Pontiac unveils G6 GXP concept car
Pontiac will be whisking the cover off this G6 GXP at the New York Auto Show. Officially just a concept car, we're guessing the GXP will soon see production.
The GXP "performance series" badge first saw the light of day on Pontiac's 2003 Bonneville GXP, and later graced the performance model of the Grand Prix. A Solstice GXP will launch later this year.
The G6 GXP is meant to provide buyers with a more aggressive 2 2 coupe, with a full package of GXP mechanical and styling enhancements.
On the performance side, the GXP boasts a mildly reworked 3.9-liter V6 (270 hp, 250 lb-ft) coupled to a 6-speed manual transmission. The car rolls on 19-inch wheels providing a glimpse of cross-drilled brake rotors (after all, nothing says performance like brake disc holes). The suspension is lowered about an inch all around.
Styling-wise, the GXP gets a redesigned front fascia with integrated air dam, a couple of air scoops in the hood, side rocker panels, a new rear fascia sporting dual exhaustsand a faux diffuser, and a new "hammerhead"-design spoiler. The interior receives a red accent treatment, including red chrome trim. The Autoblog jury's still out on the grille (which looks to some of us like a shotgun wedding of Pontiac's "nostrils" and the Audi "waterfall"), but overall the package offers a nice performance upgrade for the G6.
All in all, a factory-edition tuner car. More pics after the jump.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Joel A. 6:30PM (4/03/2006)
GASP!
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jonnyboy 6:30PM (4/03/2006)
uhh yeah, that's pretty gross...
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CM 6:35PM (4/03/2006)
So damn cool...
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GM Lover 6:38PM (4/03/2006)
OK, everyone knows I am usually defending my beloved GM, and I personally love the regular G6 coupe...think it looks really sharp (and looks a lot better in person than in pictures).
But this car....hmmmmm....looks like it's trying too hard. Can't say I particularly like it, maybe it'll grow on me? Of course I have never been a fan of the over-the-top Japanese cars such as the WRX or Evo due to all of their ricer bolt ons and I think this car travels down the same road. Who knows though, maybe that'll make this car popular with the in-crowd? Oh no, what was I thinking, it's a GM/Pontiac and no one likes them...I forgot ;)
I guess I give 'em credit for at least breaking outside the box...
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JB 6:39PM (4/03/2006)
Eeep! What is going on with that grille? Maybe someone left the heat on too close to the clay model. That'll look great with a front license plate - wait, maybe no one outside of Michigan will ever buy one, so there's no need to worry (Michigan has no front plate).
G6-GXP-WXYZ...the answer to a question no one dared ask.
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Axel 6:41PM (4/03/2006)
Hmmm... looks a lot like this photochop:
http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/showthread.php?p=565691#post565691
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Chris 6:47PM (4/03/2006)
Not bad. Lose the hood scoops (has Pontiac not learned anything?), shave down those rabbit teeth looking grills and apply these same traits to the sedan and it might be worth $22K.
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Chris 6:50PM (4/03/2006)
Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention. It's gonna have to go 100,000 miles w/o breaking a sweat. Can a GM car do that?
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Chris 7:00PM (4/03/2006)
Manual trans shifter but NO clutch pedal. Heh...
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Lee Gibson 7:00PM (4/03/2006)
Uh, wow.
Can you say "Spoiler delete"? I knew you could.
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far jr 7:02PM (4/03/2006)
Too many boy racer add-ons for my tatse (especially that Porche-esque fin on the back). I would have preferred a sedan version with just the mechanical mods. and the 3.6 DOHC engine. Better luck next time GM.
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Nat 7:04PM (4/03/2006)
I so wanted this to be cool, but gross. I'm just not enough of a yo-yo to think this looks good. Maybe if I just tilt my hat a little more to the side of my face...
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Michael Karesh 7:06PM (4/03/2006)
Coupe and no sedan? Talk about never learning.
Some sites claimed this car would get the DOHC V6. Seems only Saturn will get that engine.
I'd take the shifter in any color if it only felt great. But I fear this is the same awful shifter in the GTP, just with a red knob. A shame, as the basic G6 sheetmetal deserves to be paired with a top-notch powertrain and chassis.
My review of the GTP with both transmissions: http://www.epinions.com/content_195895725700
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Hank 7:06PM (4/03/2006)
Might as well rename it the Grand Am. Yuck.
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PJ 7:20PM (4/03/2006)
Yeesh. I guess this is what the GTO taught Pontiac: that the company's customer base really does like plastic cladding and silly bodykits, after all.
Unless Pontiac has seriously upgraded the 3.9-liter V6 and six-speed manual transmission, this car's looks are going to be horrendously out of step with its driving experience. In the GTP model, that 3.9 doesn't like to rev, and its six-speed is perhaps the junkiest-feeling manual on the market.
In my opinion, the GTP model already looks aggressive enough, so Pontiac should just leave the looks alone. Then, the stylists' budget could be redirected to installing GM's freer-revving, better-sounding DOHC 3.6-liter V6. Without it, this car could suffer something of a legitimacy gap, to put it lightly.
And GM, if you want enthusiasts to take this car seriously, you MUST change this six-speed's shift linkage. The Saab 9-3's would be an improvement. Or, heck, beg Honda for more powertrain scraps.
I've been wanting to see the G6 deliver on its "sport-sedan" promises since its release, but each new model--first the GT, then the GTP, and now this--has stopped well short of that goal.
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laserwizard 7:23PM (4/03/2006)
Looks like it should be hanging from a cave somewhere. This is what GM gets when it takes an already mediocre car and tries to tart it up. Looks like a Village People Singer.
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GM MAN 7:37PM (4/03/2006)
I think this thing is awesome but still I think it sould at least, have the Ls1, or the LS6, or the Ls2. But anyway I think it's way too cool.
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J Quijano 7:49PM (4/03/2006)
looks like a sunfire had buttsex with a g35 coupe
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pd 7:49PM (4/03/2006)
I'm really getting sick of these massive oversized grilles,CAN YOU SAY GHETTO
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Ferguson McSqueege 8:44PM (4/03/2006)
The first thought that came into my mind was that it looked like a whale or an ugly dolphin, or some other hideous sea creature.
That's quite tacky...but then again, 'tacky' has been Pontiac's trademark for the past decade.
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