With the demise of the Chevy Camaro, and Pontiac Firebird in 2002, GM was left without a muscle car to undercut the Corvette; they tried to capture enthusiast' fanfare multiple times, each without success, be it due to market failure, pricing fail, or just lack of know-how when it comes to promoting the vehicle. In 2004, the Australian-built Holden Monaro came to the States as a new age Pontiac GTO. Sadly, it was met with far more criticism than it deserved. For starters, auto journalists (and the public) complained that the vehicle was bland. Well? I'm sure it was only recently that people began thinking of the original GT0 as a fabled muscle car. Then there were complaints of the price. So? I'm sure the original GTO wasn't "cheap" either. And many cries were heard about its lack of "driver involvment". So? The original was built at a time when cars weren't cocoons for Starbucks loving yuppies. And I'm sure the people who bought the new GTO certainly bought it out of heritage, not because they wanted a world-beating "sports car".
When the original "new GTO" died for 2007, Pontiac was left with a void to fill for its upcoming (and last) year. Enter the Pontiac G8. Basically a rebadged Holden Commodore, this large sedan was pitched against the Dodge Charger as a performance sedan. For the money, you could not get a better car. Great interior, nice (if not typical GM) styling, and a pretty good wheel and tire package, even on the base model, you couldn't go wrong. Sadly enough, with GM's restructuring so soon after the G8's launch, Pontiac was killed. So was the G8. It's estimated that less than 50,000 were sold, with early 2008s being the rarest. While certainly not as "bling" friendly as the Chevy Impala SS and Caprice, these cars certainly do have their following. Along with the Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky twins, the G8 is proof that GM does not know a good thing when its right in front of their eyes.
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