The Pontiac Motor Division was founded in 1926. Owned by General Motors (GM), it became its own GM division in 1931. The Pontiac brand came from the models produced by the Oakland Motor Car Company and continued when Oakland was ceased in 1931. The Pontiac name was taken from the Ottawa war chief (who lead native americans from 1763-66 in a war against the British) who gave his name to the city of Pontiac in Michigan. Popular models produced by Pontiac in the 1960s, 70s and 80s were the GTO, Firebird & Transam, Thunderbird and Fiero. The second and third generation Firebird Transam’s were popular in the “Smokey And The Bandit” films. A third generation Firebird Transam was also used in the “Knight Rider” TV series. In 2010, the Pontiac brand was retired by GM.
