The
Pontiac 6000 was a
mid-size carA mid-size car is the North American/Australian standard for an automobile with a size equal to or greater than that of a compact...
introduced by the
PontiacPontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
division of
General MotorsGeneral Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
in 1981 for the 1982 model year, positioned between the smaller
PhoenixIn 1980, the Phoenix was downsized and moved to front wheel drive, and was available as 2-door coupe or a 5-door hatchback. The base, LJ, and SJ models were still available for this generation...
and the slightly upscale
BonnevilleThe Pontiac Bonneville was an automobile built by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1957 to 2005. It was introduced as a limited production performance convertible during the 1957 model year...
(previously the
LeMansThe Pontiac LeMans was a model name applied to compact and intermediate-sized automobiles offered by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1962 to 1981. The LeMans was replaced by the downsized Pontiac Bonneville for the 1982 model year...
). It shared its platform with the
Buick CenturyBuick Century is the model name used by the Buick division of General Motors for a line of full-size performance vehicles from 1936 to 1942 and 1954 to 1958, and from 1973 to 2005 for a mid-size car....
,
Chevrolet CelebrityThe Chevrolet Celebrity is a mid-size car produced by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors . The Celebrity was introduced in 1981 for the 1982 model year. The Celebrity was the best-selling car in the United States in 1986...
,
Oldsmobile Cutlass CieraThe Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera is a mid-size car that was sold from 1982 through 1996 by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors.It shared the front-wheel drive A platform with the very similar Buick Century, Pontiac 6000 and Chevrolet Celebrity; both Olds and Chevy considered using the Celebrity...
, and the Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser
station wagonA station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
.
Overview
The 6000 was built at the
Oshawa Car AssemblyOshawa Car Assembly is a major manufacturing facility in the city of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada building various automobiles for General Motors Canada. The factory is one of the largest auto plants in the world and has won a number of awards...
plant in
OntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
,
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
from 1981 to 1988 and in
Oklahoma City, OklahomaOklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
until production ceased in 1991. They were also made in
Tarrytown, New YorkTarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
for a few years. By 1984 the 6000 was Pontiac's best seller, with over 122,000 units sold. Since the demise of the
T1000The Chevrolet Chevette was introduced in September, 1975 and manufactured for model years 1976-1987 based on GM's worldwide T platform and superseding the Vega as Chevrolet's entry-level subcompact...
after the 1987 model year, the 6000 was the last remaining Pontiac to bear the "000" in its name (the
2000 SunbirdThe Pontiac Sunbird, produced by the Pontiac division of General Motors, was Pontiac's second small-car offering of the 70's. The Sunbird model ran for 18 years and was then replaced in 1995 by the Pontiac Sunfire...
was the first Pontiac to drop it in 1985).
In 1982, two trim levels were offered: 6000 and 6000 LE. Both came standard with the new-for-1982 151 cu in (2.5 l)
Tech IVIron Dukes were fitted with fuel injection in 1982. This version was christened the Tech IV, though Car and Driver later ridiculed it as the low-Tech IV. Power output remained at ....
four-cylinder with throttle body injection. It made 90 hp. Optional engines were GM's 173 cu in (2.8 l) V6 with a 2-barrel
carburetorA carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
which made 112 hp, or a 263 cu in (4.3 l)
OldsmobileOldsmobile developed three diesel engines for the 1980s: two V8s and a 263 CID V6. It was based on the Olds 350 V8 with a bore and stroke....
diesel V6 which made 85 hp. The diesel engine was unpopular and only offered until 1985. The 2.8 was updated for 1985 with multi-port fuel injection, raising output to 135 hp exclusively for the STE. The fuel-injected 2.8 made its way into the Base and LE models for 1986, however in these trims it only made 125 hp. The Tech IV was given various updates over the years but was mostly unchanged. For 1984, a station wagon known as the
6000 Safari was introduced to replace the rear-wheel drive Grand LeMans Safari wagon. In 1987, an S/E model arrived with the STE powertrain but fewer features, and the quad-rectangular headlamps were replaced with the composite headlamps. In 1989, the coupe model was dropped, and the 6000 received a more-rounded roofline with the Buick Century and Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, and was facelifted for the final time with slightly wider headlamps and a new grille. In 1990, passive front seatbelts were introduced and a 191 cu in (3.1 l) V6 replaced the 2.8. After the STE model was dropped from the 6000 line for 1990, the S/E model gained its all wheel drive option. This was later dropped for the 1991 model year. The 6000 was dropped after 1991, replaced by the
Grand PrixPicking up where the Pontiac Ventura model left off, the Grand Prix first appeared in the Pontiac line for 1962. It was essentially a standard Pontiac Catalina coupe with minimal outside chrome trim and a sportier interior...
sedan. In addition, the Pontiac 6000 wagon was the final GM designed station wagon offering from
PontiacPontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
.
The last Pontiac 6000 rolled off the assembly line on July 22, 1991.
STE version
The 6000STE (Special Touring Edition) was introduced for the 1983 model year, and was known as the spiritual successor to the performance-oriented
Grand AmThe original Grand Am was introduced in the fall of 1972 as a 1973 model. It was based on the GM A platform along with other cars such as the Pontiac LeMans, Pontiac GTO, Chevrolet Chevelle, Buick Century, and the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme...
that was offered in the 1970s. 5-passenger seating with front captain seats and power windows were standard on this trim level (optional on some other trim levels). It features a High-Output version of the 6000's optional 2.8 L V6. Like that engine, it sports a 2-barrel
carburetorA carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
, though it delivers 135 horsepower, rather than the usual 112 horsepower. Although intended to compete with similar entries from
BMWBayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
and
AudiAudi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
, the carburetor (competitors had
fuel injectionFuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
) and gauge cluster without tachometer made the STE seem rather deficient when compared to competitors from those manufacturers. The 1984 6000STE featured a digital gauge cluster featuring a bar-graph tachometer. The STE featured a driver information center with a system which monitored functions such as lights, doors, tune-ups and tire rotations. For 1984, Road and Track called the 6000 STE one of the top twelve enthusiast cars.
Special steering rack, and suspension tuning with a self-leveling rear air suspension yielded European handling, though the rear end felt a little floaty at times. 4 wheel disc brakes improved stopping as did standard Goodyear Eagle GT tires, size 195/70R14 (large for the time).
In 1985, the carbureted engine was replaced by a multi-port fuel injected version of the 2.8 L V6, still delivering 135 horsepower. Although the 3-speed automatic remained standard (a Getrag 5 Speed Manual was a no charge option), the new engine accelerated faster than the previous engine, and enhanced the STEs emphasis on performance and technology.
For 1986, a revised front facsia with composite headlamps, anti-lock brakes, a revised tachometer, steering wheel mounted audio controls (the first of their kind) and a new 4-speed automatic transmission became available . Following this was a two-position memory seat for the 8-way power drivers seat for 1987. New for 1988 was an optional All Wheel Drive system. It was mated to a new 3.1 L LH0 V6 (the first use of GMs then-new 3.1 L in a production car) but only a 3-speed automatic transmission, which didn't help acceleration or fuel economy. The all-wheel-drive system became standard for 1989, but was moved to the SE model for 1990, since the STE was discontinued from the 6000 line and moved to the new four-door Grand Prix lineup that year. It was later discontinued from the Grand Prix after 1993.
According to Car and Driver, the
Pontiac G6The Pontiac G6 was a mid-size car produced under the Pontiac brand of American automaker General Motors.It was introduced in the fall of 2004 to replace the Grand Am. The car was built on the GM Epsilon platform which it shared with the Chevrolet Malibu and Saab 9-3 along with other General Motors...
GT, introduced in 2005, is said to be the spiritual successor to the 6000 STE.
Engines
| Years | Engine | Power | Notes |
| 1982–1991 |
151 cu in (2.5 l) LR8 TBI "Tech IV" I4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
|
90 hp |
|
| 1982–1986 |
173 cu in (2.8 l) LE2 2-barrelA carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
V6 |
112 hp |
|
| 1982–1985 |
263 cu in (4.3 l) LT7 diesel A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
V6 |
85 hp |
|
| 1983–1984 |
173 cu in (2.8 l) LH7 2-barrel V6 |
135 hp |
STE |
| 1985–1986 |
173 cu in (2.8 l) L44 MFIFuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
V6 |
140 hp |
STE |
| 1987–1989 |
173 cu in (2.8 l) LB6 MFI V6 |
130 hp |
|
| 1988–1989 |
191 cu in (3.1 l) LH0 MFI V6 |
135 hp |
STE AWD |
| 1990–1991 |
191 cu in (3.1 l) LH0 MFI V6 |
140 hp |
|
Transmissions
- 1984–1986 Muncie
-Other:*Chuck Muncie, American football player*Muncie , transmission manufacturer for General Motors**Muncie SM465 transmission, manufactured by the above company-See also:*Muncy *Munsee language, Algonquian language, Lenape...
4-speed manualA manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
w/overdrive (only available on 2.5 L 4-cyl & 4.3 L diesel)
- 1987–1988 Muncie/Getrag
Getrag is a leading manufacturer of automobile manual transmissions. The company was founded on 1 May 1935, in Ludwigsburg, Germany, by Hermann Hagenmeyer; as the Getriebe und Zahnradfabrik Hermann Hagenmeyer GmbH & Cie KG...
5T40/HM282 5-speed manual w/overdrive (only on 2.8 L V6)
- 1982–1991 Turbo Hydramatic 125C/3T40 3-speed automatic (Standard on all engines)
- 1985–1991 Turbo Hydramatic 440-T4/4T60 4-speed automatic
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
with overdrive (optional only on V6 engines)
Awards
The
6000 STE was on
Car and DriverCar and Driver is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. Its total circulation is 1.31 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011...
magazine's
Ten Best listCar and Driver magazine annually nominates a list of what it considers the Ten Best cars and Five Best trucks.All production vehicles for sale in that calendar year are considered with these restrictions:# The vehicle must be on sale by January...
three times, from 1983 to 1985.
External links