You may remember the video of the 2008 Panther Black Metallic 2008 Pontiac G8 GT running the ¼ mile at Atco in the mid 12s, while it still had temp tags in the back window. That G8 GT is owned by Matt Hauffe of Tune Time Performance in Toms River, New Jersey.

Matt said, “We got our G8-No. 236 of the first 888-in late March 2008, it was one of the first ones to hit the showroom floor. After a 270-horse/283 torque stock pull (which I think our dyno is reading these cars low), I spent a couple hours on the rollers and it made 298 horse/303 torque. Soon after, we fabbed up a couple of pipes to remove the intake tract resonator to allow for the Zex LS1/LS6 nitrous kit. With the only other mods being a K&N drop-in filter and an SLP 160-degree thermostat, it made 375 hp and 401 lb-ft on a 100-shot.”

The panther black metallic G8 GT returned to Englishtown in April with BFG drag rubber and the boys from GM High Tech Performance Magazine witnessed #236 running the ¼ mile in 12 flat @ 115mph.

Hey Matt - if you’re willing to answer a few questions, we’d love to feature you and your G8 right here on G8Nation.

[Source: GM High Tech Performance]

[Photos: Scott Parker]

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Name: Anthony R
Location: Montclair, CA
Favorite G8 Web sites: G8board.com
Board handles / nickname: Rippin’6’s

I really needed a car after totaling my 06 GTO and didn’t want to settle for anything less that 350 HP, once you have 400hp you can’t go cold turkey down to 200, So I toughed it out and did the same thing as everyone else…WAIT. And the sweet style and remote start didn’t hurt.

Year: 2008
Model: G8 GT
Color: Panther Black Metallic (80U)
G8 Nickname: The Black Pearl
One of the first 888: Of course, you know I couldn’t wait.
What #: 207
Options (installed by factory or dealer before you took delivery): None

What dealership did you purchase your Pontiac G8 from?
Reynolds Buick, Pontiac, GMC in West Covina, CA

How was your dealership experience?
I’ve had better

Current Pontiac G8 Aftermarket Mods:

2 10in subs and install by Westcoast Motorsports and 20in Foose nitrous wheels also by Westcoast, Chrome window trim delete, front lower turn signal delete, Nokya low beams (not HID), Debaged all but rear arrowhead, SS Holden rear spoiler, Medium tint, K&N air intake.

Future Pontiac G8 Aftermarket mods:
Lowering, Clear higher front turn signal, aftermarket fog light, Tail light black out.

Favorite feature about the Pontiac G8:
Style, power, and head turning ability

Biggest complaint about the Pontiac G8:
Shift snap, and on MT

0-60:Stock
¼ mile: Stock
Track: None
Other Performance Info: None

What car was replaced by the Pontiac G8?
2006 Pontiac GTO (aka Black Thunder)

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The Fox News 2008 Pontiac G8 GT review is a little late, considering the 2009 G8 has been on dealer lots for a few weeks now; but we’ll take it. In true Fox News fashion, this review IS fair & balanced. Great job Gary Gastelu.

Fox News wastes no time in pointing out that in today’s “green” society, the G8 may feel a little out of place and out of date. We know its not a gas sipper, but EPA estimated 24 mpg on the highway is pretty damn respectable when you’re talking about a 361 horsepower, good ol’ American V8. Thanks to active fuel management that deactivates four cylinders when they’re not needed, the Fox News test car was outperforming the EPA estimates significantly. With the cruise control set at 75 mph, Gastelu was achieving 26 mpg and at 60 mph, a whopping 33mpg! That’s 4 cylinder Camry territory!

The need for Pontiac to reinvent is long over due. The Solstice definitely couldn’t carry that burden alone. So with the Grand Prix being a little dated, and not really establishing a great rep in recent years, it was time to make a change. “The brass at Pontiac called their corporate cousins at Holden, General Motors’ Australian subsidiary, and asked if they wouldn’t mind sending a few of their popular Commodore sedans this way. You see, down under they like big beefy rides just like we do, and the Commodore is available with a Great Barrier Reef-sized 6.0-liter V-8 tucked under the hood”.

Between the “initial phone call” to Holden and finally getting the G8 in the sates, a lot of things happened like rising gas prices, Prius envy (can we coin that?), and CAFÉ standards. According to Fox News, because of these changes “cars like the G8 were suddenly four-wheel bogeymen”.

“It’s a shame because this is a great car — a fantastic car — and probably the best that Pontiac has ever made. Yes, even better than the Bandit’s Trans Am” says Fox News.

On the outside, Gastelu notes the G8 as having a “foreign look” that draws inspiration from the likes of BMM and Saab. The appearance is brawny and powerful without the typical plastic cladding we’ve all come to know and hate from Pontiac’s past.

The powerful pushrod V8 is pure power, however, the tranny is a little slow to react when you first punch it, minimizing the initial “kick in the pants” you would expect. After the initial punch Gastelu says “you might as well be on the North Shore of Oahu catching a 25-foot wave. The rush of power is so smooth and linear that if you didn’t already understand the appeal of large displacement engines, you’ll be ready to trade your surfer-bead necklace for one now. Pontiac claims that this is the most powerful sedan you can buy for under $30,000 and no one is in dispute”.

On the inside, the Fox News writer notes the interior as impeccable and deceivingly enormous, constructed with some of the finest materials.

The Fox News review of the Pontiac G8 is one of the best we’ve read in a while. Please jump on over and check it out in its entirety.

Check out the other Pontiac G8 Reviews at G8Nation.

[Source: Fox News]

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Name: Jarrod (Jay) W.
Location: Whitehouse, OH
Favorite G8 Web sites: G8Nation.com, G8GTtech.com, G8GT.com,G8board.com
Board handles / nickname: MANOFSTEEL69

I was really torn between 4 different cars; the Pontiac G8 GT, the G8 GXP, the Dodge Challenger, and a SRT-8 Dodge Charger. After months of researching and reading about the G8 GT and some soft prodding by my wife (Christina), I decided on the Pontiac G8. The main reason being the cost to performance ratio that far outclassed the other three of my choices. The GXP’s production is still up in the air, the Challenger over priced, and the Charger to big and clunky for my taste. For my wife, it was the tasteful, unassuming look of the G8GT. It’s the ultimate “Sleeper”; you don’t expect it to be anything but a 4dr sedan.

Year: 2008
Model: G8 GT
Color: Ignition Orange Metallic (77U)
G8 Nickname: Tigger
Options (installed by factory or dealer before you took delivery): None

What dealership did you purchase your Pontiac G8 from?
Patsy Lou Pontiac, Mt. Morris, MI

How was your dealership experience?
I ended up dealing directly with Patsy Lou Pontiac after a botched deal between my local dealer (Yark Chevorlet/GMC/Pontiac Waterville, OH), and Patsy Lou. I went into my local dealer expecting to pick up my car, only to find they never actually secured it. So I went home, called their Sales Manager Beth Middleton and purchased the car directly from them.

Current Pontiac G8 Aftermarket Mods:
The first thing I had done to the car was a 20% Tint and the Diamond Paint and Underbody Protection through Ziebart, Toledo, OH.

Next I had Zinik Z27 Sofins w/my factory summer performance tires purchased and installed at BelleTire, Perryburg OH. Then I debadged the G8, except for the front Pontiac Emblem.

After some time spent on the phone with some various shops in the country I decided to go with New Era Performance in Rochester, NY. Mike Frumusa the shop owner and fellow G8 GT owner spent a lot of time with me on the phone about what he had done to his car. So with his input and that of the owner of American Racing Headers (Nick), I headed out on the 377 mile trip to get my work done. I had New Era install a Powerbond Harmonic Balancer 25% Underdrive Crank Pulley, a SLP 160 Degree Thermostat, a New Era Induction System along with having my throttle body ported and polished, an American Racing Header System, and a custom HP Tuner tune.

I have also done a few mods tried and tested by Charlie Van Wormer (Known as GRRRR8 on many G8 forums) who owns a very fast liquid red Pontiac G8 GT, and runs a Midas Muffler Shop in Sugarland, TX. This would include removing the intake manifold cover and a CAI air flow mod.

My engine cover has also been custom painted to match the car by my local body shop (Dave Geist Body Shop, Whitehouse, OH., now ran by and operated by Ray Moore) Also the addition of a Sirius Sportster 5 radio.

Future Pontiac G8 Aftermarket mods:
Future mods include painting the brake calipers to match the car, Corsa mufflers, a Vector Motorsports GM Heat soak Reduction Kit, a Magnacharger MP1900 Supercharger, a custom ground cam (through New Era Performance), and a complete Pedders Suspension System.

Favorite feature about the Pontiac G8:
The ability to carry 5 adults, with luggage and still haul ass!

Biggest complaint about the Pontiac G8:
Probably the wind noise through the sunroof closed, and mirror vibration with it open. The Atari style gauges on the center console, and the Euro-style seat adjustment knobs would also fit in this category.

0-60: 5.2 seconds
¼ mile: 13.47@105.6MPH
Track: Milan Dragway, Milan, MI
Other Performance Info: 347 RWHP, 360′Torque (assumed to be more than this, due to temperature conditions at time of testing)

What car was replaced by the Pontiac G8?
2003 ZX5 SVT Focus

Other cars in your garage?

• 2005 ZX3 Ford Focus
• 2003 ZX5 SVT Ford Focus
• 2007 Harley Davidson Street Glide

The G8GT is by far the most fun of any car I have ever owned. I could run down a list from a “69″ Z28 Camaro to a 300 series BMW, and a majority of them have all been fast performance oriented cars. I enjoy the comfort inside the car….Longest trip so far was 740 miles down to Columbia, SC and was done in one sitting. I could have turned around and came right back, no problem…actually I did about 10hrs later, lol. At the car shows I go to, the G8GT is an instant hit….It’s a what? It has how much horse power? It’s rear wheel drive? The list goes on and on. As does the list of why I love this car…..For those of us that own G8 GT’s we know the whys, and for those that don’t……Head down to your nearest Pontiac dealer and get a taste of the Australian built, but purely American Muscle Car……Before they become extinct.

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What happens when a tech-head reviews a car that was intended for a gear-heard? We’ll find out as we read a summary of CNET’s review of the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT. For those of you who don’t know, CNET.com is a site dedicated to how technology can enhance and enrich your life.

Our hunch is that CNET felt a little duped. According to Wayne Cunningham of CNET, “…we thought we were in for a tech treat because of the big LCD on the stack. But the car doesn’t make good use of that display space, merely showing audio information. Likewise, a voice button on the steering wheel got us looking for Bluetooth or voice command, but then we found the button merely activated OnStar.”

CNET found the cockpit of the G8 GT to be overly wrapped in plastic, yet considered the general design, fit, and finish very good. The massive 6.5″ LCD screen disappointedly was absent of the expected visual navigation and further space wasted by the useless Atari gauges atop the center stack. CNET thought the powerful Blaupunkt stereo produced “good, tight sound”, however disappointment was expressed at the absence of iPod integration and the lack of availability of satellite radio.

All in all, CNET felt a little short changed by the lack of technical treats in the G8. But remember, these guys have high expectations when it comes to tech gadgets. Rather than “just” dive the hell out of the G8 GT, Wayne hooked up a performance computer to get the real numbers on the performance of the GT.

A few runs were planned in both transmission modes, Sport Shift Mode (SSM) and the other in Driver Shift Control (DSC). Run one was in SSM and CNET launched the G8 to 30 mph in 2.17 seconds and to 60 mph in 5.52 seconds. Pushing the shift to the right to enter DSC, they launched to 30 mph a little more quickly at 1.93 seconds and to 60 in just 5.33 seconds.

Underscoring his obsession with gigabytes and not horsepower, Wayne noted the absence of the red line on the speedometer. We’ve never seen a red line on a speedo, so perhaps he meant to say the tachometer.

CNET will be happy to see some of their gripes addressed in the 2009 Pontiac G8:

• useless Atari gauges have been removed
• XM satellite radio is standard
• Bluetooth should be available mid-model year

Read more Pontiac G8 reviews.

[Source: CNET]

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Clint Williams, syndicated writer for the Washington Times kicked off his review of the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT by referencing the $4.00 a gallon gas prices, saying wrong time, wrong place to make a muscle car.  We think a 4,000 lb car with 361 hp sipping gas to get 24 MPG highway is pretty damn respectable….but hey…whadda we know?

He goes on to then advocate the V8 over the V6 saying, “The V-6 offers just slightly better gas mileage. Not enough to avoid the bigger engine. Buy the V-6 version and you’ll be slapping your forehead and saying, “I could have had a V-8.”

Overall, the G8 earned a great review from the Washington Times.  Clint must have been tearing it up on the back roads of Atlanta because he had many great things to say about the performance of the G8.  When summing up performance, he said, “The overall driving feel recalls a more costly sedan that starts with a B and ends with a W.”  The G8 marketing team should be high-fiving one another!

“The 2008 Pontiac G8 will win performance enthusiasts over because it’s a car that finally makes good on the brand’s age-old promise of “driving excitement.” This car does it right, packing muscular engines underneath its taut sheet metal and routing its power to the rear wheels, as a proper American (or Australian) muscle car should.”

On the eve of America’s most meaningful holiday, Williams proclaims the Pontiac G8 GT as the most American of rear wheel drive cars.

[Source: The Washington Times]

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On the eve of Independence Day, Edmunds InsideLine thinks it would be a hoot to check out their long term test drive garage and see which of their whips is more American than apple pie.

Despite its Australian roots, and rightfully so, they have include the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT as one of the candidates for the most American car.  The G8 is in some pretty patriotic company including:

• Buick Enclave
• Cadillac CTS
• Chevy Silverado
• Dodge Caravan
• Ford Edge
• Ford Focus
• Ford GT
• Saturn Aura

Jump on over to Edmunds InsideLine and leave a comment voting for the Pontiac G8 GT as the most American Car.

[Source: Edmunds]

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Pontiac reports that a 2008 Pontiac G8 GT 0-60 in 5.3 seconds. The guys from GM High Tech Performance (GMHTP) and Tune Time Performance have proven that with a little tune, they can get the 2008 Pontiac G8 0-60 time down to a startling 5.0 seconds flat.

Rick Jensen and Mike Ficacci of GMHTP just got the keys to #756; a Panther Black Metallic (80U) 2008 Pontiac G8 GT. They wasted no time putting the G8 to the test.

With only 280 miles on her, they took #756 to the ¼ mile at Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ for its first test. Revving the tach to 1,000 wile waiting for the green, the G8 pulled a respectable 13.63 at 101.41 mph.

After the track, they went to Tune Time Performance in Toms River, NJ for a dyno and tune. The G8 put 263 horses to the rear wheels and produced 275 lb-ft. Tune Time thought that reading was a little low but the guys from GMHTP kept the numbers. The factory timing was around 18-19 degrees, and the air/fuel meter was reading between 11.3 and 11.8 at WOT.

“Now onto the tune where they increased the timing up to 24, the air/fuel to 12.5, the shift points to 6,300, and the rev limiter to 6,500. Torque management was removed and the trans line pressure was brought up, the fans were set to come on at 190 degrees, and the top speed limiter was taken to an ambitious 200 mph. The tuned GT responded with 276 horses and 286 lb-ft”.

They head back to Raceway Park where a modded 2008 Ford Mustang GT met them. To make things interesting they agree to go best of three. The G8 GT prevailed with a a 13.16 at 106.68. The modded stang had a best of 13.32 at 103.11. It was during this run that the Pontiac G8 0-60 was achieved in 5 seconds flat!

[Source: GM High-Tech Performance]

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Today K&N Engineering announced the availability a new air filter and oil filters for the 2008 Pontiac G8.

The high-flow air filter 33-2919 that is designed to increase horsepower and torque in both the 2008 Pontiac G8 V6 Sedan and the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT V8.

As we have come to expect from K&N, the air filter for the G8 is designed to fit directly into the factory air box without any “garage engineering”. This simple drop in design makes adding performance as easy as removing the stock disposable filter and replacing it with a K&N high flow filter. The air filter is backed by K&N’s one million mile warranty.

Now that you have high performance, and clean air, its time to do something about that 5W-30 blood flowing through your G8.  Fear not, K&N has released two new oil filters depending on which G8 you’re driving…the 6 or the 8.  If you’re rolling around in the V6 sedan, you’ll be using the K&N HP-7003 premium oil filter.  If you’re driving the GT, reach for the HP-1017 K&N Performance Gold canister oil filter.

[Source: K&N]

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I guess we need to create a new category called “G8 Related Crimes”. First we had the story about Robert Steinmiller who stole a brand new 2008 Pontiac G8 GT from a dealership lot, only to be found by police with the aid of OnStar.

Today we bring to you a story about another 2008 Pontiac G8 GT owner who is on the wrong side of the law. A yet-to-be-identified suspect in Little Havana Florida, not happy with the increasing price of gas, took matters into his own hands and decided to help the community by reducing the price of gas. This “Robin Hood” rigged the fuel pump at a local Citgo station to supply free premium gas to at least 7 cars.

Frank Veloso Sr., the owner of the gas station said , “…a man rigged a fuel pump, allowing people to steal an estimated 100 gallons of gas.” “I lost $1,000. It’s not right, people stealing gas,” Veloso said.

“It’s not our fault that the prices of gas have gotten so expensive, but now because of the expenses that we have to incur to protect ourselves, it only makes sense that we’re going to have to raise prices even more,” said Frank Veloso Jr., the owner’s son.

Local police have yet to identify the owner of the White Hot (11U) 2008 Pontiac G8 GT. According to Veloso, its because they have not yet seen the surveillance video. If you know any police at the Little Havana PD, please send them over here to peep the vid.

[Source: Kare 11]

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