As we know, Pontiac’s new performance lineup wears the suffix "GXP". Before this, however, the Grand Prix proudly wore "GTP" to indicate its elevated performance capability (whether or not you consider the GP GTP a "performance car" is not important to this discussion). I find myself wondering, why did Pontiac not simply adopt GTP across the lineup?
My reasoning is 2-fold: first, GTP was already an established name for Pontiac, recognized by at least some in the field- the GP GTP has a good-sized following and great aftermarket support. Next, "GTP" actually means something- Grand Touring Prototype, meaning a race car built specifically for competition and not sold to the public (or something to that effect). Of course, this meaning does not apply directly to Pontiac’s offerings, by definition. Nonetheless, it is a term that auto and racing enthusiasts can certainly embrace more than the made-up "GXP", which, to the best of my knowledge, means *nothing*. :rolleyes:
Imagine the GTP lineup: Grand Prix GTP, G6 GTP, Torrent GTP (I would have preferred "Aztek GTP", but that’s neither here nor there :P ), Montana GTP (uh, maybe not), Vibe GTP, and Solstice GTP (mmmmm...). It would have been a continuing thread in Pontiac’s recent history, dating back to MY1991 when the Grand Prix GTP debuted.
Am I alone here? I just think GTP sounds cooler than GXP, and has some Pontiac history behind it. Discuss.