Last week, we linked to a CarDomain piece about a lunch that gang had with GM's Bob Lutz. One of their topics of conversation with the product czar was manual transmissions, and it was reported that the '09 Pontiac G8 GT would be offered with an optional Tremec 6-speed manual transmission. This was certainly welcome news, both to us and readers. Unfortunately, it turns out that this information was, in fact, too good to be true. Pontiac's Jim Hopson dropped us a note this morning to clarify. In it, he writes, "We currently have no plans to offer the Tremec on any other G8 model (including the GT mentioned in the article), although it might be an option we could consider in the future." That's a bummer, and there you have it: The only way you'll be able to get a manual in the Pontiac G8 is if you pony up for the über-caliente GXP performance variant when it arrives later this year. Jim's email, in its entirety, is pasted after the jump.
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT
If you like horsepower, speed and a usable back seat, the Pontiac G8 GT was a great deal with an MSRP of $29,995. In fact, Pontiac advertised the 2008 model as just such a bargain: "Most powerful car starting under $30K," which is riding the line pretty close.
But the company will have to ditch that ad campaign with the 2009 model as prices for a G8 GT will now begin at $31,360, or some $1,365 more than the previous year. Some of the cost is due to more standard luxuries like XM Radio, but at least part of the increase can be blamed on those familiar culprits of a weak U.S. dollar and rise in material costs. Still, we would've thought some of the car's cost was trimmed by ditching the oversized auxiliary gauges for the car's battery charge and oil pressure. Guess not.
If the ad campaign is any indication, those of us born in the late 1970s are the demographic Pontiac's aiming at with the G8. First, there was the Spy Hunter themed TV spot, and now this one, which pays homage to the seminal car-guy experience of zooming around on a carpet in 1/64 scale. Hey, we're cool with that. The G8 GT does induce heart palpitations in many of us who still cling to our battle-scarred collection of now-vintage Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars with our initials etched into the underside. Like many of the other tiny cars we racked up miles on, a miniature G8 would have made us wish for either a shrink-ray, or a personal fortune by the time we hit 16 so we could buy a real one. Video embedded after the jump.
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT
As a tyke I staged an all-out assault on my parents' better judgment for a G.I. Joe hovercraft. Not three months had passed following their surrender when I ransomed my mischievousness for the next toy my happiness hinged upon. Oh, that hovercraft? Forgotten. The auto industry works the same way. We often convince automakers that we'll buy every cool car they'd make if they would just grow a pair and build 'em. They do their part and then... we don't. The trust is broken and we're back to buying what automakers know will sell.
After much whining from performance enthusiasts, the rear-wheel-drive 2008 Pontiac G8 GT is finally here and at first glance is packing almost everything we wanted. Will GM be made to look like the pushover parent and left paying the bill for this Aussie import while customers shift their attention on to the next big thing, or will the G8 turn out to be the toy we never tire of? Read on to find out.
Whenever a new performance car hits the market, a quick trip to the dyno always seems to be the firstpriority. This phenomenon again holds true for the new Pontiac G8 GT. After having driven the sport sedan, we remarked that the sedan's 6.0-liter small block V8 engine provided "a glorious combination of aural assault and potent propulsion." We do love us some alliteration! Getting back to the dyno, the good people over at PCMforless have already put their new G8 GT on a Dynojet for a few pulls. The first pull yielded 286.62 ponies and the second, after a bit of tuning, wrung the bell at 310.37 galloping horses. Factoring in drivetrain loss of about 15%, those numbers are (surprise!) right in line with the 361 horsepower that Pontiac is claiming for the G8 GT.
While over 300 horsepower is mighty impressive for a 30K-ish sport sedan, we'd be remiss if we didn't at least mention that the 2009 G8 GXP will be packing another 40 horsies underhood. Oh yeah... and a clutch. Check out a video of the full-pull after the jump, where you'll no doubt enjoy some of that glorious aural assault. Thanks for the tip, Nick!
At the East Coast edition of the 2008 GM Collection, El General had one of his preproduction Pontiac G8 GT sedans on display for everyone's inspection. The car on hand was a red GT with an automatic transmission, the revised silver Pontiac badge, black leather seating. Unfortunately, the G8 at the event was eye candy only -- no driving allowed. Still, it was unlocked, and I was able to check out the production-spec interior up close. Follow the jump for a quick rundown and first impression of how it all looked
GM loves to tease its American customers. While we patiently await the arrival of the Pontiac G8 GT, in Australia, multiple high-performance flavors of the VE Commodore its based on are available from HSV. In the UK, one of those cars, the HSV Clubsport R8, is offered as the Vauxhall VXR8.
With 412 horsepower (417 PS) and 405 lb-ft of torque on tap, one would think that the rebadged HSV would be sufficiently awesome for our former colonial overlords. One would also be incorrect. Carscoop reports the Brits will be offered a supercharger option that elevates power to a staggering 540 horses and adds 30-percent more torque (figure a new rating of 526 lb-ft or so). The non-supercharged VXR8 does 0-60 in 4.9 seconds, so you can expect the blown sedan to shave a few more tenths off that number while making expensive tires cry for their mothers. The cost of the kit is £6,995.
Tuesday's post on the rumored sub-$35K price for the upcoming Pontiac G8 GT drew plenty of interest from readers, and if our completely unscientific poll is any indication, should the car come in at or below that price, Pontiac will have your attention. After tallying up 2,500+ votes, 63% of you said that yes, the checkbook would be broken out if that number is the real deal. And from the looks of things, a G8 GT for $35,000 is going to happen, as Pontiac's reps told us that the V8-powered car's pricing will indeed start "well under" that sum. Good news for those of you who've been waiting for a proper RWD American power sedan. It's been a while, but you'll get your wish, and parking one outside your house shouldn't break the bank (as long as the dealers don't go into full gank mode upon release, which is always a possibility).
Enthusiast website TheGMSource.com is reporting that, according to its sources, General Motors will give the range-topping G8 GT sedan an MSRP under $35,000. That's pretty much the extent of it. We've got to believe that the sum refers to the G8 GT's starting price, as it's hard to imagine a fully-loaded version of the V8 muscle sedan coming in at or under $35K. We'd be happy to be pleasantly surprised, though. That would also let GM position a possible GXP version in the $40K range if/when it's ultimately released.
UPDATE: We reached out to GM on this. While G8 pricing is not yet finalized, the folks at the Pontiac division told us in no uncertain terms that "the G8 GT starting price will be well under that $35k price point." (Emphasis added.)
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