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Junkyard Gem: 2000 Pontiac Sunfire coupe

In a few months, we'll reach the tenth anniversary of GM's axing of the venerable Pontiac brand. G6s, Vibes, and Matizes continued to be built until 2010, but I'm noticing a marked decrease in discarded Pontiacs lately, as I perform my junkyardy rituals. Here's a 2000 Pontiac Sunfire, photographed in a Colorado wrecking yard. The Sunfire was the near-identical sibling to the Chevrolet Cavalier, based on the long-running (1982-2005) J-Body platform. It was cheap and simple, looked pretty sporty (at least in coupe form), and every parts store in North America carried just about everything you'd need to keep one running. This coupe had to compete for sales not only with a vast and menacing array of imports but with GM's own Saturn SC2 (not to mention the Cavalier itself). Meanwhile, the J platform was showing its age more with each passing year. This car sports what must have been the complete line of Fatal Clothing bomber-nose-art/skate-punk/gang-tag-influenced decals, circa 2010. I actually photographed this car back in 2011, then misplaced the image files until last week. The stickers are very California-centric for a Colorado car, but then plenty of Californians — including me— move here. When you know you're a car's final owner, it's a lot easier to whip out the paint pens and redecorate the interior. Power came from the engine GM developed for the very first J-Bodies: the 2.2-liter 122 pushrod four-cylinder. 2002 was the last model year for 122-powered Sunfires and Cavaliers; the most affordable S-10/Sonoma/Hombre trucks got this engine through 2003. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. It even came with a remote, so bad Midwestern farmgirls could make quick getaways when caught in the act by enraged broom-wielding mothers. Featured Gallery Junked 2000 Pontiac Sunfire View 30 Photos Auto News Pontiac Automotive History

This classic Firebird restomod swallowed a Prius

It takes an unusual eye to look at a 1967 Pontiac Firebird and see the Toyota Prius hidden inside. But that's just the kind of eye that a creative mechanic known online as "Bill the Engineer" has. Bill is updating his old Firebird into a true classic for the 21st century and has documenting the changes over at Priuschat and EcoModder. The TL,DR version of the story: he's replacing the worn-out powertrain with the gas-electric hybrid one from a Prius V, because it turns out the two vehicles have almost exactly the same wheelbase. Bill, who's from Columbus, Ohio and doesn't want his full name used, said in his posts on the conversion project that he's made many memories with this vehicle since buying it back in 1979. Since then, a few moves, a few decades, and some time in storage meant that the car would no longer function as he wanted it to. As he wrote, "when it comes to mice in the vehicles IT IS WAR." His solution is to make new memories and making a greener vehicle, and so we wanted to ask him how things have been going. Bill's been traveling a bit recently, but told AutoblogGreen that he's now figuring out the next steps for this amazing and complicated project. "I always plan things out before I do them," he said. That's the only way something like this can work. ABG: I think we have to start with what gave you the inspiration for this project. Was it simply that you had the two cars and wanted to see them merged into one cool mashup, or was it something else? "One day my wife wondered out loud if the car could be converted into a hybrid... The rest is history." Bill: I have been the owner of my 1967 Firebird convertible since 1979 when I bought it for $750.00. I drove it for years and made many memories. Afterward it was in storage for many years during which time mice at their way into the car and trashed the interior and wiring. I started working on a conventional restoration but always ran into major problems with hidden corrosion, electrical issues and an engine on its last legs. The car was never going to be as nice as I wanted going the conventional route. One day my wife wondered out loud if the car could be converted into a hybrid like our two daily driver Prii. That got me thinking about how it could be done. The rest is history... ABG: It looks like you started in late 2014. Have things gone well since then, or has it been one hassle after another? What has been the biggest setback, and what were the biggest victories?

Another Burt Reynolds Trans Am is up for auction

Fans of Smokey and the Bandit, your car has arrived. This Saturday, January 21, Barrett-Jackson will auction a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am clone that, while not originally in the movie, was owned and signed by the Bandit himself, Burt Reynolds. Not only that, but it packs many modifications that should make this Pontiac drive the way we all imagined it did. This is a Trans Am clone, not an original. The car was built by Nebraska company Restore A Muscle Car, and started life as a lowly Firebird Formula. However, the company brought it up to Trans Am grade and beyond. Under the hood is a fuel-injected 8.2-liter V8 from Butler Performance that Restore A Muscle Car says produces 600 horsepower. Coupled to the big V8 is a Tremec five-speed manual transmission. There's even Hurst line-lock on-board, so this Trans Am should be perfect for on-demand burnouts. The car also comes with QA1 coil-over suspension, so it should corner better than the original, too. The outside looks roughly like a stock Trans Am, but it now has 18-inch wheels styled after those from the movie car, and the shaker scoop says "8.2" on each side. View 5 Photos In 2014, a 1977 Trans Am owned by Reynolds sold for a whopping $450,000. That car wasn't an actual movie car either, and lacked the modifications of this one. However, it was used as a promotional car and was given to Reynolds, so it did have some history with the film. This upgraded car is listed in the Barrett-Jackson catalog as "no reserve," so it's going home with a new owner on Saturday, regardless of price. Related Video: