Pontiac Firebird Conversion for 2010 Chevy Camaro

The demise of the Pontiac brand killed off any dreams that General Motors might create a Firebird model out of the new 2010 Chevy Camaro, but fans of the car may find some comfort in the Trans Am conversions that are being readied by the crew over at "Trans Am Depot". The company said that it will unveil a one-off Kevin Morgan "Trans Am" Concept at the 2009 Trans Am Nationals at the end of the month with the production version kits set to be available for order later this year.

The Phoenix T/A project that is said to recall the '77 - '78 Trans Am will feature among other things, new front and rear fascias, unique alloy wheels, lowered suspension and turned aluminum inserts in the interior plus a series of performance upgrades.

Trans Am Depot said that the company will be offering everything from the body conversion only to the limited Phoenix Edition with details, pricing and delivery information to be released at a latter date.

Phoenix T/A Conversion Specs - Excluding Performance Upgrades

Exterior

• 1' - 1.5' Lowering Kit w/sway bar handling upgrade
  
• Wheels & Tires
  
• Front: 20x9.5x120 CB-66.9 Gold or Silver Machined Face Snowflake Wheels. PIRELLI PZERO 275/45ZR20
  
• Rear: 20x11.5x120 CB-66.9 Gold or Silver Machined Face Snowflake Wheels. PIRELLI PZERO 305/35ZR20
  
• Hood
  
• Shaker Scoop
  
• Fender Extractors
  
• Exhaust Conversion w/ splitter tips
  
• Rear Fascia Clip w/tail lamp lenses and bulbs
  
• Rear Spoiler
  
• TA Graphic Package
  

  Interior
  

• Embroded Head Rest and Console Lid - KM Graphic Punch
  
• Turned Aluminum Door Panel
  
• Turned Aluminum Dash Inserts
  
• Turned Aluminum Instrument Cluster
  
• Door Panel Badges
  
• T/A SN Badge and Designation

Link: Trans Am Depot , Via: Jalopnik

Bob Lutz Backs Out on Pontiac G8 - Chevy Caprice Idea...

Just a week ago we told you that in an interview with Automobile Magazine, General Motors' Bob Lutz revealed that the Pontiac G8 would live on as the Chevrolet Caprice, in spite of the fact that GM CEO Fritz Henderson had previously announced the death of the G8 for North America. Guess what? Bob Lutz took his words back on GM's official blog saying that while it seemed like a good idea at the time (a week ago...) upon further review and study (aka a talk with Henderson) the company decided that a G8-based Caprice wouldn't make much sense in today's market. Read the full statement from Bob Lutz after the jump and weep.

Bob Lutz: "OK, I have some late-breaking news for you from the world of GM, where things are indeed moving quickly, and what I'm about to say is proof.

In fact, we're moving so fast, we're going back in time to, oh, about four or five days ago, when the Pontiac G8 was going away and was not going to become a new Chevrolet Caprice.

And therein lies the news: The G8 will not be a Caprice after all. I'd mentioned it, and said we were studying it, giving it a serious look, because a car like the G8 was just too good to waste.

That's all still true. But I have to say that, with my new "marketing" hat on, upon further review and careful study, we simply cannot make a business case for such a program. Not in today's market, in this economy, and with fuel regulations what they are and will be.

I know that we'll get a lot of complaints from G8 lovers, because I'm one of them. And the product guy in me is complaining as loudly as anyone. But the marketing guy says there's no case. With budgets being what they are for the time being, the resources must be allocated elsewhere.

In no way, and this is very important, in no way does this mean we are backing away from performance, or backing away from rear-wheel drive. Look no further for proof than the Corvette, the Camaro, the CTS or many other present and future Cadillacs. We have a strong lineup of RWD vehicles already and we will continue to have it.

And we have a tremendous RWD team in Australia that gave us the beloved G8, a team that we will tap into at some point again in the future for its expertise and sheet metal. Just not right now."

Source: FastlaneBlogs