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GM reintroduces Tripower name in the worst way possible

The story of General Motors' use of the Tripower moniker begins way back in 1957, when Semon E. "Bunkie" Knudsen, then General Manager of GM's Pontiac division, directed his engineers to inject more performance into his brand's line of V8-powered automobiles. Fuel injection was an option, but hot rodders flocked instead to Tri-Power (marketed way back when with a hyphen), which grafted a trio of two-barrel Rochester carburetors onto a single intake manifold. A legend was born. And that legend was born of performance. At idle and when full power wasn't required, Pontiac's Tri-Power system used just the middle carburetor, which helped make the setup easier to tune. Depending on the year and model, either a vacuum system or a mechanical linkage opened up the two outer carbs, thereby switching from two barrels to six, and allowing the engine to take in more fuel and air. And it was an easy marketing win – six barrels is better than four barrels, right? Because performance! So, when news filtered in that GM has resurrected the Tripower name, those of us who grew up attending classic car shows and wrenching on old Pontiacs did a double-take. And then we all collectively sighed. Turns out that today's Tripower refers to a trio of fuel-saving measures that include cylinder deactivation, active thermal management, and intake valve lift control, according to Automotive News. And, at least for now, it applies to GM's line of fullsize trucks powered by a 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. We're all for saving fuel whenever possible. And we have zero say in how any automaker chooses to market its products and technologies. But, we'll offer our two cents anyway: Relaunching a storied name from the past is fine. Relaunching a storied name from the past while completely overlooking the reasons the name got famous in the first place is only going to irritate the people who remember the name in the first place. Couldn't they just call this new technology package something else? Related Video: News Source: Automotive NewsImage Credit: Getty Green Marketing/Advertising Chevrolet GM Pontiac Automotive History Truck chevrolet silverado

Rent the 1967 Pontiac GTO from the XxX films now on Turo

The process of renting a car usually ranges from mildly annoying to "I'm calling corporate to get you fired." Plainly, it sucks, but sometimes you're left with no alternative. Turo, a peer-to-peer carsharing network, has created what's essentially the AirBnB for cars. Like AirBnB, the quality and variety of the rides varies based on location. If you're in Tucson, Ariz., in the next week, go check out this 1967 Pontiac GTO convertible before the release of XxX: The Return of Xander Cage. Promotions and marketing aside, this is still the opportunity to drive one of the original muscle cars. It's not clear if this is an original GTO or a Pontiac Tempest that was converted, but does it really matter? Old cars never drive as well as you hope, so, as long as it looks and sounds awesome, who cares? The owner listed on Turo is Xander C., Vin Diesel's character from the XxX franchise. This is the car that was used in the original 2002 film, and from the photos it appears to be in better shape than many other movie cars. The exterior is mostly stock, with some slight modifications to the lighting, wheels, exhaust, and trim, with the addition of a funky looking hood scoop that the listing claims shoots flames. It's not clear if it functions as an actual intake because there aren't any notes about what rests under the hood. The listing does ask for premium fuel, so more than likely it's some variation of a high-compression V8. Inside, the dashboard looks like someone raided the AutoZone accessory aisle. There are gauges, dials, toggle switches, and readouts galore. The listing also claims the Goat is packing a rocket launcher and a weapons stash under the seat. $999 per day isn't cheap, but it's less than you'd pay for a day with one of the rent-an-exotic shops you see in Los Angeles or New York. If you're not in Tucson or the price is a little too steep, Turo has what it's dubbed the Adrenaline Collection. The name may be hyperbole, but the lineup of cars is actually really solid. A quick glance reveals a 2015 Lamborghini Huracan, 2001 Ferrari 360 Spider, and a 1969 Jaguar E-Type. The car list keeps expanding, so if this proves popular, look for more cool stuff in the future. Related Video: News Source: Turo Read This TV/Movies Pontiac Performance Classics

Looking back at Oprah's free-car giveaway 10 years later

Oprah kicked off her 19th season in dramatic fashion by giving all 276 members of the studio audience a free car.
Molly Vielweber's Pontiac G6 appears unremarkable at first glance. It wears forest green paint, rolls on five-spoke aluminum wheels, and it has a sizeable scrape in the driver's side door, the scar of a decade's worth of hard use. You wouldn't notice it parked at a big box store or cruising on the highway. Pontiac made hundreds of thousands of G6s in the 2000s, and a lot are still on the road. It's unremarkable in every way except for the front license plate, which reads, "Oprah 6."