Pontiac G8 GXP laps ‘ring in 8:30
November 26, 2008 by George Skentzos
In recent times the Nürburgring has become the performance benchmark for sports cars around the world, and it seems Holden is no exception.
A Victorian-plated Pontiac G8 GXP has been put through its paces on the Nürburgring by GM development engineers – not a professional racing driver – and set a blistering unofficial time.
Despite its sub-$40,000 price tag in the US, the Australian-equivalent of the HSV Clubsport R8 managed a lap time of eight minutes and 30 seconds around the famous circuit.
In the realm of seven-minute supercars this may not seem at all impressive; however a current generation E60 BMW M5 has managed a best time of 8:13 around the circuit in the hands of a professional driver – and comes at more than twice the price.
Source: Jalopnik
Print it: 
The car is not stock, you can even see the roll cage and stripped interior on the first picture.
Id like to see this car do the nurburgring a few more times, then we can see if this car is reliable… Its just another commodore after all.
JML and Anon are right, these are publicity shots only.
Doesn’t matter the time once Gm’s assetts in Oz are bought by the Chinese..
I rike to buy a Horrden Chinadorrre prease, the best frrom China for Austrraria!
Hilarious.
Wheelnut,
does that mean this is neither an SS nor HSV since it also wears a different body kit to the SS??
Typical GM deceit and lies. Race prepped car including roll cage and other mods, then claiming a quick time for the car. The sooner GM slides into receivership the better. Heaping rubbish sub standard cars onto the Australian car buying public it is a fate they deserve. Spending a billion dollars on the Commodore and it’s only a 4 star waste of money that is easily outclassed by the competition. Rubbish engines and transmissions. Regularly buying favourable media coverage and motoring awards through advertising spending rather than simply doing a better job. Any sensible person that has a Holden in their driveway should feel angry, cheated and ripped off. Those people that call themselves Holden fans should be embarressed by their stupidity and how gullible they are. You have been completely taken hook line and sinker by the American Corporations spin and marketing that they are as Australian as AFL football and kangaroos. The executives in Detroit are laughing their asses off at you. You idiots.
Relax, its just because the pushrod engine is so awesome it disrupts the earths rotation as it accelerates so a roll cage is needed in case shit gets hectic.. Its science.
Holden made and still make cars suited for Australia. However I believe this commodore and falcon buyers are a dying group. I do love big aussie sedans but I can see the tradition coming to an end.
Anyway, nice car. Quick times for a family sedan
Well said the above commentators.
And has anyone else noticed? Seems to me likt that driver is now retired Mark Skaife… running away from bankruptcy? And showing off to the Chinese passenger as part of their buy-out of Holden? Or is he a Korean from Daewoo?
As fake and orchestrated this “unofficial” lap time is, nothing beats Holden’t best trick of all – winning Wheels’ Car of the Year with lemons (from Camira to VT) and managing to convince Aussies that the Daewoo Kalos is a true blue Holden Barina. Beep beep to that!
Wow..
This site is still full of tossers…
I can’t believe it, after walking away some 6months ago, the same lifless freaks are still here spewing the same sh1t. Don’t buy a Holden, buy a Camry instead.
I’d rather eat my own ass.
Grab a Kleenex, get a girlfriend and have a night in.
I agree with GOODBYE TOYOTA, I also stopped posting on this site about 12 months ago due to any post to do with OZ made cars turning into a bitch fest.
I would question why Holden would bother testing this car at the Nürburgring. If it is a sales pitch it will be lost on the average American, most of them wouldn’t have ever heard of the Nurburg let alone Germany. They will probably think it is a suburb of Detriot.