What could have been: The Pontiac G8 Sports Truck

Unfortunately, plans for the G8 Sports Truck quickly fizzled out, thanks in large part to the stranglehold the global financial crisis put on the auto industry. With car sales plummeting to record lows, manufacturers were forced to tighten the strings of their production, which resulted in brands being bought out or phased out altogether.

The G8 Sports Truck was supposed to be one of GM’s new flag-bearers. Built in the mold of an El Camino, the G8 Sports Truck came with a powerful 6-liter, 361-horsepower engine.

Despite its aesthetically eccentric appearance, the G8 Sports Truck was built to be a truck for the big boys. It came with a 3,500-pound towing capacity, a 74-inch cargo bed and the aforementioned powerful engine that made the G8 Sports Truck the personification of power and speed.

Even though the G8 Sports Truck garnered a lot of publicity, the truck never got off the ground because it catered only to a distinct audience while mainstream response towards the truck was lukewarm at best.

Add that to the seemingly insurmountable struggles of Pontiac in selling their more popular vehicles and the conclusion became more and more apparent: the G8 ST, while intriguing in its own right, was never going to appeal to the public.

Of course, all of it is a moot point by now since Pontiac itself is being phased out soon. Either way, if the G8 ST did get out of the lot, it would’ve been an interesting sight out on the streets.