RIP Pontiac

Just read some sad news: Stricken car manufacturer GM are shutting down their entire Pontiac division. Positioned as a more sporty brand than Chevy, Pontiac produced such cars as the Firebird and the GTO. Some of the later fare was less than spectacular (the Pontiac Grand Prix, to my mind exemplified everything wrong with the US car industry), but they did produce some top cars. I think it's a bit sad, but unfortunately inevitable; there're simply too many car plants and brands in the world at the moment. GM are right to concentrate on the remaining brands, although I personally expected Buick to go first as they sell so few of them. I guess there's just not much difference in market position between Chevy and Pontiac these days. Well, I'll always remember driving down to LA in my rented Pontiac Solstice.

Anyway, here's a picture of a Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am.