3. Pontiac G8
Pontiac thought a rear-wheel-drive sedan like the G8 would help them fight their European competitors. The G8 was a good idea, and with a redesign and small-block V8 engine, it was a capable performance sedan, too. The base engine was a reliable 3.5-liter V6 producing 256 HP, but the real deal was the G8 GXP 6.2-liter V8 that pumped out 415 HP. Unfortunately, the G8 came too late. Most car customers weren’t ready to accept a performance sedan that could beat overpriced European models.
After years of anemic models, front-wheel-drive economy cars, and the minivans of the ’90s, Pontiac lost its performance image. Only a handful of buyers remembered what the company was famous for back in the day. When they finally presented a car capable of reclaiming the title of this performance brand, Pontiac had run out of time. In two years of production, Pontiac sold just over 30,000 G8s.