Northstar V8 Ups Pontiac Ante, But is it Enough? Will upping the power ante by dropping GM's exceptionally smooth and refined 275-horsepower, DOHC, aluminum 4.6-liter (278
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| While Pontiac may have had high hopes for the Northstar V8 equipped Bonneville, the Chrysler 300C has seriously taken the wind out of its sails. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
cu-in) Northstar V8 into the
Bonneville be enough for the big sedan to claim domestic 4-door dominance? Pontiac certainly hoped so while it was in development, but now that powerful new Chrysler's 300C has taken the country by storm hoping may not be enough. After all, "That got a Northstar?" has hardly become a pop-culture catchphrase. HEMI or not, before I start analyzing this modern day Pontiac flagship a short history lesson is needed. The Bonneville emerged in 1957 as a loaded, performance oriented convertible powered by a Strato-Streak 300+horsepower V8. Only 630 units were produced before a hardtop coupe was added to the redesigned, heavily chromed 1958 Bonneville lineup, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Interestingly enough, a small sample of that history sits upon my bookshelf. As if performing some sort of automotive journalism oversight role, my 1:18 scale die-cast 1958 Bonneville convertible bears witness to every key
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| Pontiac's over-the-top usage of sculpted side cladding has thankfully been toned down for the Bonneville GXP. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
I strike. Write something out of line and I'm feeling like its replica V8 will fire up and set me straight - hold on, Christine was a 1958 Plymouth Fury wasn't it? Something that's been set straight on the Bonneville GXP is Pontiac's over-the-top usage of sculpted side cladding. I was pleased to see a much more restrained, essentially flat side cladding adorning my test GXP. But this improvement doesn't entirely overcome the aging lines of its refreshed exterior. Pontiac continues to adhere to the wedge shape that was immensely popular throughout the 1990s, but is now losing its grip to the likes the new Chrysler 300 and impending Ford 500. Visually, the GXP shows its age in the same way that special effects do in a decade old movie.
