V-8 Bonneville kicks off GXP era at Pontiac

November 20, 2002





CHICAGO TRIBUNE (KRT)






The high-performance Bonneville GXP that bowed as a concept car at the Chicago Auto Show in February has been approved for production and will go on sale in the first quarter of calendar 2004.

The Bonneville GXP also will mark the return of the V-8 in the Bonneville, a powerplant last offered in 1986.

The Bonneville GXP, unveiled at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas, is the first member of what will be a family of high-performance Pontiacs grouped under the GXP designation, according to Lynn Myers, Pontiac-GMC general manager.

Pontiac also will unveil a compact Vibe GXP and a midsize Grand Prix GXP at SEMA that will be used on the auto-show circuit to test consumer reaction to whether they should join the Bonneville GXP in the retail lineup.

While the concept GXP Bonneville featured a supercharged 3.8-liter, 240-horsepower V-6, same as in the Bonneville SSEi sedan, the production model will come with an all-new 4.4-liter, 32-valve, Quad Cam V-8 with floor-mounted automatic transmission that will deliver 285 h.p. without supercharger.

The GXP also will come with performance-tuned suspension, 18-inch forged aluminum wheels with speed-rated radial tires and oversized brakes with anti-lock

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Ya, it sounds cool. I really wish they would have kept the V6 SC as the main engine, instead of the V8. It might be hard to work on, since it'* such a small V8, but it is definitly gonna fly.