Photo: jlord8/Chevrolet/Pontiac
Built from 2000 to 2005, the Pontiac Aztek is one of the most controversial SUVs of the modern era. Often called "the car that killed Pontiac," "the worst vehicle ever built," or "the ugliest car in the world," it gets as much hate as the second-generation Ford Mustang.
But while I agree that it looks unusual, I don't think the Aztek deserves all the bad rap. I'm not here to explain why, but you can check out my "Five Reasons Why the Pontiac Aztek Doesn't Deserve All the Hate" blurb to learn more about that. I'm here to talk about the Aztek because of a cool rendering that takes the nameplate back to the late 1960s.
Yup, that's an era when Pontiac had nothing to do with the then-emerging SUV market. In fact, the company did not offer such a vehicle until the Aztek arrived in 2000, although it sold a rebranded Geo Tracker as the Sunrunner in Canada from 1994 to 1998. But here's the interesting thing: Pontiac would have had the means to make an SUV in the late 1960s or early 1970s thanks to the Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
But while many Chevy products from the era were redesigned into Pontiacs, the K5 Blazer never got the red arrowhead emblem, and sharing never expanded beyond the GMC Jimmy. And that's simply because GM's strategy for Pontiac did not include anything beyond passenger cars at the time. But this rendering by Instagram's "jlord8" shows that a Poncho SUV would have looked fantastic.
Sure, the hauler is nothing more than an early K5 Blazer with a Pontiac grille, but it's the shiny, center-split element that gives the Chevy a more exciting look. Especially since the artist went with a hidden headlamp layout. Yup, that front fascia doesn't come from the iconic GTO or the full-size Bonneville rig. These cars never had concealed headlamps. The structure is taken off the Grand Prix.
Launched in 1962 as a performance-oriented grand tourer, the Grand Prix used the platform o the Catalina coupe and was equipped with luxury features usually offered in the top-of-the-line Bonneville. The concealed headlamps appeared in 1967 and 1968, the final years of the second-generation Grand Prix. And they were exclusive to this nameplate.
Sure, the fact that the Blazer was introduced in 1969, the model year when Pontiac had already dropped the hidden headlamps, makes this rendering a bit inconsistent, but hey, everything is possible in imagination land. But I'm more curious whether GM would have allowed Pontiac to stuff the K5 Blazer with a bigger engine. The SUV arrived with a selection of inline-six and V8 engines, with the range-topping 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) V8 rated at 255 horsepower.
A more performance-oriented brand, Pontiac was using much bigger powerplants in most of its midsize and full-size offerings. The GTO, for instance, came with a 400-cubic-inch (6.6-liter) big-block rated at 265 to 370 horsepower in 1969. But even if the Blazer's engine bay was too small for the 400 V8, the Tempest and LeMans were available with a high-output 350 mill good for a solid 330 horsepower.
I know it probably sounds like I'm talking a lot of nonsense right now, but that's precisely why I love renderings. They give me the opportunity to think about "what if" vehicles that could have changed an automaker's history. Check out the late 1960s Aztek that never existed in our photo gallery, and let me know if it's a classic SUV you'd buy today.
Yup, that's an era when Pontiac had nothing to do with the then-emerging SUV market. In fact, the company did not offer such a vehicle until the Aztek arrived in 2000, although it sold a rebranded Geo Tracker as the Sunrunner in Canada from 1994 to 1998. But here's the interesting thing: Pontiac would have had the means to make an SUV in the late 1960s or early 1970s thanks to the Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
But while many Chevy products from the era were redesigned into Pontiacs, the K5 Blazer never got the red arrowhead emblem, and sharing never expanded beyond the GMC Jimmy. And that's simply because GM's strategy for Pontiac did not include anything beyond passenger cars at the time. But this rendering by Instagram's "jlord8" shows that a Poncho SUV would have looked fantastic.
Sure, the hauler is nothing more than an early K5 Blazer with a Pontiac grille, but it's the shiny, center-split element that gives the Chevy a more exciting look. Especially since the artist went with a hidden headlamp layout. Yup, that front fascia doesn't come from the iconic GTO or the full-size Bonneville rig. These cars never had concealed headlamps. The structure is taken off the Grand Prix.
Launched in 1962 as a performance-oriented grand tourer, the Grand Prix used the platform o the Catalina coupe and was equipped with luxury features usually offered in the top-of-the-line Bonneville. The concealed headlamps appeared in 1967 and 1968, the final years of the second-generation Grand Prix. And they were exclusive to this nameplate.
Sure, the fact that the Blazer was introduced in 1969, the model year when Pontiac had already dropped the hidden headlamps, makes this rendering a bit inconsistent, but hey, everything is possible in imagination land. But I'm more curious whether GM would have allowed Pontiac to stuff the K5 Blazer with a bigger engine. The SUV arrived with a selection of inline-six and V8 engines, with the range-topping 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) V8 rated at 255 horsepower.
A more performance-oriented brand, Pontiac was using much bigger powerplants in most of its midsize and full-size offerings. The GTO, for instance, came with a 400-cubic-inch (6.6-liter) big-block rated at 265 to 370 horsepower in 1969. But even if the Blazer's engine bay was too small for the 400 V8, the Tempest and LeMans were available with a high-output 350 mill good for a solid 330 horsepower.
I know it probably sounds like I'm talking a lot of nonsense right now, but that's precisely why I love renderings. They give me the opportunity to think about "what if" vehicles that could have changed an automaker's history. Check out the late 1960s Aztek that never existed in our photo gallery, and let me know if it's a classic SUV you'd buy today.
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