Wikicars - User contributions [en]

Famous Cars

2008-04-25T17:54:51Z

148.168.127.10: /* Racing */

Below is a list of famous [[automobile|automobiles]]:
[[image:wiener.jpg|right|thumbnail|300px| Oscar Mayer Weinermobile]]
==Real==
===Historical===
* The Oscar Mayer [[Wienermobile]]
* The [[Popemobile]]
* The [[Moon Buggy]]

===Racing===
* [[Ford GT40]], winner of [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] race 1966 to 1969
* Swamp Rat, name of a series of [[drag racing|dragsters]] built and raced by [[Don Garlits]].
* [[Green Monster (car)|Green Monster]], name of a series of [[piston]] and jet engine [[drag racing|dragsters]] built and raced by [[Art Arfons]].
* ''Moby Dick'', nickname for the [[Porsche 935]] factory model of 1978
* [[Stanley|Stanley]], first robot car to win the [[DARPA Grand Challenge]]
* [[Grave Digger (truck)|Grave Digger]], name of a series of popular monster trucks.
* [[Bigfoot|Bigfoot]], the world's first monster truck.
* [[Panoz Q9 Hybrid]], banned from LeMans about the same time the Prius released in Japan.
* Porsche Boxster
* The Black 3 - Dale Earnhardt's Chevy Monte Carlo SS NASCAR stockcar.

===Land-speed records ===
{{main|Land speed record}}
* "[[La Jamais Contente]]" - The first car that reached 100 km/h.
* The [[Blue Flame]] - World land speed record holding rocket car.
* The [[Bluebird]] - Used for world land speed attempts by Sir [[Malcolm Campbell]]
* [[Green Monster (car)|Green Monster]], name of a series of jet engine land speed record cars built and raced by [[Art Arfons]].
* [[Thrust2]] - Former holder of the world land speed record.
* [[ThrustSSC]] - The world's first supersonic land vehicle.

==From fiction==
{{main|List of fictional vehicles}}
===Literature===
* [[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang]] from the book by [[Ian Fleming]]
* [[Christine]] from the Stephen King novel of the same name
* [[Rocinante]], the modified camper driven by John Steinbeck in ''Travels with Charley''
* The [[Betsy]] from the Harold Robbins novel of the same name


===Movies===
[[Image:ecto.jpg|thumb|Ectomobile from Ghostbusters]]
* [[List of James Bond vehicles|Bond Cars]] as driven by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_bond James Bond 007]
* [[2054 Lexus Manglev]] - working red sports model - ''Minority Report''
* [[Lightning McQueen]] from the Disney-Pixar's 2006 film [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cars_%28film%29 Cars]
* [[Christine]] (a 1958 [[Plymouth Fury]]) from the movie of the same name (based upon the novel by Stephen King)
* [[The Mirthmobile]] from ''Wayne's World''
* [[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (car)|Chitty Chitty Bang Bang]] from the film of the same name (based on the Ian Fleming novel)
* [[Genevieve]] from the 1953 film of the same name. [http://www.donbrockway.com/Genevieve%27s%20History.htm]
* [[Herbie]] from ''[[The Love Bug]]'' and four sequels
* [[De Lorean]] time machine from the ''[[Back to the Future]]'' series
* The [[Ectomobile]] from ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters[Ghostbusters]]''
* [[Pursuit Special]], the Interceptor from ''Mad Max''
* The [[Bluesmobile]] (a 1974 Dodge Monaco police car) from ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blues_Brothers[The Blues Brothers]]''
* [[Il Tempo Gigante]] from ''[[Pinchcliffe Grand Prix]]''. [http://www.caprino.no/e/pages/car.html]
* [[Peugeot 406]] [[taxicab|Taxi]] from the 1998 film ''Taxi'', the 2000 film ''Taxi 2'' and the 2003 film ''Taxi 3'', and the enemies' cars, [[Mercedes-Benz E-Class]] in Taxi 1, [[Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution]] in Taxi 2
* [[Ford Crown Victoria]] [[taxicab|taxi]] and her enemy, [[BMW 7 Series]] from the 2004 film ''Taxi''
* The Corvette from ''[[Corvette Summer]]''
* The Camaro from [http://www.betteroffdeadcamaro.com Better Off Dead]
* The Ford Mustang GT Fastback from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullitt[Bullitt]]
* The Shelby Mustang GT500 from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_in_Sixty_Seconds_%282000_film%29[Gone in Sixty Seconds]]
* The [[Pontiac Trans Am]] From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_and_the_bandit[Smokey and the Bandit]]
* The 1970 Dodge Hemi Challenger from [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067927/trivia Vanishing Point]
* [[The Wraith]] - a supernatural but extremely high-tech black car featured in the eponymous film (actually the [[Dodge M4S]] [[show car]]).
* [[Cat in the Hat Mobile]]- The main conveyance of the Dr.Seuss feline classic.
* The Silver Hornet ([[Citroen 2CV]]) from Revenge of the Pink Panther [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge_of_the_Pink_Panther]]
* The [[Ford LTD Crown Victoria]] in Men in Black I, and the [[Mercedes-Benz E-Class]] in its sequel, Men in Black II

===Television===
* [[The Homer]], from ''The Simpson's''
* 1928 [[Porter]] from My Mother the Car
* Al's [[Dodge]], from ''Married... with Children''
* The [[Batmobile]] from ''Batman''
* [[Ford Torino]] in Starsky and Hutch
* [[Bessie]] from ''Doctor Who''
* The [[Black Beauty|Black Beauty]] from ''The Green Hornet''
* [[Car 54]] from ''Car 54, Where Are You?''
* [[The Compact Pussycat]] driven by Penelope Pitstop in ''[[Wacky Races]]''
* The [[Wacky Races|Mean Machine]] driven by [[Dick Dastardly]] in ''[[Wacky Races]]''
* The [[General Lee|General Lee]] ([[Dodge Charger (B-body)|Dodge Charger]]) from ''The Dukes of Hazzard''
* The [[Mach Five]] from the anime ''Go Mifune'' (also known as Speed Racer).
* The [[Peugeot 403]] cabriolet from ''Columbo''
* Gladys Crabtree from ''My Mother the Car''
* The [[Grey Ghost]] from ''[[Baretta|Baretta]]''
* The Homer, Homer's ugly car from ''The Simpsons''
* [[KITT]], the talking car ([[Pontiac Trans Am]]) from ''Knight Rider''
* [[Del Boy]]'s yellow [[Reliant Regal]] Supervan in Only Fools and Horses. Later buys a 1978 [[Ford Capri|Ford Capri Ghia]], which Rodney nicknames 'The PratMobile'.
* The [[Monkeemobile]], from ''The Monkees''
* The [[Mystery Machine]] from ''Scooby Doo''
* The Flintstones' car, from ''The Flintstones''
* The [[Supercar]] was a children's TV show produced by Gerry Anderson's AP Films.
* The [[Rolls-Royce FAB 1|FAB 1]], Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward's pink six-wheeled [[Rolls-Royce]] in the Thunderbirds TV series by Gerry Anderson's AP Films.
* Ray's black 1965 [[Chevrolet Corvette|Corvette Stingray]] from the series ''Stingray''
* The [[GMC (General Motors division)|GMC]] [[van]] from the series ''The A-Team''
* The [[Dodge Viper]] RT/10 roadster and Viper GTS coupe from the series ''Viper''.
* The Green & Black [[Mini]] Minor featured in Mr. Bean TV Series.
* The Blue Bubble Car featured in the Mr. Bean TV Series.
* The Thunderhawk, a 1985 [[Chevrolet]] IROC-Z [[Camaro]] featured in the M.A.S.K. cartoon series

===Song===
* ''[[Rocket 88]]'' by Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm - purportedly the first rock and roll song
* ''[[409 (automobile)|409]]'' by the Beach Boys
* ''[[Little Deuce Coupe]]'' by the Beach Boys
* ''[[Little GTO]]'' by Ronnie and the Daytonas
* ''[[Little Red Corvette]]'' by Prince
* The [[Eliminator]] from the videos by ZZ Top
* ''[[Red Barchetta]]'' by [http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2376 Rush]
* ''[[Pink Cadillac]]'' by Bruce Springsteen
* ''[[Mercury Blues]]'' by Alan Jackson
* ''[[Hot Rod Lincoln]]'' by Commander Cody
* ''[[Dragula]]'' by Rob Zombie
* ''[[Mercedes-Benz]]'' by Janis Joplin

===Comics===
* The "313," Donald Duck's 1934 "[[Belchfire Runabout]]," from the Donald Duck comic books.
* Grandma Duck's [[Detroit Electric]], also from the Donald Duck comics.
* The [[Batmobile]], Batman's specialized vehicle.
* [[Shelby Cobra GT500]], Rally Vincent's car from the manga Gunsmith Cats

==See also==
*[[Archive of fictional things]]
*[[Lists of automobiles]]

[[Category:Lists of automobiles|Famous]]

Pontiac

2007-11-14T11:56:45Z

148.168.127.10:

{{List Of Pontiac Models}}
'''Pontiac''' is a marque of [[automobile]] produced by [[GMC|General Motors]] and sold in the United States from 1926 to the present. In the GM brand lineup, Pontiac is a mid-level brand featuring a more sporting, performance-driving experience for a reasonable price, and a youthful feel to its advertising.

The Pontiac brand was introduced by General Motors in 1926 as the 'companion' marque to GM's Oakland Motor Car line. The Pontiac name was first used in 1906 by the Pontiac Spring & Wagon Works. The Oakland Motor Company and Pontiac Spring & Wagon Works Company decided to merge together in November 1908 under the name of the Oakland Motor Car Company. The operations of both companies were joined together in Pontiac, Michigan to build the Cartercar. Oakland was purchased by General Motors in 1909. The first General Motors Pontiac was conceived as an affordable [[V6|six cylinder]] that was intended to compete with more inexpensive four cylinder models. Within months of its introduction, Pontiac outsold Oakland. As Pontiac's sales rose and Oakland's sales began to decline, Pontiac became the only 'companion' marque to survive its 'parent'.

A Native American Headdress was used as a logo until 1956. The current Pontiac logo represents a Native American arrowhead. An alternate slang term for the marque among performance enthusiasts includes ''Poncho''. Another slang term used in the early stages of brand was "Indian" due the subject matter of its logo.

[[Image:ClassicCar5.JPG|left|thumb|250px|1948 Pontiac Streamliner Sedan Coupe]]

==Middle years==
For an extended period of time, prewar through the early 1950's, the Pontiac was a quiet and solid car, but not especially powerful. A flathead (side-valve) straight eight offered both the quietest and smoothest possible operation, with an appropriately soft suspension and quiet muffler offering the feeling of luxury without the expense. These combinations proved attractive to the vehicle's target market - a reserved lower middle class that was not especially interested in performance or handling and was seeking good value and a roomy vehicle in a step up from the entry-level [[Chevrolet|Chevrolet]]. This fit well within parent GM's strategy of passing an increasingly prosperous customer up through the various divisions.

==Performance heritage==
Since the 1957 introduction of the [[Pontiac Bonneville|Bonneville]], Pontiac marketing has emphasized performance; the division's slogan for many years was ''"We Build Excitement"''. Traditionally, each GM division had its own market niche - [[Chevrolet]] was equated with value, [[Oldsmobile]] with technology, [[Buick]] was marketed affordable luxury, [[Cadillac]] as ultimate luxury and Pontiac embraced performance.

After the introduction of the Bonneville in 1957, Pontiac's next success was the introduction of its '''Wide-Track''' suspension layout in 1959. Wide-Track gave the car a broader stance by increasing the width between the wheels, providing greater stability and increased traction.

The [[Pontiac GTO]] was introduced in 1964 by Pontiac's John DeLorean as an option package on the [[Pontiac LeMans]]/[[Tempest]] (GM A-body) car. It was the first intermediate GM vehicle to be powered by the Pontiac division's 389 in³ V8. By being the first brand to feature a large engine in an intermediate car, Pontiac is often credited with launching the [[muscle car]] era. Throughout the 1960s, GTOs were well known for their combination of stunning looks and incredible performance.

The [[Pontiac Firebird|Firebird]], introduced in 1967, was an F-body car that closely mirrored the styling and motor offerings of the LeMans/Tempest cars but was placed on a smaller, sportier platform. This body style and its underlying [[Chevrolet Nova]] chassis were shared with the [[Camaro]], but the Firebird's engines and trim were totally different. As upscale competition for sporty cars like the [[Ford Mustang]] or the [[Dodge Challenger]], the Firebird was perfectly positioned. After reaching record sales levels in the 1970s, in part due to such publicity as the Smokey & the Bandit movies and in part due to being one of the very few performance cars on the market, Firebird sales slowly began to fall in the 1990s and GM pulled the plug on the Camaro/ Firebird lines in 2002, after 35 years of continuous production.

Even more famous was the limited-edition Firebird [[Pontiac Firebird|Trans Am]], which was first offered in 1969 and continued through the end of the Firebird in 2002. Early on, the Trans Am was most notable for having the same high-performance 400 in³ and 455 in³ V8 engines as the GTO but in a smaller, lighter body. This pattern continued through the late 1970s, after which the Trans Am became more of a luxury model than a real performance machine.

Just about the time that these muscle cars were getting big attention, emissions regulations and oil shortages quickly ground them to a halt. While production first started in the late 1950s, it did not hit its stride until the late 1960s. By 1972, few were left on the market. Most telling was the fate of the GTO - originally conceived as a powerful mid-size coupe, by 1974 the GTO option was offered only on the compact [[Pontiac Ventura|Ventura]]. And then, it too was gone.

From the late 1970s on to the late 1980s, while downsizing its North American operations, General Motors had little funds to spend on independent brand-specific performance platforms. That was, until the [[Pontiac Fiero]] was introduced in 1983 as a 1984 model. Drawing heavily from GM's parts bin, the Fiero was initially billed as a commuter car. While it was not performance oriented in its initial release, its final versions with improved suspension geometry and available 2.8L [[V6|V6]] made the Fiero a potent [[MR layout|mid-engined]] sports car. With the demise of the Fiero in 1988, Pontiac only offered badge engineered products from other GM divisions.

In 2001, Bob Lutz, the former Vice Chairman of the [[Chrysler|Chrysler Corporation]] was hired to help turn GM around. One of his first ideas was to bring back the GTO in order to revive Pontiac's performance heritage in light of the Firebird's demise. Finding limited numbers of smaller rear wheel drive coupe platforms, Pontiac looked to [[Holden]], a GM division of Australia, for the platform of their GTO.

Beginning late 2004, GM's [[Holden]] division produced a version of their [[Holden Monaro|Monaro]] coupe with Pontiac trim and all the attitude of the original 1960s editions. Debuting with the potent 350 [[HP|hp]] [[LS1]] V8 and a world-class chassis, the new GTO is at least as good as its predecessors. But its lackluster styling turned off many buyers and forced GM to add hood scoops and other styling touches in order to make the GTO look like the originals. GM increased the Performance of the GTO in 2005 by adding the [[Corvette]] derived [[LS2]] V8 producing 400 [[HP|hp]].

In the summer of 2005, the [[Pontiac Solstice]] sports roadster arrived, and with it the renewed promise of style and driving fun. It was launched on an episode of The Apprentice; the following day the first thousand Solstices were sold in just 41 minutes. Solstice became one of hottest car America's throughout 2005 as Pontiac reported orders far beyond their ability to produce the car, and dealer mark-ups of thousands of dollars over sticker price, a rarity for GM in this time of deep incentives. Pontiac is upping the ante even more for 2007 with a high-performance version of the Solstice, the Solstice GXP, drawing its power from a [[Turbo Engine|Turbocharged]], Direct Gas Injection, 2.0L 4 cylinder [[Ecotec]] producing 260 [[HP|hp]].

Also in 2005, Pontiac put a V8 under the hood of the [[Pontiac Grand Prix|Grand Prix]]. Called the Grand Prix GXP, it would give the Grand Prix its first V8 since 1987.

A majority of Pontiac dealerships also sell [[GMC]] trucks - the trade name used by GM executives is the Pontiac/GMC division.

==Engines==
Pontiac's second generation V8 engines were nearly identical, allowing many parts to interchange from its advent in 1955 to its demise in 1981. Sizes ranged from 265 in³ to 455 in³. This similarity (except the 301 & 265) makes rebuilding these engines particularly easy, as almost any Pontiac engine one can find will contain useful parts. This dimensional similarity between engines of various capacity also made it possible for Pontiac to invent the modern [[muscle car]], by the relatively simple process of placing its largest engines into its mid-size cars, creating the [[Pontiac GTO]].
The non-traditional Pontiac V8 was the 301 and the smaller displacement 265 in³. Produced from 1977 through 1981, this motor has the distinction of being the last Pontiac V8 produced by PMD. The 301 has a 4 inch bore and 3 inch stroke, identical to the vaunted [[Chevrolet|Chevrolet]] and Ford 302 motors.

Pontiac engines were not available in Canada, however, but were replaced with [[Chevrolet|Chevrolet]] engines of similar size and power, resulting in such interesting and unusual (at least to American car fans) models as the Beaumont SD-396 with a [[Chevrolet|Chevrolet]] big-block 396  in³ V-8.

All Pontiac Motor Division (PMD) engines (pre-1980 unified GM) were designed around a low-RPM/high-torque model, as opposed to the ubiquitous [[Chevrolet|Chevrolet]] Small-Block engine known for its smaller displacement and high RPM/high power design. PMD engines were unique for their rear distributor, integrated water pump and timing chain cover, and separate valley pan and intake.

==Carburetors==
PMD originally used Rochester 1-barrel [[carburetor]]s for many years, but by the time of the second generation engines had switched mostly to the 2-barrel offerings. These were the basis for the [[Tri-Power]] setups on the engines.

The Tri-Power setup included one center carburetor with idle control and two end carburetors that did not contribute until the throttle was opened more than half way. This was accomplished two ways, mechanically for the [[manual transmission]] models, and via a vacuum-switch on the automatics. This went through various permutations before being banned by GM.

PMD also had a square-bore 4-barrel at the time, but this was rated at a lower power than the Tri-Power. This carburetor was later replaced by the [[Quadrajet]], a spread bore. 'Spread-bore' refers to the difference in sizes between the primaries and secondaries.

By the end of the muscle car era, the QuadraJet setup had become the nearly-ubiquitous choice on PMD engines, due to its excellent economy and power characteristics. While QuadraJets have been occasionally derided as being poor performers, with proper understanding and tuning it can compete at most levels with other designs.

This design proved good enough to last well into the 1980s with emissions modifications while most others carburetors were dropped for the easier to build fuel injection when economy mattered.



==See also==
*[[List of Pontiac vehicles]]
*[[:Category:Pontiac vehicles]]
*[[Pontiac V8 engine]]

==External links==
* [http://www.pontiac.com/ Pontiac web site]
* [http://www.firebirdnation.com FirebirdNation.com, a site dedicated solely to the Pontiac Firebird, all models and years.]
* [http://www.chuckstoyland.com/potpourri/conceptcars/generalmotors/ Pontiac Concept Cars]
* [http://www.omcea.be/517290,pontiac,trouble/ Pontiac problems], is that over of GTO ?
* [http://dmoz.org/Recreation/Autos/Makes_and_Models/Pontiac/ DMOZ.org: Pontiac]
* [http://pontiac.naszapaczka.com/ Pontiac Gallery] - Pontiac Images
* [http://www.scripophily.net/pospwawo.html Pontiac Spring & Wagon Works made the 1st Pontiac Car] Pontiac, Michigan
[http://www.poci.org Pontiac-Oakland Club International],a site dedicated to the preservation, and enjoyment, all models and years of Pontiacs, Oaklands, and GMC vehicles
[http://www.pontiacregistry.com PontiacRegistry.com]an Internet based Pontiac Club, designed to provide the Pontiac enthusisat with THE most up to the minute Pontiac information and resources, plus 'Discussion Forums.'

[http://bencar.freeyellow.com/76TAPage.html Ben's 1976 Pontiac-Firebird Trans Am Homepage]A personal Website for those who own and admire the 1976 Pontiac Trans Am, with 'Links' to other Pontiac related and automotive related Websites.

{{Pontiac}}
{{General Motors brands}}

[[Category:Automobile manufacturers]]
[[Category:General Motors]]
[[Category:Pontiac]]
[[Category:Makes]]