So long Pontiac. It's been nice knowing you. But a lot of us, some more than others, will miss you.

To see how much you'll miss Pontiac, take the following 7-question quiz.

The correct answers follow:

1 - How did Pontiac get its name?

m.) Named after Pontiac Buggy Company founded in 1893
n.) Named after Pontiac, Mich, where it was first manufactured
0.) Named after Chief Pontiac, leader of the Ottawa Tribe
p.) All of the above

2 - Who turned Pontiac into a performance car in the 1960s with the introduction of the GTO, which as a smallish car with a 389-cubic-inch engine is considered by many as the first muscle car?

l.) Chief Pontiac
m.) Lee Iacocca
n.) Davey Jones
0.) John DeLorean

3. - What rock and roll icon's band once traveled in a 1955 Pontiac?

l.) Booker T and the MGs
m.) Ronnie and the Daytonas
n.) Buddy Holly and the Crickets
o.) Bill Haley and the Comets

4. - What year was the Bonneville introduced?

s.) 1954
t.) 1957
u.) 1959
v.) 1965

5. - What significant event happened for Pontiac on Oct. 29, 1991?

g.) The Fiero died
h.) Pontiac introduced its first mini-van, the futuristic Trans Sport
i.) Pontiac built it's 30 millionth car
j.) The Firebird celebrated its 25th anniversary

6. - In 1932 as The Great Depression overtook the country and people stood in line for food and jobs, rumors abounded that General Motors would discontinue production of Pontiac, Buick and Cadillac. What change saved Pontiac?

a.) Using Chevrolet parts
b.) Introduction of a V-8 engine
c.) Offered steel roofs to replace cloth top
d.) Implementation of the slogan, "Wide Track"

7 - What model year Pontiac Trans Am did Burt Reynolds drive in the "Smokey and the Bandit" movies?

a.) 1973
b.) 1975
c.) 1977
d.) 1979

The Answers: P-O-N-T-I-A-C

1.) p. - Yep. The Pontiac was named after Pontiac, Mich, where it was built. It was named after Pontiac Buggy Company which was the forerunner of the Oakland Car Co. And, it was named after Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa Tribe which led an uprising in the 1760s immediately after the French and Indian War. He gave Pontiac inspiration for some pretty cool hood ornaments.

2.) o. - Chief Pontiac was assassinated in 1769, long before the car company was founded. Lee Iacocca is known as the father of the Mustang when he was with Ford Motor and the instigator of the minivan after he led the bailout of Chrysler in the early '80s. Davey Jones sang for the Monkees, who drove a custom Pontiac GTO on their television show. So the correct answer is o.) John DeLorean (left), who joined Pontiac in 1957, helped turn it into GM's performance division, then eventually formed his own car company to produce the Delorean, an all aluminum-bodied car that gained fame in the "Back to the Future" flicks.

3.) n. - The 1955 Pontiac once used by Buddy Holly and the Crickets (left) is now owned by LeRoy and Patti Morford of Marshalltown, Iowa, and has been on display several times at the Belle Plaine (Iowa) Area Museum. I have no idea what the other groups drove from one gig to the next although the MG was British made, the Daytona was a Dodge and the Comet was manufactured by Mercury.

4.) t. - Yes, the first Bonneville appeared (with Bonnie, its nickname, left) as a limited edition convertible in 1957 and was the first Pontiac with a fuel injected engine. The name was first used on a 1954 concept car. In 1959 the Bonneville became a full-fledged line with the introduction of a four-door hardtop and a stationwagon. In 1965, the third generation Bonneville was introduced and it's still my favorite. (I built a scale model of a white Bonneville with fender skirts at the time.)

5.) i. - A supercharged Bonneville SSEi rolled off the assembly line to become Pontiac's 30 millionth vehicle. The Fiero (left) actually died with the 1988 model year, just five years after its introduction. The Trans Sport minivan was introduced in 1990 using the same plastic body technology of the Fiero. The Firebird's 25th anniversary would come in 1992.

6.) a. - In 1932 Pontiac was losing $125 per car, so it went to sister manufacturer, Chevrolet (left), to use its parts to cut expenses. Pontiac, however, still remained an upscale Chevy. Also, in 1932, Pontiac did introduce an 8-cylinder engine, but it was a straight-8. Steel "turret top" roofs replaced fabric roofs in 1934. The "Wide Track" image would not help boost Pontiac sales until 1959.

7.) c. - Five specially prepared black 1977 Pontiac Trans Ams were used in the filming of the first "Smokey and the Bandit" movie (poster at left) released in 1977. All were damaged but became big stars, as did Burt Reynolds and Sally Fields who became a couple for years after they made the movie.

For more information about history, check out these links:

We Love Pontiacs

Pontiac History

GM short version of Pontiac history

Muscle Car Club history of GTO

Classic Cars history of Pontiac