Clock's ticking: Pontiac new-car supply in U.S. dwindles

The end of General Motors' Pontiac division will be lamented for years to come. No, not because anyone's going to miss stuff like the G5 coupe (a rebadged Chevy Cobalt) or the laughable G3 Wave (a rebadged Chevy Aveo). Those cars exemplify the kind of dealer-placating product decisions that helped shepherd GM towards bankruptcy, muddled the Pontiac brand's identity, and ultimately contributed to the division's outright cancellation. What people will miss are bright spots in the lineup. There were a few, after all, and if you want a piece of that good history in your garage, you'll need to act fast, because the dealer stock is drying up.

The Australian-built Pontiac G8 GXP (pictured) will likely go down in history as one of the greatest performance cars ever offered by General Motors, and possibly the best Pontiac ever. With Corvette power (over 400 horses) and an available six-speed manual gearbox, the G8 GXP is an agile, smart-looking performance sedan that's also extremely roomy and comfortable. And as of the close of business on November 10, 2009, there were exactly 16 G8 GXPs left in the United States. If you want one, you'd better move. Fast.

Other Pontiacs of interest are in low supply as well. The Toyota Matrix-based Pontiac Vibe, a Best Reviewed model in our most recent report on station wagons, is down to 350 examples left. The Pontiac Solstice Coupe gets mixed reviews at best, but it's beautiful to look at, and the turbocharged GXP model can really move. There are only 160 Solstice Coupe GXPs left. In the chart below, we've arranged a list that shows a sampling of Pontiac models and how many were left in dealers as of the morning of November 11. The stats come from Twitter, of all places. Pontiac's official account is still being updated fairly regularly as the countdown to extinction ticks on.