10 Of The Most Collectible Pontiac Cars Worth Buying (If You Can Find One)

The news of Pontiac's closure in 2009 was one of the most galling parts of GM's bankruptcy, with bosses choosing to bring the shutters down on more than eight decades of production in an attempt to shore up its finances. That has meant that, ever since, the only place to buy a Pontiac has been on the used market, whether you're looking for a cheap runabout or a collectible classic. Buyers looking for the latter have plenty of choice over where to shop, but with so many legendary models in the brand's history, deciding what to shop for can be trickier.

While there will always be debate over which Pontiac models constitute the brand's greatest cars, there are a number of models that have proved consistently popular with collectors over the decades. Buying them will often require deep pockets, at least for anyone keen to get an example in top condition, but not every collector's favorite is so pricey. These models have all been in high demand among brand fans for many years, and should continue to be well into the future.

The Pontiac GTO Judge might have gained its name from a popular TV comedy sketch, but its performance was no laughing matter. Produced for just three model years between 1969 and 1971, the Judge was the top-spec options package for the GTO. A range of engines was available with the selection differing between model years. The 1969 model offered either a Ram Air III or Ram Air IV engine, with the latter good for 370 horsepower, while the 1970 model introduced a larger 455 engine as an option.

The Judge was a rare option, with less than 11,000 examples leaving the factory before faltering demand saw the package axed in 1971. Even rarer is the Judge convertible, which has become a grail for Pontiac collectors and sold for as much as $1 million at auction. While most examples of the Judge don't fetch anywhere near that amount, their legendary status has meant that they're consistently among the most sought after Pontiacs. That means that buying one today will require very deep pockets, although exactly how much an example is worth varies considerably based on each car's options and condition.

Available in both convertible and hardtop variants, the first generation Bonneville was a one-year special that proved instrumental in resurrecting interest in the flagging Pontiac brand. In the mid- to late-'50s, Pontiac's sister brand Chevrolet was going from strength to strength, while Pontiac was at risk of being left behind. Its lineup was seen as slightly stale in comparison, but the introduction of the '58 Bonneville helped revive its image. The convertible variant of the car is considerably rarer than the hardtop, with only 3,096 examples built for 1958.

This rarity, combined with the Bonneville's elegant styling and important position within Pontiac's history, has kept resale values high. The most desirable examples — those with rare options, an exceptionally original condition, or both – sell for six-figure sums at auction. Unless you're extremely lucky, finding one in project or barn find condition is unlikely. The few survivors that remain today in suboptimal condition still won't be cheap either, even if you do come across one.

Widely credited as the car that ignited the muscle car wars, the '64 Pontiac GTO only existed due to a loophole found by a Pontiac executive. That executive was John DeLorean, and the rule he was trying to get around was the 330ci cap on all GM midsize car engines. The cap had been enacted the previous year with the intention of preventing cars being used for racing, but DeLorean's idea was to make the GTO an option package rather than a standalone model. As a result, the '64 GTO was officially referred to as the Pontiac Tempest LeMans GTO, even if everyone just called it the GTO.

The car's name was borrowed from the Ferrari 250 GTO, and the combination of Italian-sounding heritage and affordable all-American power proved too good for buyers to resist. The GTO was a hit, so much so that GM bosses eventually had to concede and scrap the engine size cap to make the GTO a standalone model.

Being one of the most influential Pontiac models in the brand's history, it's no surprise that the '64 GTO is a consistently popular car among collectors. Hagerty values an example in good condition at $38,900 as of this writing, with values decreasing slightly over the past year. Although that might not be good news for current owners looking to preserve the value of their investment, it's great news for collectors looking to buy into classic Pontiac ownership for the first time.

Not only did Pontiac arguably create the first ever muscle car, but the brand was also responsible for the last true muscle car of the golden era. In 1973, changing market tastes, higher insurance premiums, and the effects of the Oil Crisis all contributed to muscle car sales falling off a cliff. However, Pontiac wasn't letting its muscle car line die without a fight, and the same year, released the Trans Am SD-455. It sported a freshly developed 455 engine under the hood that was much more potent than the brand's standard 455, officially churning out 310 horsepower.

It was originally slated to launch early in 1973, but issues with emissions certification caused production to be delayed. As a result, only 252 examples of the car were built in that first year, making the '73 one of the rarest Pontiac muscle cars ever made. Production ramped up for '74, but buyer demand was low, and Pontiac only managed to shift around 1,000 more examples before calling time on the model altogether. Being both extremely rare and the very last of its kind has kept the Trans Am SD-455 a collectors' favorite, although actually finding one for sale is no easy task.

It might not get the same level of recognition as the likes of the GTO or Trans Am, but the second-generation Grand Prix has a lot to offer collectors. The '69 Grand Prix SJ was a high water mark in the model's long history, offering a compelling mix of luxury and tire-smoking performance. It was John DeLorean's last creation before he departed from Pontiac to lead Chevrolet, and would remain in production until 1973, when it was replaced by a new third generation car.

Much like Pontiac's most iconic muscle nameplates, the Grand Prix's performance peaked at the turn of the decade, with emissions restrictions and new crash safety laws hampering later models. The '69 Grand Prix was offered in J and SJ trims, taking inspiration from classic Duesenbergs, with the SJ available with either a 370 horsepower or 390 horsepower 428 engine. It proved popular with buyers at the time, with the Grand Prix selling over 110,000 examples in 1969, although relatively few of those survive in good condition today.

[Featured image by Greg Gjerdingen via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]

The original Pontiac Firebird shared its platform with the Camaro, but it was no simple rebadged model. The styling was handled by Pontiac's designers, who used the GTO as inspiration, and the engine choices were an all-Pontiac affair. Five different variants of the car were available at launch, ranging from the mild 165 horsepower base-spec Firebird to the range-topping 325 horsepower Firebird 400. A Ram Air option was also added shortly after launch.

As the original incarnation of an iconic nameplate, interest among collectors in the first-generation Firebird has remained high over the years. Values vary wildly depending upon spec, rarity, and condition, with the rarest Ram Air equipped models selling for more than $400,000 but standard spec cars available in good condition for $25,000 or less. The only model year of the first generation to receive the Trans Am package was the '69, with following Firebird generations helping to establish the Trans Am name as a legend in its own right.

It might not have been anything special in performance terms — the range of engines on offer topped out at 200 horsepower — but the '77 Trans Am's starring role on the big screen has made it a collector's favorite. The inclusion of the car in "Smokey and the Bandit" nearly didn't happen, however, with only a single image in a brochure reportedly persuading the film's directors that the Trans Am would be a better pick than a Charger or a Corvette. After being won over by its design, the directors then reached out to Pontiac, who specially constructed five cars to use for filming.

The film's success has cemented the '77's place in both Pontiac and film buff history, and the car is collectible among both fanbases as a result. With its distinctive black and gold paint and famous "screaming chicken" on the hood, the Bandit-spec Trans Am is a defining image of the model for both collectors and casual enthusiasts alike. Like most American classic cars, resale value today varies significantly based on condition and factory options, but Hagerty estimates an example in good condition with a 400 V8 engine is worth $24,600 as of this writing.

Building on the momentum generated by the '58 Bonneville, the '59 model year saw Pontiac's reinvention as a brand hit full steam. The '59 Bonneville was launched as an entirely new generation despite the previous-generation car only being in production for a single model year, with new styling and an updated range of engines. It was also the first year to receive Pontiac's new "wide-track" design, with Bunkie Knudsen ordering his engineers to widen the car's track by around six inches to better accommodate the new body style.

The '59 Bonneville proved to be a success, outselling the previous model year and helping to reestablish Pontiac as a major player within the industry. Its important place in the brand's history has no doubt played a part in keeping the car an in-demand model with collectors over the decades, but equally important are its timeless good looks. Pristine, original examples of the car can fetch figures over $80,000, but most examples sell for far less.

Enthusiasts will always continue to argue amongst themselves about which model year of the GTO represents its peak, but for some, the '67 model can't be beat. The '67 Pontiac GTO was the last model year of the first GTO generation before the car was overhauled for '68. Although the tradition of changing the car's styling for every new model year was maintained, the '67 GTO sported only minor changes compared to the '66. There was a new grille and a new tail light design, but mostly the design was carried over from the previous year.

By this time, the muscle car power wars were starting to hit fever pitch, and so there was no chance that the '67 GTO's engine lineup would also be a carryover from the previous year. Instead, three versions of the 400 V8 were offered, with the base variant pushing 255 horsepower and the mid-spec variant pushing 335 horsepower. Buyers who could splash out on the top-spec high output variant were rewarded with 360 horsepower, making the car one of the fastest on the road at the time.

With over 80,000 examples sold, the '67 GTO was popular at the time, but relatively few examples survive in good condition today. Hagerty estimates that a base-spec hardtop example in good condition is currently worth $17,600, while a top-spec convertible with the Ram Air package is worth as much as $84,100 in the same condition.

While most of the collectible Pontiacs here come from the marque's golden era, there is one modern model that may prove to be particularly important to Pontiac collectors in the future. The G8 GXP turned out to be a swansong for the brand, only produced for two years between 2008 and 2009. It was a contemporary reinvention of the old-school muscle car, with an LS3 V8 engine churning out more than 400 horsepower. Much like its predecessor, the revived GTO, the G8 was built in Australia by GM's former subsidiary Holden. The GXP was the most powerful G8 variant, above the GT.

Unfortunately, the car's timing would prove its downfall, as GM was experiencing crippling financial issues and buyers' finances weren't in better shape either thanks to the Great Recession. The G8 GXP remained a low volume car, selling just 1,829 units before it was axed. Shortly after, the Pontiac brand itself would also face the chop.

It seems highly unlikely that such a car could ever be produced again — GM has never indicated that it has plans to revive the Pontiac name, and even if it did, restrictive emissions regulations mean that a new V8 muscle car would almost certainly be out of the question. Being both a very rare car and the last of its kind, the G8 GXP is already a collectible car. It may well become even more sought after in the coming decades as more enthusiasts recognize its unique status.

Pontiac has a huge back catalog of models, many of which have their own dedicated fanbases. To determine which models were among the most collectible of all, we considered several criteria. Preference was given to models that were important to the Pontiac brand's history, either in terms of sales or influence, and were therefore naturally desirable to the brand's fans. Recognition among the wider enthusiast community was also considered, alongside current and historical resale value, which is an indicator of sustained demand from collectors.