the time of the car’s introduction Craig Bierley, then Pontiac director of marketing.
Wearing Bridgestone Potenza tires on 19-inch 5-spoke aluminum wheels, the G8 pace car did its thing, and was quickly out the door. GM sold it alongside others when it shut down Pontiac in 2009, and the car has been touring auctions across the U.S. ever since.
Now it is on sale once more, during the Mecum Glendale auction, complete with all of the above, but also with Blaupunkt stereo, dual-zone climate control, and many other engines and suspension upgrades.
Most importantly, the car sells with functional strobe lights, meaning the light bar fitted on the roof will cause some serious disturbance in whatever neighborhood it ends up in.
The machine was presented in January 2008 and made its track debut during the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona, pacing the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race. And as with any other pace car, this particular G8 was something else.
Dressed in racing graphics, the car ran down the track using a 6.0-liter V8 engine that developed 361 horsepower and 385 lb.-ft. of torque (520 Nm), all controlled by means of a six-speed automatic transmission with Driver Shift Control.
“The G8 with its aggressive Pontiac styling and soon to be legendary performance attributes will look and feel right at home running in front of all of the fast machinery at the World Center of Racing this weekend,” said at the time of the car’s introduction Craig Bierley, then Pontiac director of marketing.
Wearing Bridgestone Potenza tires on 19-inch 5-spoke aluminum wheels, the G8 pace car did its thing, and was quickly out the door. GM sold it alongside others when it shut down Pontiac in 2009, and the car has been touring auctions across the U.S. ever since.
Now it is on sale once more, during the Mecum Glendale auction, complete with all of the above, but also with Blaupunkt stereo, dual-zone climate control, and many other engines and suspension upgrades.
Most importantly, the car sells with functional strobe lights, meaning the light bar fitted on the roof will cause some serious disturbance in whatever neighborhood it ends up in.
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