Fear of new CAFE fuel economy standards have lead many to believe that modern day muscle cars will soon face the same fate as their forerunners, but new reports indicate GM has other plans. A leak by a Pontiac dealership employee has lead to speculation that the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP will be powered by GM’s LS3 6.2L V8 which is also used in the Corvette. The engine produces 430 horsepower and 424 lb.-ft. of torque, but expect it to be detuned for use in the G8.
Based on the rear wheel drive Australian Holden Commodore, the Pontiac G8 is offered with a 3.6L V6 engine which produces 256hp and 248 lb.-ft of torque or a 6.0L V8 cranking out 361hp and 385 lb.-ft of torque. The G8 GXP would square off against the Chrysler 300C SRT8 and the Dodge Charger SRT8 both equipped with a 6.1L HEMI engine which puts out 425hp and 420 lb.-ft of torque.
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP to use 6.2L Corvette Engine
Pontiac G8 GT
A leak by a Pontiac dealership employee has lead to speculation that the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP will be powered by GM’s LS3 6.2L V8 which is also in the Corvette. In the Corvette the engine produces 430 horsepower and 424 lb.-ft. of torque.
By Michael Gauthier
February 22, 2008 10:28 AM
Filed Under: American, Leaks, Pontiac
Comments
smokeonit1
February 22, 2008 11:11 AM
great engine, ugly packaging...
Ferrariguy
February 22, 2008 11:42 AM
Pretty cool car, but can american's do anything original anymore? Side vents look like they came straight off from the E92 M3. Besides, stuffing the biggest motor into a car isn't something new. Not really an engineering feat I must say. But it does give value to the consumers. To each their own I guess.
radmeister
February 22, 2008 1:25 PM
What value? they put a 9,000$ engine in a car that should be under 35,000$ and it will be sold for close to 60,000$. You want value go for the cars i mentioned below, i forgot to add to the list the C63 AMG. There is no quality in any of GM's vehicles to justify their price. I was at the autoshow this monday and i sat in the Pontiac G6, fully loaded it was 40,500$ and i was wondering where did the 40,500 go to? the car felt cheaper than a Hyundai sonata which was 15,000$ cheaper. I then sat in the new C-class, fully loaded with AWD it was roughly the same price, but when i sat in it i understood and felt comfortable about where the 40,000$ went. GMs are horse piss compared to the competition. I also sat in the Cadillac DTS which was 78,000$ sure it was nice but not 78,000$ nice. The Hyundai Genesis now that's a car, i was skeptical at first but after sitting inside it it was truly amazing, felt like a lexus, fully loaded for 56,000$ you cannot complain. It put the 22,000$ more expensive DTS to shame. All in all there no value in GMs. Might as well buy mercedes or bmw because they are the same price.
gmfan09
February 22, 2008 5:49 PM
Have you sat in a Pontiac G8. Yea i think not. How about you judge the G8 when you sit in a G8 not a G6. And there is noway that the G8 GXP will cost 60,000. Are you nuts. That would be more that the corvette its put in. Get real
gmfan09
February 22, 2008 5:54 PM
And the whole "There is no quality in any of GM's vehicles to justify their price" is just plain ignorant.
radmeister
February 23, 2008 12:11 AM
Ignorant? i've been in hundreds of cars from all brands, i've even owned 5 cars, 2 of which were GMs. Maybe if all you care is about the displacement of your engine and how many tonnes of green house gases your car produces then yes GM is the way to go. They offer no value for price, you get absolutely nothing premium in any gm. Leather is cheap, plastic is cheap, even their BOSE sound system is 10 years old and doesn't sound half as good as the one found in the Infinity. You can't even turn the "premium" sound system to half volume without the interior starting to rattle from all angles and places. Every car has plastic components don't get me wrong, but most cars for the same price don't offer you made in china toy plastic. I would rather buy Hyundai than GM, and it seems like most people are doing the same thing, because their quality simply does not match their price. No GM vehicle has a personality or anything that will make you say wow, it's JUST a car, a very cheaply made plastic car that drinks gas like it's on sale.
radmeister
February 22, 2008 1:09 PM
Not going to sell just like the Grand Prix GXP. They should have made the GXP lighter with AWD and some kind of twin turbo V6 making roughly 350hp. In canada this car will definatly not sell especially since you can just cross the border and pick up a bmw M3 coupe for 58,000$ and fully loaded for 66,000$, why buy this? Ok maybe the M3 is not the same class as this, there is always the RS4 which starts at 66,910$.
Bristol411S3
February 22, 2008 1:12 PM
This is sold as the Vauxhall VXR8 in the Uk and provides a more grown up alternative to Mitsubishi Evos, but cheaper than an M3 or RS4. Rarer than all 3 over here too...
radmeister
February 22, 2008 1:30 PM
How is this an alternative to the Evo? The evo is a rally car for the street, this is a luxury sport sedan. I would have understood if you said M5 or M3 Sedan, anything but the evo.
_M7_
February 22, 2008 5:28 PM
great engine as new since 50 yera ago jaja Will Chevy some day made a decent engine whit DOHC ???
gmfan09
February 22, 2008 5:45 PM
What is your problem with the Chevy small block. Its been around for so long for a reason, theres no reason to replace is. If it keeps up with and its DOHC rivals than what the hell is the problem. And GM was in the process of making a new family of V8s but the CAFE put an end to that.
radmeister
February 23, 2008 12:03 AM
What exactly does it keep up with? It has lower hp/mpg than any of its european and asian counterparts. Your name says it all gmfan09, keep your GMs bud because it seems nobody else is buying them, but i guess everyone else is stupid for buying jap and european cars and you are right in thinking GM makes quality vehicles worth their price.
DeRay
February 22, 2008 7:22 PM
First off this is all speculation and it is based on a leak from a "dealership employee" which could've been a janitor for all we know. Second GM if they do come out with this, they are just trying to have a car that MIGHT steal some potential customers from Dodge wtih their Charger SRT8 of course if they had left the Impala rear wheel drive and changed the styling they might not have that problem with that.
International
February 22, 2008 7:42 PM
I actually had a 2002 Holden Commodore SS, which is a older version of this pontiac. The car is wonderful and great. Used it as a daily driver, took it to the track a couple of times, nice and comfortable with great performance and sound. On the other hand we have here is the pontiac which I think is ugly as soon as they rebadged it from holden to pontiac. THE GRILL IS F-UGLY
gmfan09
February 23, 2008 5:05 AM
Wow. check yourself dude. I didn't say sh*t about Euro or Japaneses cars. I said it is ignorant to call all American cars cheap. Its like saying all black people are gangsters its just dumb and not true. Keep up with. How bout say a Porsche 911 and a Corvette. Where have you been?
radmeister
February 23, 2008 9:22 AM
What's your point the corvette is cheap compared to the 911, leather isnt as nice, fit and finish isnt even half as good. I still stay with my original statement there is no value in GMs.
gmfan09
February 24, 2008 9:10 PM
The Corvette cost half as much as the 911 and has better performance. What the F*ck does do you expect?
benz_man
February 23, 2008 9:53 PM
Radmeister, the statements you make about the quality of GM products and their engineering are FALSE! I must admit, in the not-so-distant past they were correct. GM has almost 40 years of below average product that has tarnished there reputation with informed consumers. It wasn't until recently (circa 2004) that GM began striving toward making world-class product. Not saying that its better than the Asian or European competition, because that's subjective, but the engineering is just as good. Now, we must all wait for the reputation to catch up with the product. Oh, and the G8 is incredible, what are you talking about?
Ferrariguy
February 23, 2008 10:34 PM
Radmeister, I don't know where you live, but GM does give value when it comes to performance, maybe not quality compared to the more expensive euro and japanese brands. Coming from someone like me, who, owns, a couple of bimmers and a porsche I should know. In the US the ZO6 is a lot cheaper then a 911 turbo and numerous others and can pretty much outperform others at 70K. Before you call me an american car fan, let me just state that I've only owned euros and japanese cars, but just standing by my opinion on what I think, and for the dollar not many cars come close to american cars and what they offer. I'm not talking about quality, just performance. And about that new C-class benz, it's one of the cheapest MB product out there, quality isn't it's main forte. Hard plastic all over with cheap buttons/knobs, looks like something from a dodge, even though MB isn't with them anymore. You want quality go for Audi, Porsche, BMW, Lexus, and even the newer G35's/37's. Skip MB until they are fully improved like the newer S-classes.
Ferrariguy
February 23, 2008 10:37 PM
By the way, how's there no value when american cars are giving you so much performance for less then it's competitor's from Europe and Japan? Again we're not talking about the leather, quality, etc... As much as I don't like american cars, but they are definitely value oriented when it comes to their performance cars. Z06 is 70k compared to 911 turbo 140k. Hmmmm, by the way, I live in america, so all the cars are cheaper compared to the rest of the world. =)
EdiLyon1
February 25, 2008 7:03 AM
Wow guys, guys, you're like two seconds from killing sombody here hehe. Different markets, different vehicles, and different consumers, to each their own. Not everybody is educated about vehicles, quality and performances, so everyone will buy what they can afford or simply like. Now, experience gives you knowledge (if you don't like researching before buying) so everyone speaks according to that. I agree with some comments, most american cars are not as quality oriented (materials wise)as one would want them to be, but must also agree than in most cases they offer really good performance for their price...again, to each their own...
DethLok
March 29, 2008 9:11 AM
http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080326.005/australian-hsv-now-offers-ls3-engine
Well, the rumour was true, assuming HSV export to the USA (they export to the Middle East and UK so it would seem likely?)
And the G8 isn't an American car, of course, being built in Australia, where it was designed.
AmericanMuscle
March 22, 2009 6:52 AM
I'm with ya gmfan09. Why all the haters out there? There is not sports car in the world (WORLD) that can hang with the new ZR1. It smacked the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano around, embarrassed the Porsche GT2, and dominated the GT R Skyline. I see these super Jap, German, Italian cars all the time on the street here. Yeh, they are cool to look at for about 5 seconds. Take a Corvette overseas and people will break their necks to watch them go by. Sorry fellas. Yes, GM is in some trouble, but they will survive. When was the last time you saw top dragsters with anything other then some kind of American power plant hurling them down a track. I work with the NHRA, and you will never see anything other then good old American engineering in those top fuel cars. Like the Vette did to all your little wanna be sports cars "Spank you" very much. Go get em GMfan09. Hope to see you at the NYC Car show next month.
michaelanto
May 7, 2009 8:59 AM
Hey radmeister; You got nothing good to say about the GXP or GM. I read some of your other comments you've posted on here and it seems to me you read too much Car&Driver and Road&Track whose whole budget is paid for by import advertising. Why don't you go buy a GM and form your own opinion. The GXP won't be selling for $60000 but those German imports do and the GXP will spank them and then all you'll have to go on is their quality because you paid so much more for it. You had the quality arguement in the 80's, times have changed, and go figure this: I don't see any higher qulaity 80's import on the road but I still see 80's GM's on the road - hmmm, if they are so good, where are they? Just shut up!
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