MONROE - Many automobile enthusiasts might say Pontiac has been part of the American culture since it first was introduced in 1926.
The GTO was featured as the subject of a popular song in the 1960s, and fans of the movie "Smokie and the Bandit" might still remember Burt Reynolds outracing the law in his Trans AM.
When General Motors began to make Pontiacs vehicles, models featured power and torque as key selling points, according to the company's Web site.
Next year, General Motors Corp. will stop production of the car line, which over the decades has included the Firebird, Grand Am, Grand Prix, Bonneville, Silver Streak and Catalina. The move is part of a massive restructuring plan that also will cut 21,000 more U.S. factory jobs by next year.
The company said it would phase out its storied Pontiac brand no later than next year, and the futures of Hummer, Saturn and Saab will be resolved by the end of this year, either by selling them or phasing them out, according to the Associated Press.
For fans of the Pontiac line, the news means an end of an era.
"I'm sad about the whole car situation," Dawn Walmer, Brodhead said.
She and her husband, Duane, own two classic Pontiacs; a 1961 Catalina hardtop they bought for their children many years ago, and a 1950 Silver Streak.
Both cars are original and driven only at the Yesteryear Auto Club events.
"We've never done anything to the inside of them," Walmer said.
Their 1961 Pontiac has about 60,000 miles on it and the 1950 has about 40,000.
"I guess that's pretty good when you consider how old they are," she laughed.
Walmer and her husband bought their 1961 Pontiac from Olin and Ayres, a dealership in Brodhead. After a few years they decided to buy their kids another car to drive to school and kept the Catalina for themselves, Walmer said.
Pontiac Grand Prix owner Bill Welch, Brodhead, bought his car in 1985, the last year of the vehicle possessed a more aggressive - a car buff would say muscular - appearance.
"I bought it for enjoyment," he said. He drives it twice a year, he added.
"I only drive it to get it washed," he joked.
Throughout the years, Pontiac was known for its affordability, sporty appearance and enhanced performance," said Bryan Rach, sales manager at Dearth Pontiac, Buick, Cadilac and GMC.
"For years the Grand Am and the Grand Prix dominated the mid-sized car market," he said.
The GTO remains one of the most popular classic cars, he added.
"It was a passenger car you could have fun with," Rach said.
The GTO was featured as the subject of a popular song in the 1960s, and fans of the movie "Smokie and the Bandit" might still remember Burt Reynolds outracing the law in his Trans AM.
When General Motors began to make Pontiacs vehicles, models featured power and torque as key selling points, according to the company's Web site.
Next year, General Motors Corp. will stop production of the car line, which over the decades has included the Firebird, Grand Am, Grand Prix, Bonneville, Silver Streak and Catalina. The move is part of a massive restructuring plan that also will cut 21,000 more U.S. factory jobs by next year.
The company said it would phase out its storied Pontiac brand no later than next year, and the futures of Hummer, Saturn and Saab will be resolved by the end of this year, either by selling them or phasing them out, according to the Associated Press.
For fans of the Pontiac line, the news means an end of an era.
"I'm sad about the whole car situation," Dawn Walmer, Brodhead said.
She and her husband, Duane, own two classic Pontiacs; a 1961 Catalina hardtop they bought for their children many years ago, and a 1950 Silver Streak.
Both cars are original and driven only at the Yesteryear Auto Club events.
"We've never done anything to the inside of them," Walmer said.
Their 1961 Pontiac has about 60,000 miles on it and the 1950 has about 40,000.
"I guess that's pretty good when you consider how old they are," she laughed.
Walmer and her husband bought their 1961 Pontiac from Olin and Ayres, a dealership in Brodhead. After a few years they decided to buy their kids another car to drive to school and kept the Catalina for themselves, Walmer said.
Pontiac Grand Prix owner Bill Welch, Brodhead, bought his car in 1985, the last year of the vehicle possessed a more aggressive - a car buff would say muscular - appearance.
"I bought it for enjoyment," he said. He drives it twice a year, he added.
"I only drive it to get it washed," he joked.
Throughout the years, Pontiac was known for its affordability, sporty appearance and enhanced performance," said Bryan Rach, sales manager at Dearth Pontiac, Buick, Cadilac and GMC.
"For years the Grand Am and the Grand Prix dominated the mid-sized car market," he said.
The GTO remains one of the most popular classic cars, he added.
"It was a passenger car you could have fun with," Rach said.