Pontiac was a key part of the muscle car era during the 60s and 70s. The brand was known for driving excitement and offered many innovative cars. Although Pontiac lasted as a brand up until 2010, the final years were bleak. Things weren’t always this bad for Pontiac though. Drivers remember cars like the GTO and the Trans-Am that completely changed the face of the automotive industry.
Gearheads and car scholars might not ever understand what went wrong at Pontiac. But as we take a look back through auto history, the brand’s influence on the automotive industry was vast. Pontiac had a rich history in the automotive world. At one point, Pontiac had some super-fast cars that gave other automakers of the time a severe run for their money. Read on below as we take a look at some of the muscle car icons that came out of Pontiac via Autoblog.
30. 1968 Pontiac Firebird
This was an important year for the Firebird. The car was based on the GM F-body platform that was shared with the Camaro. From its outward appearance, the car looked almost identical to the Camaro with a few differentiating factors. 37,937 V8-powered Firebirds were sold in 1968. The Ram Air variant of the car featured a rocker hood and custom air inlets around the front of the vehicle.
From a power standpoint, the Firebird was almost unmatched. The wheelbase of 108.00-inches gave the car a quick turning radius. The rear-wheel-drive platform made it perform like a true pony car, which is what drivers liked most. There were only 15,528 convertibles made for this year which makes the convertible a much more worthwhile investment. When you think about a car that put Pontiac on the map, the original Firebird just about takes the cake. The car was fun to drive and attractive to look at, a lethal combination.