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Aug 08, 2023

The Forgotten Sports Sedan That Had BMW Shaking In Their Boots

The Pontiac G8 is an often overlooked sports sedan, one that started out as a Holden and one that gave the BMW 5 Series a run for its money. There is probably very little over the years that have had

The Pontiac G8 is an often overlooked sports sedan, one that started out as a Holden and one that gave the BMW 5 Series a run for its money.

There is probably very little over the years that have had German car giant BMW genuinely worried. However, the Pontiac G8 might just be one of those vehicles that had BMW really shaking in its boots. What started out as a rebadged Holden became quite the icon of the Pontiac lineup, and it would also evolve into the Chevrolet SS sedan a few years down the line.

Pontiac would even create an aggressive ad against the BMW E60 550i, to show just how much confidence they had in their latest machine. It’s a commercial that is still on YouTube for us to enjoy to this day. Yet despite its attributes, the Pontiac G8 has remained quite the forgotten sports sedan.

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Manufacturer

General Motors

Configuration

Naturally Aspirated V8 and V6

Displacement

3.6-Liter (V6), 6.0-Liter (L76 V8), 6.2-Liter (LS3 V8)

Power

256 Hp (V6), 361 Hp (L76 V8), 415 Hp (LS3 V8)

Torque

248 lb-ft (base G8), 415 lb-ft (GXP and GT)

Fuel

Gas

Notable Applications

2008 Chevrolet Corvette

Pontiac would produce the G8 from December 2007 to June 2009, but its origins are earlier than that, with the model based around the General Motors Zeta platform. This platform was first created by Australian manufacturer Holden for use on the VE Commodore in their market. The Commodore was in production from 2006 to 2013. Engine options for the Holden included a 3.6-liter V6 and the more powerful 6.0-liter V8 engine, and comparing the two side-by-side we can see the similarities. The G8 would differ in that it had different frontal styling and interior details over its Australian counterpart.

In January 2007, GM decided that they would import Holden Commodores into the United States and rebrand them as Pontiac G8s, with the move announced at that year's Chicago Auto Show by then GM Global Chairman, Bob Lutz. It was a historic moment for Pontiac, with the G8 the first rear-wheel drive four-door sedan sold under the Pontiac name since the 1986 Pontiac Bonneville and Parisienne. The base G8 was available with a 3.6-liter High Feature V6 engine with 256 hp, but GM would also introduce the fearsome G8 GT, with a 6.0-liter V8 with 361 hp.

Pontiac and GM would also show off the G8 GXP. This combined the best of the sports sedan with the 402 hp 6.2-liter V8 engine from the Chevrolet Corvette, as well as a six-speed manual transmission. The production example would have the LS3 V8 under the hood producing 415 hp. This was certainly a car that would have BMW worrying, with a 0-160 mph time of just 4.5 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 13.0 seconds at 109.6 mph. The G8 GXP was available in very limited numbers, with just 1,829 units ever sold.

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The Pontiac G8 GXP would prove much more significant than GM may have initially thought. In 2014, Chevrolet released the SS. This was, in effect, the new generation of the G8 GXP, and it filled the void that the G8 had left after its production run had finished. It too had a 6.2-liter LS3 V8 under the hood with 415 hp, and like the G8 before it, the Chevrolet SS was also based on a Holden. This time, it was on the VF chassis Holden Commodore, itself the successor to the VE chassis Commodore that spawned the Pontiac G8.

Chevrolet would only tweak the LS3 engine for its new sports sedan, with both the power and the 415 lb-ft of torque staying the same as its predecessor. Chevrolet billed its new creation as a “super sport” sedan and it would remain in production from 2014 to 2017. Remarkably, it was also the first rear-wheel drive V8 sedan from Chevrolet that was available to the public in 18 years. The last ones that the company made available were the fourth-generation Chevrolet Caprice and the seventh-generation Chevrolet Impala SS. The SS also had an impressive 0-60 mph time of just 4.5 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 12.9 seconds at 111 mph.

Both the G8 and the SS would also gain fame in motorsport, albeit with their Holden badging. The Commodore that spawned the Pontiac G8 would race in the Australian V8 Supercar series. Making its official debut in 2007 and winning that year's teams and drivers titles. The VF Commodore that gave way to the Chevrolet SS would also race in the Australian V8 Supercar series. While the SS would become the Chevrolet NASCAR for some years, driven by the likes of seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson.

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The Pontiac G8 had quickly made a name for itself, but the company wanted to really go all-in with its marketing. So for the G8 GT version, Pontiac came up with a very aggressive and defiant commercial about “the book of car” and how the G8 GT vs the BMW 5 Series was a whole section of that book. The commercial, which is viewable above, details a “knock down brawl” between the two cars and how you would expect Pontiac to lose against a BMW with a price tag twice as much as the G8 GT.

But Pontiac details the 5.3-second 0-60 mph time of the G8 GT, how it accelerates quicker than the BMW and with more power. Pontiac also crams in some digs at the BMW’s interior in the commercial, comparing it to “a luxurious penthouse suite” but then retaliating by stating that the G8 GT has more legroom, shoulder room and overall more passenger room than its BMW rival. Pontiac claimed that it “flies under the radar” of the BMW and that it is an “officer and a gentleman” all in one.

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It’s a clever marketing campaign, and the “8 vs 5” mantra of the commercial really hammers home the point that the G8 GT could seriously give the BMW a run for its money. No wonder BMW would be quaking in their boots with the Pontiac breathing down their neck. The commercial also pokes fun at the lifestyle of the BMW driver, telling us to cry not for the BMW driver “and his shiny girlfriend and accessorized chihuahua.” Commercials aired in 2023 probably would not be quite as aggressive, but Pontiac were certainly making their point!

Ultimately, it feels that the two-year production run of the G8 and its variants was a little short. Because the Pontiac G8 is easily one of the most underrated sports sedans of its day. Fast, muscular and powerful with a fantastic V8 soundtrack. If GM decided to bring Pontiac back, then a new G8 would be a great way to do so.

Sources: Pontiac, General Motors

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