It’s time for the El Camino again – this time with a Pontiac badge.
by Gaywheels.com
Stunning is a word that gets thrown about a lot at auto shows, but rarely comes true. How many Yugo Cabriolets really have the power to stun?
Then there’s the Pontiac G8 sport truck, a truly stunning vehicle that’s about to make its world debut at the New York auto show.
Why’s it so shocking? Well, when’s the last time you saw a V-8-powered sports sedan with a pickup truck bed attached to the back?
If you recall from the 1970s, the last time this idea came from General Motors, it fathered the El Camino. This time around, it’s being borne from the Australian arm of General Motors, which already sells a car/truck half-breed Down Under.
The new G8 sport truck blurs the lines of cars and trucks right down the middle. Halfway back, down its sides, a pickup bed replaces where you’d expect to see another set of doors. And the pickup bed’s a useful, real one: Pontiac says it can tote 1000 pounds of payload and
that the truck can tow 3500 pounds, while the bed’s long enough for some serious wood.
It’s based on the G8 sedan (a version of Australia’s Holden sedans) but the sport truck gets a longer wheelbase and longer overall body than the four-door version. And under the hood it gets a big V-8 that puts out 361 horsepower through a six-speed automatic. Pontiac says
that’s good enough for a run to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds, faster than any truck we’ve driven lately.
Inside, the sport truck carries much of the same gear as the G8 sedan. Standard features include side and curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes, cruise control, power windows/locks/mirrors, and Bluetooth, along with a 230-watt, six-disc stereo. Options will include leather seats with
two-tone trim.
It goes on sale sometime next year, but Pontiac hasn’t even named the new sport truck yet. Instead, you have the chance to name it through a special Web site, with the winner being announced in a month. You can enter at http://www.pontiac.com/namethatcar, but make sure to come up with something clever–because there’s truly nothing like this car out there.
Gaywheels is at the New York auto show this week, so stay with us for more on the Pontiac G8 sport truck, the new Infiniti FX and more.