Pontiac's End Appraised -- Could Its Aussie Sedan Be the Next LA Cop Car?

Pontiac and its legacy will be feted in the weeks and months to come, its history alive with milestones.

Others are not so maudlin about the departure of the 83-year-old brand, but there is little doubt that General Motors’ Pontiac brand played a big role in auto industry history. We can point easily to the massive mistakes — who can be blamed for the Aztek, the Grand Safari and the Sunbird? Please let us know where to find them.

Jim Wangers, the man who was charged with marketing the Pontiac GTO when it arrived in 1964, blames “little boys with MBAs being placed in men’s jobs” for the overall demise of General Motors and the fall of Pontiac. He was on the front lines of the day when the GTO launched the entire muscle car segment. It took an interesting philosophy.

Wangers told BNET Auto this week that the team of engineers that designed the GTO — John DeLorean, Bill Collins and Russell Gee — was fond of saying that the Pontiac GTO “was the answer to the same urge you have to sleep with your neighbor’s attractive wife.”

“You probably won’t get around to doing that, but with the Pontiac, when your wife isn’t looking, you can stick a four barrel carburetor on it. We likened it to the same urge to have fun and play.”

There is some good news for Pontiac though. The G8, an Australian-built sport sedan that hit showrooms  here last year, is being considered by the Los Angeles Police Department as a replacement to its aging fleet of Crown Victorias. With Pontiac defunct by the end of 2010, the new model would probably be branded under a different name, most likely as a Chevrolet.

The move could also provide a window to sales to the public. As they say, behind every cloud.