1996 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Convertible 2-door 5.7l on 2040-cars

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GM recalling 778,000 Cobalts and G5s, six deaths reported

General Motors has announced that it will be recalling 778,562 compact cars after six people were killed in accidents, partially due to the airbags' failure to deploy. An issue with the ignition switch is causing the airbag issues, as well as causing the engine and other components to shut off without warning. The recall covers the 2005 to 2007 model year Chevrolet Cobalt and 2007 Pontiac G5. (Note that the Cobalt pictured above is a 2009 model.)
According to a report from Automotive News, a number of factors can cause the ignition to switch out of the run position, including weights on the key ring, rough or bumpy roads or other "jarring" events. Any of these situations could lead to some vehicle components not functioning properly.
There have been five fatal front-impact crashes that took the lives of six people, although as a GM spokesman noted, all five of the crashes happened off road and at high speed. In each of these cases, though, the lack of airbags wasn't the only lethal factor - alcohol and failure to wear a seat belt also played a role. Outside of the fatal accidents, there have been 17 other crashes where airbags didn't deploy. It's unclear if any of these crashes were caused by the engine shutting off.

The last Pontiac Fiero sold for $90,000 at auction

On August 16, 1988 the last Pontiac Fiero, a red GT model, rolled off the assembly line at GM's Pontiac Assembly plant located in Pontiac, Michigan. It wasn't just the final Fiero, but the final car to be built at that site. The car was raffled off to one of 1,400 plant employees that would soon have to find jobs elsewhere. Whoever that employee was, they remained faithful to the Fiero and kept it in mint condition for 32 years. Last month, it was finally time to move on. It crossed the block at GAA Auctions in Greensboro, North Carolina where it sold for an astounding $90,000. According to the auction house, that's a new world record. The price no doubt reflected the car's place in history as the last example of GM's 1980s mid-engined sports car. However, it was also showroom-new, with just 582 miles clocked on its 2.8-liter V6. 1988 models were also fitted with an upgraded, Lotus-esque suspension produced for just that one year. In addition, this car, serial number 226402, came with its original build sheet, photos from the assembly line, and a collection of news articles and books. It still wore its pre-delivery plastic on the interior and was fully loaded with automatic transmission. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The car's custodian for the past 32 years must be pleased. Bidding started at $25,000 but soon rocketed past the $65,000 reserve. You can see the action starting at the 2:50:13 mark in the video above. The Fiero was symbolic of the 1980s and stood out from the standard GM passenger car fare for its mid-engine layout and plastic body panels. In an era when GM often rebadged cars with minimal differences, the Fiero rode on its own unique chassis. It was positioned as one of the defining products for Pontiac, GM's "excitement" brand, but actual performance never quite lived up to its striking looks.  Nevertheless, it garnered a cult following. It's often the basis for (questionable) custom builds mimicking more exotic models like Ferraris and Lamborghinis, thanks to a steel space-frame design that allows body panels to be easily removed. Thankfully, this significant example escaped such a fate and will live on as a reminder of an interesting chapter of automotive history.

Junkyard Gem: 2010 Pontiac G6

What makes a discarded car a gem? Sometimes it's a car we all agree is very cool, and other times it's a car that tells us something about automotive history. Today's Junkyard Gem is the latter type: one of the very last Pontiacs sold, before The General shut out the lights forever on the storied marque after 84 years. The G6 was Pontiac's Epsilon-platform-based car, sibling to the Chevy Malibu, Saturn Aura, and Saab 9-3 (plus a bunch of Europe-only machinery). The very last Pontiac ever built was a white 2010 G6 sedan like this one (all '10 G6s were sedans, the coupe and convertible having been nixed in 2009), though that car was built in January of 2010 and this one came off the line in July of 2009. They build Bolts at the Orion Assembly plant these days. The higher-zoot G6s came with V6s or even V8s, but this car has "fleet machine" written all over it and has the base 2.4-liter Ecotec four-banger making 164 horsepower. Pontiac shoppers in the United States could buy the Vibe as a 2010 model as well, while Mexican Pontiac dealerships also sold new G2s (known as the Spark here) that year. The G6 was The Final Pontiac, though, bookending a run that began with the 1926 Pontiac Six. This one will go to its grave with the original owner's manual still inside. Even the cheapest 2010 G6s came with an AUX jack for the radio, a feature that was still maddeningly hard to find in rental cars a decade ago. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Before the bankruptcy and the gloom, optimism surrounded the G6. Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 2010 Pontiac G6 View 19 Photos Auto News Pontiac Automotive History Sedan pontiac g6 Junkyard Gems