We are sad to see that GM’s latest attempt at survival includes killing the Pontiac brand. Pontiac has long been billed as GM’s “Excitement” division, even if it hasn’t always lived up to that title. But now, just when it seemed to offer some cars for the enthusiast, the axe has fallen. Our guys weigh in:

Todd: The death of Pontiac almost feels personal for me. My first car was a Pontiac Firebird. It wasn’t as good as advertised, but I loved it. And more recently, when asked to tell people of interesting American cars (an increasingly more common question), I always said the same two: Pontiac Solstice & Pontiac G8 GT.

Yes, Pontiac is a niche market brand. But for the first time in my driving life it seemed to be living up to its promise. For drivers, the future at Pontiac seemed bright. Have you seen the Solstice Coupe? Stunning. Powerful. And the G8 is a whole lot of car for not much money.

I can understand killing Saturn and Saab, those are rebadged versions of other GM cars. Ending those marquees allows the General to focus it’s brand. But Pontiac was always billed as the enthusiast brand, and GM needs enthusiasts.

Meanwhile… they are keeping Buick. Quick… name one Buick product? Or, I’ll go one better: If you are under sixty years old, can you name one Buick car you want to buy? They are uninteresting cars for old people. The Buick buyer is literally dying.

Now, I realize they are keeping Buick because China has decided it’s the new Mercedes Benz, and it’s the only market where GM is showing growth and profit. Too bad that in the process of surviving a global meltdown, the two cars I championed for GM are going away.

The good news is this: The parts in these cars aren’t going to be rare, but the cars will be. Buy them now, and you’ll get a great car for a steal.

Paul: I’ve got mixed emotions about the death of Pontiac. I didn’t grow up in the golden age of GM, during which it was unthinkable for the company to flounder. Back then, Pontiac was the wild child who advocated the idea of performance driving. Folks who experienced the muscle car era know that Pontiac created the segment in the sixties, when Pontiac offered the GTO option for the Tempest. Instead, I got to watch GM car design become a marketing exercise, rather than a singular, focused effort to produce beautiful machinery.

The seventies brought the Firebird and Firebird Trans Am. In the eighties, car platforms were unified, and similar models throughout GM were marketed as unique. The Fiero aside, Pontiacs became cars I couldn’t ignore quickly enough. Pontiac 6000, anyone? In the nineties, I felt continued indifference towards the design approach, as the brand became synonymous with plastic body cladding that left me stupefied. The Sunfire and Montana minivan caused me to lose sleep. Finally, when the Aztec checked all the right boxes for the marketing team, I reveled in its failure.

Then came the Pontiac Solstice. Suddenly, Pontiac produced fresh clean design—they had formulated a tasty new recipe, and the motoring world was astonished. Then followed the Vibe, the GTO, the G8 and the upcoming Solstice Coupe, which in my opinion, has the distinction as the prettiest car Pontiac has ever produced.

Just when I believe Pontiac had inaugurated a bright new future, it was killed. While I understand that tough decisions had to be made in response to the government bailout, I would have rather seen Pontiac create machines that touch a nerve among enthusiasts. Here’s where my mixed feelings arise, however. If Pontiac had constructed a new Trans Am from a Camaro chassis, I would have been disappointed. Enough of this badge marketing business, already. I’ve started to crave the originality Pontiac has established, and therefore wish Pontiac had persevered.

I won’t miss the marketing geniuses who created the forgettable cars, but I’ll miss the creative spirit that made the brand significant again. I am saddened by its passing. Long live Pontiac.