The Pontiac G8 Sport Truck is the Coolest Car We Never Got

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell

 

 

Grab your calculators – there’s a formula for cool. It is as follows: start with a big V8, add sports car performance, mean looks, the ability to liquify your tires on demand, and then garnish it with utilitarian capability. What does that give you? 

 

Well… this, the 2010 Pontiac G8 Sport Truck concept. It’s a great American ute that came during the last gasps of Pontiac… and for El Camino fans it looked to be the nameplate’s best shot at making a US return. Spoiler alert – it never did, but let’s not forget why it and the ‘ute’ in general are so, so special.

 

How does 361 horsepower from a 6.0-liter V8 sound? Pontiac’s G8 ‘ST’ concept was based on the underpinnings of the rather underrated Pontiac G8 sedan, which was in turn a face lifted version of Australia’s Holden Commodore and Ute. Given that lineage of Down Under ute proficiency, the mechanically similar G8 Sport Truck ought to have been quite the crowd pleaser.

 

Pontiac quoted 385 lb-ft of torque spewing from those rear wheels, albeit solely through a six-speed automatic, providing more than 1,000 pounds of payload capacity, 3,500 pounds of towing, and a zero to 60 mph time of just 5.4 seconds. Couple those specs with some supremely menacing fender flares, 18-inch alloy wheels, plus a sleek profile, and this could have been greeted stateside in much the same way as today’s Dodge Hellcat duo – wide-eyed wonder along with a bit of fear.

What makes this story even tougher to swallow is the fact that this car was legitimately supposed to go on sale. Pontiac promoted a competition to come up with an adequate production name for the G8 ‘ST’ and in its press details, the automaker wrote it was “expected to arrive in dealer’s showrooms in late 2009.” If Pontiac hadn’t disintegrated in 2010, it very well could have arrived. Pity.
So will an El Camino ever ride again? Sadly, it looks doubtful.

 Last year, GM announced it will discontinue manufacturing operations in Australia by the close of 2017, which likely means no more Aussie utes and thus no potential American-market versions. But manufacturing is merely a logistical problem, the fate of the ute is an evolution issue.

The car-based ute first gained popularity for its ability to perform light duty work in car-like comfort, a dramatic difference to many of the hard-riding, agricultural pickup trucks of old. Today it still performs that mission, but most every modern pickup truck has evolved and now offers a car-like comfortable ride and significantly more capability. It’s a trend that will leave some buyers thinking, “Why pay the same and end up with less?”

Rational thinking aside, the ute is as cool as a basement freezer, and amongst US ute fanatics, the Pontiac G8 ST will be remembered as the one that got away.

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