2010 Pontiac G8 ST

By Scott Tavener

ent to the park to get the scoop
Knuckle-heads out there cold-shootin' some hoops
A car pulls up, who can it be?
A fresh El Camino rollin' kilo g
-From "Boyz N the Hood" by NWA

Soap opera characters, religious prophets, and '70s/'80s celebrities' careers frequently get resurrected. Similarly, cars - at least their names - often blink in, out, and back into existence. Classics like the Ford Thunderbird have enjoyed sabbaticals, reduxs, and second, third, and fourth comings. Now, the oft-name-checked (see the epigraph) Chevrolet El Camino may be set for a return (albeit as a Pontiac rather than a Chevy).

With the forthcoming 2010 Pontiac G8 sport truck, one of the most contentious and well-known vehicle monikers in history may get a contemporary revamp. The original El Camino arrived in 1959 as a response to the Ford Ranchero as a production model cross between a pick-up truck and laymen's car. While it disappeared in 1960, it returned re-imagined in 1964 and stayed in production until 1987.

By the late 1980s the seeds of the Sport Utility Vehicle boom had begun, forcing out crossover cars like the El C. However, on the back of rising oil prices and the heels of a former Vice President's Green Revolution, the hybrid - in the traditional, car-truck mash-up sense - began to again look like a viable option.

In spring, 2008, GM announced plans to introduce its G8 ST concept at the New York International Auto Show. Based on the perpetually popular Holden (an Australia-based GM subsidiary) Commodore, the sleek looking, unnamed cruck (I just made that up; you can use it) has a marked similarity to the bygone El Camino. At the time, Pontiac introduced a "Name This Car" contest, via its website. Thus, the designation debate began.

Precipitating the contest, a number of pick-up and car savvy websites began trumpeting an El Camino branding. Tens of thousands of participants weighed in on potential appellations. The debate sparked heated e-talks on blog cites, with advocates fervently supporting the old school Spanish title and naysayers and purists claiming that a former Chevy should never become a Pontiac.

The contest closed in late April, with Pontiac reporting over 18 000 suggestions. Initially it looked as though the Chevy zealots had won out, with numerous sources suggesting that Pontiac was uncomfortable usurping the El Camino name. Yet, as of July, Pontiac has yet to announce a name, though it recently did concede that "El Camino" has garnered hordes of votes and was indeed still possible. Not rushing an announcement, the deliberation continues.

Pricing has not yet been revealed, but unconfirmed specs continue to leak. Aesthetically, it is a smooth truck with surprising cargo room. Regardless of its name, the Pontiac G8 sport truck will arrive in showrooms in late 2009.