Robert Manna received the keys to his new Pontiac G8 today during the first day of practice for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami.

Banner Engineering driver Kelly Collins presented the keys to a new Pontiac G8 with VIN number 888 to Oswego, Illinois resident Manna on the pit lane of Homestead-Miami Speedway. With the SPEED TV cameras rolling Manna graciously accepted the keys to his new five passenger 400 plus horsepower G8.

“I entered the contest just after the Rolex 24 Hour on the Pontiac web site,” Manna said. “The phone rang a few weeks ago and they said I had won the car. It took a few days to set in and wasn’t real until Kelly handed me the keys today. I am not sure if I was more excited to get the car or do several laps around the speedway with Kelly driving. He really knows how to get the most out of the G8 and show case the cars handling and power.”

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The 2008 Pontiac G8 has been an Internet sensation since the day the rumor broke stating that the concept just may make it to the United States. After months of checking Pontiac.com on a daily basis only to see the G8 at the bottom of the list on the “vehicles” menu, only to be parenthesized with (coming early 2008), today was different.

The Web team at Pontiac was finally given the task to move the G8 to the top of the “vehicles” menu, sans parenthesis. With a feeling of excitement I click on “G8″. I try to not get my hopes up too high and set the expectation of seeing the same old G8 micro site that I have seen for the past 3 months. Well…today is the day fellow enthusiasts. A click of the long-awaited link and I was face to face with new G8 content…Model Overview, Build Your Own, Features & Specs, Photo Gallery, Safety, 100,00 Mile Warranty. This is the same info that is present on the pages of all currently available vehicles.

The most noticeable piece of information is the price of the fully-loaded G8 GT. The option is formally known as “GT: Premium Package + Sport Package + Sunroof “and is listed as $32,745…$150 less than earlier reports.

A few other noticeable points:

• 1. Be prepared to be subjected to 5 audio tracks from 5 different artists. As soon as the G8 pages load, the music begins. I guess that’s Pontiac’s attempt at enforcing “excitement”
• 2. Somebody at Pontiac considers the G8 to be the Grand Prix. Note the link at the bottom of the “Build Your Own Page” that is labeled, “Current Offers”. Click that link and look in the address bar of the subsequent page and you’ll see that the unknowing Pontiac Web team passed the brand parameter as “grandprix” instead of “g8″ as was present in the address bar of the previous page. In all seriousness Pontiac, if you’re seeking a new Interactive agency, please let me know.

G8Nation.com will be performing a full review of the newly posted G8 info and will provide full reports shortly.

Let’s go you G8 Nation citizens, start sending in pics of real G8s cruising America’s highways.

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What you’re looking at is the SEMA edition of the Pontiac G8.  The color is called Ignition Orange Metallic.  Other than the slick paint, there are a few other noticable differences between this SEMA G8 and the other G8s.  On the inside, Pontiac has done a nice job of implementing a 2-tone interior with orange accents.  Outside you can see 20 inch rims that were pulled from the G8 concept…it’s a shame that they’ll never make production. 

Pontiac says the GT SEMA Edition also includes a lowered sport suspension and upgraded brakes with drilled and slotted rotors. Under the hood, you’ll find the same 6.0L V8 power plant that’s in the production G8 GT.  It would have been nice to see a different engine under the hood to lead us all to speculation about a GXP. 

[Source: Pontiac]

PRESS RELEASE:

PONTIAC G8 GT SEMA EDITION

Designed for enthusiasts who are passionate about performance, the all-new Pontiac G8 performance sedan - arriving at dealerships in early 2008 - is the first North American application of GM’s new global rear-wheel-drive architecture. The V8-powered G8 GT SEMA Edition was displayed at the ‘07 SEMA Show with a host of tuner-inspired custom touches, including a hot orange paint scheme with matching leather seat inserts, door panels and instrument panel pad.

Under the hood is the production 6.0L V-8, rated at 361 horsepower (268 kW) and 385 lb.-ft. of torque (520 Nm). A six-speed automatic transmission with Driver Shift Control backs the powerful small-block engine and complements a four-wheel independent suspension outfitted with unique 20-inch wheels and performance tires.

The G8 GT SEMA Edition car is equipped with production equipment that includes:

• Standard ABS and traction control augmented by high-performance HSV brakes
• Electronic stability control
• Seat-mounted thorax air bags and dual-stage frontal air bags for front passengers, with automatic passenger sensing system
• Roof rail side-impact air bags for both seating rows
• OnStar with available Turn-by-Turn navigation
• Power-adjustable front seats
• Fog lamps
• Quad polished stainless steel exhaust tips
• Rear lip spoiler

Augmenting the SEMA Edition is a series of modifications, including:

• Custom orange exterior paint
• Orange-accented interior components, including seat inserts, door panels and instrument panel pad
• Enhanced brake package with drilled and slotted rotors
• Lowered performance suspension package
• Twenty-inch wheels with performance tires

The G8 has a progressive styling package highlighted by strong Pontiac design cues, such as a dual-port grille, fog lamps, bold wheels and a confident, wheels-at-the-corners stance. The car’s design accents Pontiac’s performance lineage, with fenders that flare over the wheels, seemingly hugging the wide tires and enhancing its athletic stance.

Distinctive elements include hood scoops and front fender vents, as well as projector-beam headlamps housed in crystal-clear lenses. At the rear, taillamps feature bright detail work surrounding the red lighting elements.

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