Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet

Autoblog tipster Mark has sent in these images of what appears to be some sort of Chevrolet Camaro body restyling kit that turns the Bowtie musclecar a latter-day Pontiac Firebird tribute. As posted on GMInsideNews forums, there is speculation that the mule could actually be a Camaro Z28, what with its big hood bulge and all, but the styling doesn't seem right to us, nor does the prototype's camouflage pattern. We suspect it's more likely an aftermarket affair, something along the lines of the Kevin Morgan Designs 'Phoenix' project, the ASC redux, or the Lingenfelter 455 T/A concept.

The prototype was spotted in suburban Detroit area when its car cover partially blew off while parked, giving Mark the opportunity to capture his quarry. Unfortunately, the cover apparently never came all the way off, so we're left wondering what's been done to the back end. Judging by what we can see of the cover's outline, it doesn't appear to have been left alone, so our curiosity remains piqued. Thanks for the photos, Mark!



[Source: GMInsideNews]

Reader Spy: Are you a new tuner Pontiac Firebird homage, the Chevy Camaro Z28, or something else? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Specialty

How many Chevrolet Camaro-based Pontiac Trans Am replicas can what we assume to be a rather small market support? We've already seen Kevin Morgan's Phoenix T/A revival as well as our personal favorite, the Lingenfelter 455 T/A Concept that we saw last November at the annual SEMA Show in Vegas, and now it seems that we can add a third Trans Am to the growing list of replicas, this one from Gearhead Performance Group.

One thing that certainly caught our attention that the Gearhead T/A will supposedly offer as an option is a 900 horsepower 6.2 liter twin turbo LS9 V8 engine. Besides that, we see the typical and fully expected split front grille, fender vents, ducktail spoiler and snowflake wheels. There will also be a gaud gold-accented interior option for the ultimate in 1970s style. Just add a CB radio and you'll be good to go.



[Source: Gearhead Performance Group via Jalopnik]

Gearhead Performance Group plans another Camaro-based Trans Am replica originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Buick, GM, GMC, Pontiac

When General Motors put Oldsmobile out to pasture, many owners defected from GM brands all-together. In an effort to make sure history doesn't repeat itself with soon to be displaced Pontiac owners, the General is extending an olive branch in the form of a year of free maintenance.

Automotive News reports that GM is offering four years of free service visits - including oil changes and tire rotations - to specific Buick-GMC dealerships for owners of 1999 and newer Pontiac vehicles. Brian Sweeney, general manager of Buick-GMC, told AN that the plan is to "to keep the relationship with the Buick-GMC dealer." Customers will be given specific Buick-GMC dealers to utilize for the free service in order to help the dealers develop a relationship with said customer in hopes that they will use that dealership to purchase future products.

A potential problem with the plan is that Pontiac and Buick/GMC models aren't exactly in the same price range, though (potential) future products like the Buick Excelle and the GMC Granite concept could be priced competitively enough to keep some Pontiac owners in the GM family.

With new service customers on the way, we're sure the Buick-GMC dealers are excited about this program. Many Buick-GMC dealers used to sell Pontiacs as well, so many of the brand's former customers won't even have to go to a new dealer to cash in on the free maintenance.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req. | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]

GM wooing current Pontiac owners with free service originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Be sure to look at all of Paulo Keller’s photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with “gmfyi.”

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Chevrolet, Holden, Australia, Rumormill

If it's Monday, there must be a big, rear-wheel drive Chevrolet four-door coming soon. Tuesday? We'll retract and deny everything. We know, we know. We also know we just reported that the next Chevy Impala will remain front-wheel drive - but check this out. We've been hearing rumors for some time now, that despite whatever Fritz Henderson has to say on the matter, a high-performance version of General Motors' Zeta platform that underpins the Pontiac G8 will live on as a Chevy SS model, either badged as a Caprice or (more likely) an Impala. And we're not talking the police special. As Maximum Bob has said, the G8 is "Kinda too good to waste." Needless to say, we totally agree.

An eagle-eye'd AB reader named Jim just caught the following on a Pontiac G8 forum:

"My dealer had sent off pictures to GM of the cable portion of the front seats belts rubbing against the plastic on the side of the front seats. In an email sent back to the dealer, GM says that they have no plans to solve what has already been built but going forward a correction is planned. The email continues: ...a fix is planned for MY11.5 Chevy Police Program and MY12 Chevy SS. The fix will involve a protective sleeve that covers the buckle and section of the buckle stem that rubs on the plastic trim."

How 'bout them apples? That might normally be a sliver of a sliver of a rumor, but it exactly what what we've heard independently from a reliable source - and it brings a great big smile to our face. Now, repeat after us, LS3 with six-speed manual, LS3 with six-speed manual, LS3 with six-speed manual... Thanks a million, Jim!



[Source: G8 Board]

Rumormill: Holden-based, RWD 2012 Chevy SS coming after all? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Concept Cars, SEMA Show, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, Pontiac

Car and Driver is the first outlet to post real live photos of the SEMA-bound Lingenfelter 455 T/A Concept. By taking the looks of the '70 Trans Am and adapting them to the new Chevrolet Camaro, Lingenfelter has created something that will have you playing "What if.." scenarios regarding Pontiac over and over again in your heads. Imagine a world in which you could walk into a General Motors dealer and pick between this and the G8 GXP...

Anyway, snap out of it, because that ain't happenin'. We think what's likely to happen, if people go as batsh*t crazy over this creation at SEMA as we think they will, is that Lingenfelter will probably offer the package to customers. That's probably good, anyway, as we can't see GM spending the bucks to offer the 455 T/A's upgraded interior (yeah, it's premium vinyl, baby) and monstrously-upgraded engine. See, that 455 nomenclature's no joke. According to C/D, the 455 CID/7.5-liter V8 rocks an 11.5:1 compression ratio, ported and polished LS7 heads, a new intake and a forged crankshaft. The exhaust is by Corsa, the honeycomb wheels are custom jobs, and most importantly, the engine comes correct with 655 horses and 610 lb-ft. of torque. We'll have plenty more on this bad mofo next week from SEMA. In the meantime, head over to CarandDriver.com for more images.

[Source: Car and Driver via Camaro5 | Image: Patrick M. Hoey]

The Lingenfelter 455 T/A Concept really is badass originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: SEMA Show, Classics, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Specialty

Apparently, there are more Trans Am-obsessed Pontiac aficionados in the world than we initially suspected. While we have a major soft spot in our hearts for the old Poncho F-Bodies, we'd never actually go to the trouble of converting a perfectly good 2010 Camaro into something featuring T-tops and emblazoned with tons of Screaming Chickens. Some, though, seem to feel a life without the Trans Am is no kind of life at all.

First, there was the so-called Phoenix conversion from Kevin Morgan. Now, well-known tuning firm Lingenfelter Performance Engineering is entering the fray with its 2010 Camaro LTA, which resurrects another of Pontiac's most famous muscular lumps: the 455 cubic inch V8. In this case, the mill isn't really a Pontiac engine at all - the 655-horsepower engine is based on an aluminum GM LS-series block that's bored and stroked to equal the desired 455 cubes and capped with ported and polished LS7 heads.

Styling obviously takes its inspiration from the 1971 and 1972 TA, complete with the white and blue paint scheme and prominent twin-grille beak (Endura bumper not included). Naturally, front fender vents join a ducktail spoiler at the rear and 20-inch honeycomb wheels complete the visual package. So far, there's no word on pricing, but we wouldn't expect it to come cheap. Stay tuned for an official debut at the upcoming SEMA Show in Las Vegas.



[Source: Camaro5.com]

SEMA Preview: Lingenfelter to show off Camaro-based Pontiac Trans Am originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Pontiac, Saturn, Toyota

Ford buyers appear to love their cars more than customers of any other automotive brand, returning back to the American automaker when it comes time to purchase their next vehicle. According to a study by Experian Automotive, six of the top 10 vehicles for customer brand loyalty wear badges from the Blue Oval. That includes the Ford Fusion (62.4 percent), Ford Edge (57.9 percent), Ford Five Hundred/Taurus (56 percent), Ford Freestyle (51.9 percent), Ford Escape (49.4 percent) and the Ford Focus (47.57 percent).

Other vehicles making up the top 10 include the Toyota Prius (52 percent), Chevy Impala (51.7 percent), Toyota Camry (47.8 percent) and Toyota Corolla (47.56 percent). This brings up an interesting question: With the closing of automotive brands like Saturn and Pontiac, where are those buyers to turn for their next automotive purchase?

Apparently, not back to General Motors. According to Experian, Pontiac owners are most likely to look to the Ford lineup for their next car or truck and Saturn shoppers will switch to Toyota or Honda - not particularly surprising given that Saturn was meant to compete with import brands. Experian predicts that GM's overall market share will fall from 20 percent to about 17.5 percent, with most of the slack being picked up by Ford, Honda and Toyota.

[Source: Experian Automotive, USA Today]

Continue reading STUDY: Ford owns brand loyalty in 2009; Scorned Saturn, Pontiac buyers will look outside of GM

STUDY: Ford owns brand loyalty in 2009; Scorned Saturn, Pontiac buyers will look outside of GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is anybody else wondering why it took GM’s bright minds so long to figure out that the Holden Commodore/Pontiac G8/Chevrolet Caprice would make an excellent cop car? The first of the new Caprice police cruisers won’t hit the market until 2011. Aiy! May we all live long enough to see it!

Cops love big iron, rear drive, and V-8s. Those features used to be commodities available at every store. Remember when a cop car could be anything from a Chevy Caprice to a Dodge Polara to an AMC Matador? Well, me neither. But the point is this: after the old cetacean-shaped Caprice died, and except for the police SUV business, Ford has had the cruiser segment pretty much locked down. Given that the Commodore/G8/Caprice is built in Australia, there were undoubtedly concerns at GM about cost. Long pipelines and the uncertainties of foreign currency exchange rates are complications that always hamper an import’s business case.

But even if the Caprice carries a modest price premium, some police departments will bite. Why? Cops are people too, and they are as much susceptible to boredom as the rest of us. When Dodge brought forth the Chrysler 300-based Charger cruiser two years ago, many departments quickly pounced. Everybody likes a new car. And the cops often get what they want. Not always, but often. In a previous life I covered city council meetings at various communities around Detroit and watched how local police chiefs bully their city councils into giving the department what it asks for. A police chief is a career job for a lifer, and you don’t get to be one until you’ve been around awhile and grown a few gray hairs. A city council job is practically a volunteer position for elected citizens who have day jobs doing something else. When The Chief asks for something, it’s the expert talking, and the council usually rolls over without too much second-guessing. If the chief says the department needs to replace its aging fleet with new Caprices to help ensure public safety, the council will pull the money from the public art fund, the adopt-a-bunny program, or wherever it needs to to make The Chief happy. Thus, you better start memorizing the headlight signature of the new Caprice, as they’ll be out hosing the local roads with radar before you know it.

Related posts:

1. 2011 Chevrolet Caprice PPV – Car News
2. Bob Lutz: Pontiac G8 to Survive as Chevrolet Caprice, CTS-V Coupe Coming
3. Our Cruisers: John Phillips’s Corvette-Chasing Caprice Wagon

Holden, the Australian branch of GM responsible for toys like the Pontiac GTO, has launched a series of upgrade packages for the Holden Commodore that make it look like the Pontiac G8. The SS V-Series Special Edition packages are available for sedan, ute (think modern-day El Camino), and wagon body styles.

The Holdens get new 18-inch wheels, twin-nostril front fascias, a front splitter, and dual hood scoops—all of which recall the front-end treatment of the G8 GXP. The Sportwagon version essentially demonstrates what a G8 GXP wagon would have looked like. And it looks good. (Apparently they had a lot of extra G8 fascias lying around.)

This makes us especially sad because GM has nixed the G8 for American sales, and there will likewise never be such a wagon on our shores.

Related posts:

1. 2009.5 Pontiac G6 – Auto Shows
2. Pontiac G8 and Solstice Concepts for SEMA – Auto Shows
3. 2010 Pontiac G8 Sport Truck – Auto Shows