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Pontiac was originally started in 1893 by Edward Murphy as the Pontiac Buggy Company. Murphy went into the automobile business in 1907 and formed the Oakland Motor Car Company.

Pontiac was a car brand that was owned, made, and sold by General Motors. Introduced as a companion make for GM's more expensive line of Oakland automobiles, Pontiac overtook Oakland in popularity and supplanted its parent brand entirely by 1933.

Headquarters Detroit, Michigan, United States

bonneville special 1954

The Pontiac Bonneville Special is a Pontiac concept car unveiled at the General Motors Motorama in 1954, the first 2-seat sports car prototype the Division had ever produced. Conceived by renowned designer Harley J. Earl and hand built by Homer C. LaGassey Jr. and Paul Gilland, the "Special" is a grand touring sport coupé that incorporated innovative styling like a Plexiglas canopy with gull-wing windows on a sleek fiberglass body.

Pontiac Bonneville Special (youtube.com)

bonneville

The Pontiac Bonneville is an automobile built from 1957 to 2005. Bonnevilles were full-sized, with the exception of a brief period of mid-size between 1982–1986. The brand was introduced as a limited production performance convertible during the 1957 model year. The Bonneville was among the largest Pontiacs ever built.

The name was taken from the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, the site of much early auto racing and most of the world's land speed record runs, which was named in turn after U.S. Army officer Benjamin Bonneville.

set of bonneville coupe and convertible Pontiac Bonneville Hard Top & Convertible (youtube.com)

series 262 2-door hard top 1965-1970

In 1965 B-Body Pontiacs received a dramatic restyle, featuring fastback rooflines on coupes, rakish fender lines, and even more pronounced "Coke Bottle" styling. Bonnevilles followed largely the same styling cues as on other 1965 Pontiacs, but was 8 inches longer thanks to its new 124-inch wheelbase chassis. The interior featured new instrumentation and dashboard styling as well as new upholstery.

Engine options remained unchanged from the 1964 model year, with a 6.4 L, 333 hp unit being standard, equipped with a Carter AFB 4-barrel carburetor. A 6.9 L engine was an optional upgrade. Both engines had choices of Tri-Power multi-carburetion setups and higher compression ratios.

New for Pontiacs in 1965 was GM's Turbo-Hydramatic 400 transmission, which was released the year prior. This new 3-speed unit had a torque converter, unlike the old fluid-coupling based Super-Hydramatic featured on past Bonneville models. The new transmission also changed the shift pattern to a safer and ultimately more modern pattern.

Bonneville for 1967 received a major update over the previous years. Styling was changed dramatically again. It also saw a large power-train and chassis refresh for Pontiac.

1970 saw the most dramatic update to styling for Bonneville, featuring an entirely new front fascia, with more square features and an updated vertical twin grille design.

The interior was similar to the 1969 model year, retaining the slanted design and minimal chrome trim.

A new 7.5 L V8 was made standard for the 1970 model year, with the 400 CI engine being an option.

Pontiac Bonneville 2 Door Hard Top (youtube.com)

series 262 convertible 1968-1970

The Bonneville for 1967 received a major update over the previous years. Styling was changed dramatically and featured a new grille-in-bumper front design, more creases to accentuate the "Coke bottle" styling and an updated rear fascia. The interior featured a new wraparound-style dash with new switchgear, instrumentation and trim. As per the up-and-coming US Title 49 legislation, 67' Bonnevilles were equipped with seatbelts as standard, as well as other government mandated safety equipment.

1967 also saw a large powertrain and chassis refresh for Pontiac. The 389 cubic inch plant was replaced with 400 cu in (6.6 L) one, and the 421 cubic inch plant was replaced with a 428 cu in (7.0 L) one.

As per GM's internal edict, the multi-carburation setups found on earlier cars were replaced with the new Quadra Jet "spread bore" carburetor. Carter AFB carburetors were still standard, but the Quadra Jet was featured as the new "High performance" upgrade. A myriad of horsepower ratings were optional. A dual-circuit master cylinder was standard as per legislation and disc brakes became an optional extra.

Pontiac Bonneville Convertible (youtube.com)

gto

The Pontiac GTO is a front-engine, rear-drive, two-door, four or five passenger automobile manufactured and marketed by the Pontiac division of General Motors over four generations from 1963-1974 in the United States — with a fifth generation by GM's Australian subsidiary, Holden, for 2004-2006 model years.

The first generation of the GTO is credited as popularizing the muscle car market segment in the 1960s. The Pontiac GTO is considered by some to have started the trend with all four domestic automakers offering a variety of competing models.

gto hardtop 1964-1967

The Tempest model line up, including the GTO, was restyled for the 1965 model year, adding 79 mm to the overall length while retaining the same wheelbase and interior dimensions. It had Pontiac's characteristic vertically stacked quad headlights. Overall weight was increased by about 45 kg.

The engines received revised cylinder heads with re-cored intake passages and high rise intake manifolds, improving airflow to the engine. Rated power increased to 335 hp, the Tri-Power engine was now rated 360 hp. The three-speed manual was standard, while two four-speed manual transmissions (wide or close ratio) and a two-speed automatic transmission were optional.

Car Life tested a 1965 GTO with Tri-Power and what they considered the most desirable options (close-ratio four-speed manual transmission, power steering, metallic brakes, rally wheels, 4.11 limited-slip differential, and "Rally" gauge cluster. With two testers and equipment aboard, they recorded a 0–100 km/h acceleration time of 5.8 seconds and an observed top speed of 182.4 km/h.

Sales of the GTO, abetted by a marketing and promotional campaign that included songs and various merchandise, more than doubled to 75.342. It spawned many imitators, both within other GM divisions and its competitors.

Pontiac GTO 1964 (youtube.com)

gto 1968-1972

General Motors redesigned its A-body line for 1968, with more curvaceous, semi-fastback styling, which was a revival of a streamlining on all GM products from 1942 until 1950 as demonstrated on the Pontiac Streamliner.

Pontiac abandoned the familiar vertically stacked headlights in favor of a horizontal layout, but made hidden headlights available at extra cost. The concealed headlights were a popular option.

Powertrain options remained substantially the same as in 1967, but the standard GTO engine's power rating rose to 350 hp.

The GTO was surpassed in sales both by the Chevrolet Chevelle SS396 and the Plymouth Road Runner, but 72.287 were sold during the 1969 model year, with 6833 of them having the Judge package.

Although Pontiac did not offer a production GTO convertible in 1972, a buyer could order a LeMans Sport convertible with either of the three GTO engines and other sporty/performance options to create a GTO in all but name.

Pontiac GTO 1968 (youtube.com)

firebird

The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile that was built from 1967 to 2002. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced in 1967, simultaneous with GM's Chevrolet division platform-sharing Camaro. This also coincided with the release of the 1967 Mercury Cougar, Ford's upscale, platform-sharing version of the Mustang.

The name "Firebird" was also previously used by GM for the General Motors Firebird in the 1950s and early 1960s concept cars.

second generation trans am 1970-1981

The second-generation debut for the 1970 model year was delayed until February 26, 1970, because of tooling and engineering problems; thus, its popular designation as a 1970½ model, while leftover 1969s were listed in early Pontiac literature without a model-year identification. This generation of Firebirds were available in coupe form only; after the 1969 model year, convertibles were not available until 1989.

Replacing the "Coke bottle" styling was a more "swoopy" body style, while still retaining some traditional elements. The top of the rear window line went almost straight down to the lip of the trunk lid. The new design was initially characterized by a large C-pillar, until 1975 when the rear window was enlarged. Originally, the "wraparound" style window that occupied more of the c-pillar was initially supposed to be the design, but problems with the glue and sealing of the rear window led to the flat style window being used until the re-designed body in 1975. This style became the look that was to epitomize the F-body styling for the longest period during the Firebird's lifetime.

The 1977 Firebird received a facelift that featured four rectangular headlamps. The shaker scoop was also revised for this year, with the early 1977-built T/As coming with off-center, lower-profile shaker scoops. The Formula hood was changed for the last time for the second generation with a much lower profile. The snowflake wheel became an option for all Firebirds and was standard with the Y82 appearance package, although it could be replaced with Rally II wheels as a credit option.

Pontiac Firebird Trans Am MKI (youtube.com)

third generation trans am 1982–1992

The availability and cost of gasoline (two fuel crises had occurred by this time) meant the weight and the fuel consumption of the third generation had to be considered in the design. In F-body development, both the third generation Firebird and Camaro were proposed as possible front-wheel-drive platforms, but the idea was scrapped. Computerized engine management was in its infancy, and with fuel efficiency being the primary objective, it was not possible to have high horsepower and torque numbers. They did manage to cut enough weight from the design so that acceleration performance would be better than the 1981 models. They also succeeded in reducing fuel consumption, offering a four-cylinder Firebird that would provide 6.9 L/100 km. GM executives decided that engineering effort would best be spent on aerodynamics and chassis development. They created a modern platform so that when engine technology advanced, they would have a well-balanced package with acceleration, braking, handling, and aerodynamics.

The Firebird and Camaro were completely redesigned for the 1982 model year, with the windshield slope set at 62 degrees, (about three degrees steeper than anything GM had ever tried before), and for the first time, a large, glass-dominated hatchback that required no metal structure to support it. Two concealed pop-up headlights, a first on the F-Body cars, were the primary characteristic that distinguished the third generation Firebird from both its Camaro sibling and its prior form (a styling characteristic carried into the fourth generation's design). In addition to being about 230 kg lighter than the previous design, the new design was the most aerodynamic product GM had ever released. Wind tunnels were used to form the new F-Body platform's shape, and Pontiac took full advantage of it. The aerodynamic developments extended to the finned aluminum wheels with smooth hubcaps and a functional rear spoiler.

Pontiac Firebird Trans Am MKII (youtube.com)