Pontiac 6000: Was It As Bad As We Remember?

The early 1980s weren't a great time for U.S.-built cars.

Compared to the flamboyant, fire-spitting, and fast muscle cars of the 1960s , the offerings from major U.S. automakers in the late 1970s and early 1980s looked like corporate suits — soulless, stiff, and boring.

There were multiple reasons for the dramatic shift in attitude, with the 1973 and 1979 oil crises, increasingly strict emissions requirements, and serious foreign competition being the main catalysts of the downward spiral. Those factors created a perfect storm for underpowered and dull cars to flood U.S.

showrooms until 1983, when new engine technology eventually made cars powerful again and the 'malaise era' came to a close. Pontiac was no exception to the norm during the period, falling a long way from their historic highs in the 1960s with the legendary Pontiac GTO and Firebird. By the early 1980s, Pontiac, under the GM umbrella, was forced to downsize their cars and prioritize economy over everything else — ironic for a brand whose slogan was "we build excitement" at the time.

Along with three other GM divisions — including Chevrolet, Buick, and Oldsmobile — Pontiac was given a standardized front wheel drive chassis to work with in 1982 called the A-body platform. While none of the other manufacturers made very good use of the chassis, Pontiac transformed the platform into something special for the time. The model was called the Pontiac 6000, and it was called by many one of the best cars to come .