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Aztek, Pontiac’s response to the fastgrowing popularity of sport-utility vehicles based on car platforms rather than trucks. In line with that, Aztek introduced optional Versatrak all-wheel drive, GM’s clever new way of adding four-wheel traction to a front-drive powertrain without adding complexity or weight. Instead of a rear propshaft and extra differentials, an electronically controlled clutch pack at each rear wheel could lock up as needed to redirect torque from the front. This also brought a bonus in the form of independent rear suspension to replace the twist-beam axle, plus rear disc brakes instead of drums. An early 2001 debut, it was basically a short-wheelbase Montana reconfigured as an “active lifestyle” vehicle.
After a mostly stand-pat 1936, Pontiac issued new styling for a trimmer 1937 line of DeLuxe Sixes and Eights on the corporate GM “B” body. After five years of mostly steady gains, sales eased to just over 97,000 in recessionary 1938, pushing Pontiac from fifth to sixth behind Dodge. Respective wheelbases lengthened five and six inches, which made for better proportions, and a racy reshaped nose with vertical streaks overlaid a more massive wrapped radiator, yielding a rather busy “face.” A bore-and-stroke job swelled the six to 222.7 cid, where it would stay through 1940; horsepower stood at 85. The eight was stroked to achieve its aforementioned 249 cid, good for 100 bhp.
But Zarrella’s efforts, however well-intentioned, produced mixed results. In fact, Pontiac had been pretty well-managed before Zarrella came in. Though recovery was evident by middecade, it stemmed more from a booming tech-driven national economy and fast-growing demand for high-margin trucks than fancy ads and design dictated increasingly by consumer focus groups. All it needed to do in the ’90s was more of the same — which it did to good effect, sales running at a half-million units or better each calendar year save 1998. Even so, an ominous downtrend set in as the new century neared. Pontiac was less affected by brand-management antics than other GM makes save Saturn, which was in its own orbit anyway.
Fiero also symbolized Pontiac’s renewed commitment to interesting automobiles. The trouble-prone Olds 350 diesel V-8 offered from 1981 to ’84 only underlined the old-fogey aura of a car that was less important on the street than on NASCAR circuits (thanks to Richard Petty, and others). Engines were equally uninspired, mostly Buick V-6s and Chevy small-block V-8s, all economy-tuned. 2 handle. Introduced at mid-1986, this wore a wind-cheating body-color front instead of the usual stand-up brightwork, plus a huge “glassback” deck designed for smoother airflow to a bespoilered tail.
A somewhat overdue redesign put 1992 Grand Ams on a fresh N-body platform along with Chevrolet’s Corsica/Beretta, redone Buick Skylarks, and Oldsmobile’s new Achievas. Only SE and GT coupes and sedans returned. Wheelbase was untouched, but length grew by more than half a foot. Despite the general industry move to airbags, Grand Am persisted with door-mounted “automatic safety belts” and promoted linewide-standard ABS instead. Styling was sleeker but rather exaggerated, with heavy lower-body plastic cladding on GTs — which Skylark and Achieva designers had to work around — and a sleeker profile for coupes.
The “McTurbo” was another limited edition, developed with ASC/McLaren and planned for only 2000 copies. Finished in monochrome red or black with gold-color accents, it rolled on sizable 16-inch lacy-spoke wheels fitted with Z-rated high-performance tires (safe at over 149 mph). Wheel openings were suitably flared for clearance via specific lower-body panels with wind-cheating “spats” at each wheel, plus a grooved rub strip carried into the bumpers at each end. Like Ford with its ’83 Thunderbird, Pontiac had come up with a car to revitalize a tired name.
