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You can find one at every car event – you know, the show off type that ends up getting more attention than he bargained for. At the Houston Coffee and Cars event that took place on April 2, that special someone was the owner of a red Pontiac GTO (the Holden Monaro based model). The GTO driver tried to make a cool exit out of the corner but lost control of the Goat hopping over a curb and into a tree. No word if the killer shoe heel is a suspect for this latest mishap…. Watch the crash and the aftermath in the videos after the jump. Read more »

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While Classic Design Concepts (CDC) deliberately avoids the use of the word 'Pontiac', the first thought that comes to mind upon seeing the FireBreather is a modern iteration of General Motor's Firebird Trans-Am pony car.

The 2011 Camaro-based special was originally created as a one-off movie car for Exxodus Pictures' new sci-fi flick, Jinn, but the company decided to build a limited series for sale. And now, the order book has opened with the maker planning to manufacturer a total of 50 exact replicas of the FireBreather, priced at $60,000 a piece.

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Found for sale on eBay is a reproduction -and a quite convincing one at that- of one of the biggest icons of our childhood: the Knight Industries Two Thousand, or as most of you know it, K.I.T.T.

Like the original car used in the Knight Rider series during the '80s, this here replica is based on a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am and comes with all the cosmetic bells and whistles of the TV car including the cool to look at, but far from practical, cut steering wheel and electronic displays on the dashboard that lights up like a Christmas tree.

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The folks from 'The Smoking Tire' decided to bid farewell to the 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Convertible they had for this year's Bullrun by bringing on Classic Design Concepts' Pontiac Firebreather for a brief tet-a-tet.

For those unfamiliar with the Firebreather, the Pontiac Firebird-ized 2011 Camaro was originally created by Classic Design Concepts as a one off movie car for Exxodus Pictures' new sci-fi film, Jinn, but the company took the decision to build a limited series for sale to the public.

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Not surprisingly, Pontiac's demise has spurred an interest in the creation of Trans Am replicas based on the new Chevrolet Camaro. We remind you that we've already seen a conceptual proposal for a modern-day Pontiac Trans Am from ASC Creative Services and real-life examples from Lingenfelter and Trans Am Depot.

The latest company to join the list of tuners interested in creating a Trans Am replica is a company called Gearhead Performance Group.

Along with the cosmetic upgrades that include new front and rear fascias complete with unique lights, 21- or 22-inch snowflake wheels, a large rear spoiler and gold interior accents (...), the tuner claims that it will offer an optional twin-turbo LS9 V8 with some 900 horsepower.

Source: Gearhead Performance , Via: Autoblog.com

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for the hood ornament close ups see:

the wood and badge aren't the same as the first, I can't decide which turned out better

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The above and several others in this series on this Pontiac ornament are here to display the variety and unique reflections of color along the facial features that are very close to the stylized warpaint I've seen in paintings of football fans faces

The above is the best shadow accentuation of the face that I caught, and below is my favorite of the whole series for the minimalist colors on the faces contour points

For more see Tere's photos: http://justacargal.blogspot.com/2009/09/encinitas-cruise-aug-09-hood-ornaments.html

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Only a week after General Motors stated that the Vibe would be the only Pontiac model to be offered for retail sale in the brand's 2010MY portfolio, the automaker announced today its decision to discontinue production of the compact crossover by the end of August 2009. The Vibe is produced alongside its sister model, the Toyota Matrix, at the New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated (NUMMI) facility jointly operated by GM and Toyota in Fremont, California.

"While no replacement for Vibe production has been determined, GM and Toyota remain in active discussions regarding potential future production at NUMMI," General Motors said in a statement.

As we speak, the automaker's original plan is to gradually phase out the Pontiac brand by the end of 2010, though we wouldn't be at all surprised if General Motors decides to pull the plug on the historic marque at an earlier point.

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GM's lineup is cancerous, malignant tumors coming in the form of superfluous platforms. Some are only being used for one vehicle; what a waste. The K-platform beneath the DTS is on its death bed, as is the H-platform under the Lucerne. The Chevy Impala will soon be the last remaining car on the W-platform, and plastic surgery will do little to alleviate the pain. Why not consolidate?

Epsilon 2: The Possibilities Are Endless

The Buick guys did it right, moving the 2010 LaCrosse over to this 'bad boy'. Available all-wheel-drive and a direct injection V6? Yes, please. This is the kind of thinking that will turn Buick into the Lexus-fighter it wants to be.

If Pontiac adopted the Epsilon II, it could beef up the suspension and then we have a performance-minded AWD midsize with good fuel economy (What's that? Focused and fuel efficient?). Eventually they could even offer it with a stick, and maybe even a hybrid. Insanity! Pontiac breaking the rules and providing a fun-to-drive hybrid would really put them on the map again, giving the G8 an appropriate little brother. Now that's exciting.

While we're putting good cars on modern platforms, could we maybe stretch out Epsilon 2 for the next Impala? Absolutely. Chevy would lose its V8 options, but sacrifices must be made. The SS could even return one day in turbo V6 guise, a la the Taurus SHO. Hey, if GM wants the V8, they should use the damn Zeta platform as originally planned. This brings me to my next point.

Zeta: You Wanted It, You Built it, Now Use It

GM, while you're thinking straight: don't kill off the Buick's big daddy. Get your money's worth out of the Zeta platform by putting it under the Lucerne. Simply revise the exterior of the G8 a tad. I know at this point I am advocating the dreaded badge engineering, but in these tough times costs must be cut.

Take a look at any one of these: the Holden Statesman/Caprice ((LWB Commodore), Mid-East Chevy Lumina/Caprice, or Shanghai-GM Buick Park Avenue. If not the perfect solution, badge engineering the next Lucerne would at least refresh Buick's top model along with keeping the Pontiac-Buick relationship unique. Suspension tweaks to soften the ride, wood trim, and V6 and V8 power plants; this could be Buick's next stab at counteracting the Lexus infection.

GM, this is being as plain as possible. Do you want to get back to a state of health? That means cutting out the bad parts and helping improve the good ones that are already there. Investing hundreds of millions of dollars to have the best medicine around, and then not taking it? That's just stupid. Furthermore, why take eight old pills a day when two new ones offer the same relief? General, stop being a baby and make better use of the pills in the cabinet. Doctor's orders.

By Phil Alex

Phil Alex was born in Rhode Island in 1985, yet for reasons unbeknownst to him moved to South Carolina. He graduated with degrees in Finance and German from Wofford College in 2007 and has had a strange obsession with cars and travel since he was a wee lad. He currently resides a stone's throw from Japan's international airport in Narita. All of this can be seen on Facebook, so check it out. He makes no apologies for his articles and welcomes all feedback, as long as it is adamantly worded.

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