It's a 1990 design. There's one for the second row also. My 1962 Lincoln had four ashtrays, each with a lighter. And adults could ride back there also. All those flip out windows would be good for smoke removal, and there is also an air exit in the back seat area.
I had a 1993 red Pontiac transport as my first car, got me thru high school and college, some people made fun of me for having a van that had so much glass it got nicknamed as “the aquarium”, but when you were at a party and needed someone to take half the football team to Taco Bell late at night, suddenly I was quite the hero
I'm from the US and I was in my 20's when the Transport was released. This is my favorite mini van of all time. In the day, it looked like someone took a sports car, a mini van, and a space ship and cross-breed them all together...so futuristically sporty...especially for a van. I worked for an agency with a fleet of Lumina vans (same vehicle) and truthfully, they weren't that great to drive. The windshield was so incredibly long, you felt like you were sitting in the middle of the van when driving it. The build quality was typical 90's GM...sloppy and rattly. Even with the short comings, I really love the Transport. Side note: Mr. Hub Nut, the correct US pronunciation of Lumina is LOOM-IN-a :)
@@earnestbunbury2103 man, I wish they sold American cars in other markets around the world. Hell, i don't even care if they are rebadged. I don't care about that at all., and other cars from the other countries in the u US and Canada.,
Those 3.8s were bullet proof. Would do a half million kilometers easy. They stopped using them, as they were old technology. GM came up with the 3.4, they had head gasket problems, non stop. GM then came out with the 3.5. Am Mother good engine. They also used a 3.9 for their top end models. Another good engine. For their last year of that style van, they put all 3.9s in them , to use them up.
@@Okanagan48 Yes, Wards Automotive rated the 3.8 one of the top ten engines in the world back then. I still have a 2008 Chevy Uplander with 3.9 v6 and 130,000 miles on it. Very well made and reliable, especially with synthetic oil (solves the low oil pressure without engine work)
And that 3.8 would darn near last forever with routine maintenance. I had a supercharged variant of the same engine in a Buick Park Avenue Ultra here in the states and it was nearly bulletproof. It’s a shame that GM did away with it.
@@seancooke4127 I hope not. I also watch Bald & Bankrupt who goes all over the world, including war zones. People ask him if there is anywhere he would not visit and he says USA, too many guns!
I have seen them on rare occasions. All the old MPVs are getting rare now as when was the last time you saw a Renault Espace mk1,mk2, mk3 and a Ford Galaxy MK1
The 3800 V6 is awesome (very dependable) - it's history goes back to the early 60's Buick - I believe the HP was in the area of 170 - those rear bucket seats were individual - removed or added as needed - It's 30 years old and runs well ...bravo!
Hi Ian, a few clarifications for you: 1) @5:35 the rear fan controls are at the second row passenger's seat on the left side, behind the driver. You wouldn't have been able to see them because of the baby seat. 2) @5:54 rear passenger head restraints were not required by US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards until 2010. Most manufacturers voluntarily provided them long before that though; second-generation U-body vans (1997-2005) had them. 3) @10:52 the transmission's shift ranges are Park-Reverse-Neutral-Overdrive-Drive-2-1. "Overdrive" (the symbol in the instrument cluster is a D encircled by an O) allows the transmission to shift between all four gears, whereas "Drive" locks out fourth gear. It wasn't until the mid- to late-1980s that 4-speed automatic transaxles with an overdrive gear became popular, and GM (and many others at the time) marked their 4-speeds' shift ranges this way. The torque converter will lock up in 3rd and 4th gear, no matter whether the transmission is in Drive or Overdrive. The base model Trans Sport (/Chevy Lumina APV) came with a 3.1 L V6 with a 3-speed automatic-no overdrive gear-and the shift ranges were simply P-R-N-D-2-1.
@@emjayay I didn't mean to imply the three-speed didn't have a lockup torque converter, I was replying directly to Ian's speculation that the difference between OD and D might have been allowing the torque converter to lockup or not.
When these were new here in the US, I thought they looked a little silly, but I also loved them because they looked like the shuttle craft on _Star Trek: The Next Generation._
A few days ago I found a 30 year old photo of me and some friends standing next to a white Trans Sport. Still my favorite style minivan. It’s too bad the euro model lost the cool steering wheel that was full of buttons. The display above the mirror is an info display showing low washer fluid, door open, etc...
the structure of these things was started by Saturn, a division of GM. i dont believe it is still in use though in any gm cars. they did still rust out just not on the exterior panels! many north american cars and trucks still dont have amber turn signals in the back of the car many still use the same bulb/filament for turn signal and brake light. rear foglights are unheard of here as well considering the us invented the high mounted brake light, it's surprising that the rest of us lighting laws are still so archaic i think you should find one of our gargantuan pickup trucks and take it for a drive in wales, there should be a few roads wide enough!
The 3.8 engine came after the first year. It's actually well known as a great V6, reliable and economical (not so much the different design 3.1 originally offered, even though the 3.8 was already around in 1990.) The 3.8 also had a 4 speed rather than 3 speed automatic.
G'day, Ian! Pontiac intended, a production version of the Trans Sport was released for the '90 model year. Though not as radical as the original concept, it was still a leading-edge design-perhaps a bit too much for buyers at the time. Though it shared the same general shape as its predecessor and could certainly trace its roots to it, the production Trans Sport's proportions were quite different. It was significantly taller, and its wheels were not pushed out to the corners as much as those on the original concept van's. Still, it had some attractive innovations of its own, like a Fiero-inspired space-frame chassis, non-structural composite body panels, and seating for up to seven passengers. That first-generation of the Trans Sport was in production through the '96 model year. It never sold in the numbers that Pontiac had hoped, and when its much more conventional replacement arrived in 1997. Fortunately, the '86 Trans Sport has remained in excellent condition and is part of Pontiac's Historic Fleet. When GM returned to building true concept vehicles in the '80s, it decided these unique creations were significant pieces of its corporate history and the practice of destroying non-production-based show cars ended. This is why they are still displayed at events like the Eyes on Design Classic Car Show in Detroit and the Pontiac-Oakland Club International Conventions. Though it would be easy to dismiss the '86 Trans Sport as just another minivan, it is actually a significant vehicle to Pontiac, and for multiple reasons. First, it was a sign that the division was a much healthier company than it was just a few years before. Second, it showed that Pontiac designers and engineers had a lot of talent and innovation to bring to the table. Last, a version actually made it to production and lasted seven model years. All in all, it was a launch back into show business. Thank you! Cheers! 😊✌🏻🚐❤️ P.S. While Chrysler built its Voyager and Caravan around the space-efficient, front-drive K-car platform, Ford stuck with a rear-drive chassis for the Aerostar van. The decision ultimately proved less innovative and well-suited for a family van (as GM also found out with its Chevy Astro/GMC Safari), but Ford’s engineering and design efforts provided a conceptual template that eventually bridged the gap between traditional trucks and longroof wagons. That work helped the Blue Oval jump-start the SUV-hungry 1990s, kicking off a high-riding craze that has all but extinguished the once-proud minivan from suburban garages.
Oddly, the V8 that the V6 is based on was only made from 1964-1966. By 1967 the Skylark had grown so much that the 300 V8 was replaced by a 350. My thoughts on the Trans Sport? Tea shelferey as far as the eye can see. Furiousdriving needs this one far more than you do....
Wife and I bought three of these, a new a white 1990 also a new blue 1991 and a used green 1996 model The 3800 engine worked well. Very rare to see any nowadays.
This is even rare here in the US 🇺🇸! The 3.8 litre V6 was optional, a 3.1 litre Chevrolet V6 was standard. Pontiac was more a sports, performance oriented division of GM. Oh, yes, typical atrocious GM build quality, cutting costs to save money 💷, another reason why others bought the imports. We had the next generation of this van, 2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette GLS, heated front seating, power side door (GM first introduced in 1996 in the previous generation before the others) leather seating. 3.4 litre Chevrolet V6, less horsepower, but it felt so much better than the similar Toyota Sienna I test drove. That was awful; first one had a dead battery, the one I test drove the air conditioner was awful (drove it in the middle of summer), no power. Then test drive another Silhouette and it was far superior to the Toyota, more equipment, just everything far better than the Sienna. That 3.8 litre V6 powered many a GM vehicle, and if well-maintained, could last for a long, long time! I never realised that this generation of minivan from GM was exported! Plus, your knowledge and how the controls worked were spot on! Well done on another great review!
You can find photos of them and look for what they did to convert to Euro spec. Mine seemed screwed together OK, but typically many bits and pieces of body hardware broke over the years.
The 3800 series 2,beingg different from series 1 by adding balance shafts to address the 90 degree issue,One of the most reliable and economical motors in GM's lineup.30mpg US was normal for straight highway driving.later they added a supercharger putting out about 230 hp.I'm not so sure about Che's image on the rear.
It's probably almost easier to find one of these pre-facelift TranSports in Europe than here in the states... I never see them for sale, and they filtered out of the used car market in less than 15 years... a lot of my friends hated them. Last one I saw for sale was almost a TranSport... Olds Silhoutte (The Cadillac of Minivans, according to "Get Shorty") about 10 years ago... but it was rough. I would adopt one of these into the family as a quirky cheap van, if I could find a reasonable one... I always thought it would be interesting to wedge either a hopped up supercharged 3.8 or the LS4 transverse V8 into one as a sleeper.
Just want to say that the name of this car might be one of the most genius names ever concieved in the history of cars, and I have thought so ever since it launched. I have sometimes toyed with the idea of buying one just to be able to have the following conversation: -What do you drive? -A pontiac trans... -Am? -Sport. Trans sport. You know, to trans...sport stuff. Also it looks like some kind of older TGV Train from the front, with its long nose. Yes I am a weirdo.
Other than the taillights, the steering wheel is a giveaway that what you drove was definitely not a North American version. Having driven a new one for a long trip in the 1990s, I found myself disagreeing with pretty much everything you said... especially about the visibility. You can see very well out of it, of course, but you never know where the front end is with any certainty: it's out there somewhere, completely out of sight. Of course, to someone living in Wales it's rarity makes it interesting and exotic, not unlike your GSA is interesting and exotic to someone living in North America.
I can see lots of Holden Commodore bits (as well as the engine) from the GM parts bin of the era in this car. A lot of Aussies think their Commodores are all Aussie. Nah.
What with this and the PT Cruiser, HubNut has a rather MPV-centred theme this week. And that's fine by me! I miss the Espaces I grew up with. And the Pontiac being American reminds me of the surprisingly good 2012 Chrysler Town & Country that my family rented on holiday in the US. I love a good 'people carrier' 👍
I remember these from the ol' Davidsfarm days (for those that know, they know why those ended), and a few of these ended up on the farm with the bodies having become somewhat separate from the metalwork, as the metal was being returned to the earth due to Ontario being one of them parts of the world where they have almost as much salt on the roads as mcdonalds fries, and I think one of them, the carpet was structurally supporting things... :S
In some ways the plastic actually traps the salt and crap behind it onto the inner structure where it will likely never be cleaned. You never see it coming either because the thin outer panel never goes.
11:36 Is the other Drive position a sportier setting, perhaps ? Assuming your pedal operation has hit the boards that was not the response I was expecting.
My buddy had a loaded Olds Silhouette of around the same year and it was reliable mechanically,,, the drive train was very good, but everything else broke,, lol... And driving that thing around in the Houston Texas summertime was borderline,, that AC just barely had enough grunt to get it done....
My guess would be that that example was originally sold in Germany. That series of vehicle does seem to have been quite popular in Germany, and it wouldn't be an obscene distance to drive to France or Austria for family holidays with the kids in the back... It might be interesting to test an original Toyota Previa soon to get a comparison with a UK-market equivalent...
Great car, it was rather popular back in the day in the Netherlands. The Chevrolet version was called Lumina APV by the way, there was also a regular Lumina which was a completely different (sedan) car
IF they had sorted things out that could've been an Espace challenge here in the UK as they were everywhere. I love the switchgear on the dash as it reminds me very much of the Citroen of that era.
Its closer to the VN-VR V6, different intake manifold, but I'm thinking mostly the same underneath. VS-VY V6s are a significant redesign of this earlier engine, although the rocker covers and other bits look quite similar.
Looks like the triangular side windows have something going on there, like a wiper? Surely not, since you of all people would've shown them in action. So what are they?
"Chevrolet Loo-MEE-nah." That's adorable. I loved these things when I was 10 and I still love them. These and the Previa debuted around the same time in the States and were quite a shock to the system after years and years nothing but Caravans and Voyagers.
Citroen BX (driver controls) meets Renault Espace (General body shape, Alloys), meets Toyota Echo Verso (gear shift) meets Toyota Estima/Previa (seating) meets Renault Grand Scenic (cubby space) meets Smart for Two (body Panels) meets late '90's Mercedes (handbrake release) meets (original) Fiat 500 (independent (of main instrument cluster) indicator repeater light below the stereo head unit space)) meets Leyland Alexander Bus (windscreen wash inset to wiper arms) meets fancy intro/outro (Top Gear) meets..............Waft (HubNut) Another great video Hubnut - Much Luv, Keep 'em comin !
Oh I love this.. HubNut is taken to the next level! They got a lot of stick for their bizarre shape yet to most it will look like an Espace or Previa. This one is in lovely condition too! And that 3.8 is one of GMs finest and most reliable engines - they sound fantastic too! Brilliant video Ian
It failed miserably in the U.S. market. It's just a big turd. In the U.S. it was classified as a truck. So safety things like head restraints weren't required. Other brands of vans had head restraints, but not GM. Screw (kill) the customer! The had a Dodge minivan which was a bit newer that was vastly superior. I always enjoy your European view on American cars.
The lower than expected sales in the US were because of resistance to the Citroenesque big far away windshield design with quarter windows ahead of the doors. 1992 Dodge Caravans did not have rear seat head rests either or for several more years. I think rear seat headrests first appeared only with the optional built in child seats in about 1994.
It was sold as the Chevy Lumina APV (All-Purpose Vehicle). The regular Lumina was a sedan/saloon. (And this was during the phase when GM thought that putting some red stripes and blacked-out trim on their cars and calling them "Eurosport" would make them competitive with BMWs and Audis.) The first compartment in the roof is for a garage door opener.
The 3.8 was known in Buick sedans for getting up to 30 miles per gallon (smaller US gallons). The transmission has a torque converter lockup and overdrive fourth gear.
That is possibly the most futuristic car I've seen in a long time, all it needs is a similar dash to your citroen and its something straight out of 2000AD haha,
Those 3800 V-6s’s are one of the best engines ever built, you can accelerate up too the speed limit, then back off on the accelerator and just let it pootle along at low revs and being very efficient. I had one in a Dodge intrepid, that unfortunately succumbed to the bane of those cars, a dodgy transmission.
To ad to your commentary, that is a '92 model. First year for the 3.8 in these vehicles, and for 93 they added a storage bin below the radio. 94 was the face lift. The rear seats can come out individually as you mentioned, but there are also 2 positions for them in the floor. I noticed that one had the air leveling rear suspension. There is a spot for an air hose to fill your tires or beach balls or what have you. It's in the bonnet on the left. Very cool video, first time watching you!
Wow! What a crazy MPV! Very interesting construction too. Certainly agree the 3.8 V6 is not bad from a flexibility/wide torque band perspective, Seems quite effortless in most situations. Been reminded of its plus point by driving my Ute for the last week! Fun in the rain! 😆
A very attractive vehicle, if you hadn't told us I would have been thinking French rather than US. A lot more commodious in the back than you might expect. Happy clappy wipers AND on blade jets, you're spoiling me, thanks for that.
The problem with the blade jets on these as you can see in the video is that the blades start before the water, which will score the windshield if the blades are not clean. Honda Accords had them at one point, but of course their jets started first.
I got so excited when I saw Pontiac trans.... I was thinking Ian taking the fam for a literal spin, then I saw sport........... Oh well still could be fun.
I like these things. Saw them as a kid. I also remember a badge engineered Opel Kadett E (Mk2 Vauxhall Astra) as a Pontiac Lemans around where I lived. The Smokey And The Bandit is my favorite movie, so seeing Pontiacs in the wilderness of early-to-mid 90's Finland was something special. Not seen one of these in years.
LOL! My 2000 Pontiac Montana Luxury (same platform) is completely rusted so I wouldn’t call an even older one “Wales-proof,” plastic panels or no. ;) Mine is so far gone I can’t even properly jack it up! You can just grab handfuls of rusted, flaking, hole-filled metal and watch it crumble away in your hands like potting soil.
An ashtray for the children in the back. Very thoughtful.
yes quite thoughtful
You don't want them burning each other trying to get to a window, do you? 😆
Putting fractious children into the ashtray could be more effective than sending them to sit on the Naughty Step, I guess.
It's a 1990 design. There's one for the second row also. My 1962 Lincoln had four ashtrays, each with a lighter. And adults could ride back there also. All those flip out windows would be good for smoke removal, and there is also an air exit in the back seat area.
I always found tossing twenty Park Drive untipped into the back kept the little angels quiet for a while.
I had a 1993 red Pontiac transport as my first car, got me thru high school and college, some people made fun of me for having a van that had so much glass it got nicknamed as “the aquarium”, but when you were at a party and needed someone to take half the football team to Taco Bell late at night, suddenly I was quite the hero
I'd guess the button in the roof console is for a garage door opener. Americans seem to love a built-in opener.
It is indeed! A lot of cars here in the US in that era had those until they put universal transmitters in.
B10 NNK translates to Bonkers!
Oh cool, I was thinking onstar
@@1Haloninja my garage doesn’t have an electric opener….and besides…cars can’t go in…..it’s home to my motorcycles.
@@1Haloninja - I thought so too, but then OnStar started in 1996
First a Volga on furiousdriving, now a Pontiac Trans Sport on HubNut? I’m in heaven!
Weeyy I saw that volga vid too!
@@-sargntclashroyaleandmore-491 yep even got a rant at Doug Demorro for laughing like a silly hyena at a Volga. The Trans Sport was and is cooool.
Such a well deserved roast for DeMuro lol
We must be getting similar recommendations.
@@Threetails I’m subbed to both channels so that’s why
I'm from the US and I was in my 20's when the Transport was released. This is my favorite mini van of all time. In the day, it looked like someone took a sports car, a mini van, and a space ship and cross-breed them all together...so futuristically sporty...especially for a van. I worked for an agency with a fleet of Lumina vans (same vehicle) and truthfully, they weren't that great to drive. The windshield was so incredibly long, you felt like you were sitting in the middle of the van when driving it. The build quality was typical 90's GM...sloppy and rattly. Even with the short comings, I really love the Transport. Side note: Mr. Hub Nut, the correct US pronunciation of Lumina is LOOM-IN-a :)
LOU-min-a ... Americans put the accent at the first syllable even if it's apparently wrong.
@@earnestbunbury2103 man, I wish they sold American cars in other markets around the world. Hell, i don't even care if they are rebadged. I don't care about that at all., and other cars from the other countries in the u
US and Canada.,
i realize it is kinda randomly asking but does anybody know of a good site to watch newly released series online ?
@Elian Thaddeus meh I use Flixportal. just search on google after it :) -titus
@Titus Arthur thanks, I signed up and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :) I appreciate it !
Powerful enough to tow a caravan for Miss Hubnut .And great tea shelf for another youtuber who you may know :)
Typical American car: lots of gadgets, not many of which work
It’s a nearly 30 year old minivan.. what can you expect lol
Nice motor, very modern for 1992. Those 3.8 litre Buick motors are superb.
Those 3.8s were bullet proof. Would do a half million kilometers easy.
They stopped using them, as they were old technology. GM came up with the 3.4, they had head gasket problems, non stop. GM then came out with the 3.5. Am
Mother good engine. They also used a 3.9 for their top end models. Another good engine.
For their last year of that style van, they put all 3.9s in them , to use them up.
@@Okanagan48 True! I once had a Holden Calais with one of these in it and it wouldn’t die. Economical too on a trip 😀
@@Okanagan48 Yes, Wards Automotive rated the 3.8 one of the top ten engines in the world back then. I still have a 2008 Chevy Uplander with 3.9 v6 and 130,000 miles on it. Very well made and reliable, especially with synthetic oil (solves the low oil pressure without engine work)
Yes, Wards Automotive rated the 3.8 one of the top ten engines in the world back then. And that engine with factory supercharger was even better!
I get Bionic from that plate
Somewhere Beyond the sea,
There's a Pontiac Trans Sport GT
And so on
The start makes me think I’m on Furiousdrivimg as opposed to Hubnut!
The Buick 3.8 V6 sounds fantastic. The Trans Sport is almost like Pontiac's own version of the Renault Espace.
And that 3.8 would darn near last forever with routine maintenance. I had a supercharged variant of the same engine in a Buick Park Avenue Ultra here in the states and it was nearly bulletproof. It’s a shame that GM did away with it.
Your everywhere Michael
I read the number plate as meaningto say "Bionic". Like it was the bionic car.
I know a Julian Bion !
The chrysler, now a pontiac... HubNut has definitely taken a turn!
Could this be preparation for Hubnut Goes Global (US Edition)? 😲
@@seancooke4127 A Lordstown City EV, F-150, Plymouth Valiant? One quakes at the thought.
@@seancooke4127 I hope not. I also watch Bald & Bankrupt who goes all over the world, including war zones. People ask him if there is anywhere he would not visit and he says USA, too many guns!
@@Phiyedough a sad fact. Especially when the automotive landscape being so interesting. Not worth the risk to our man travelling alone
I remember the Vauxhall Sintra advert with The Lightning Seeds song Pure playing in the background. I haven't seen a Sintra for years.
I have seen them on rare occasions. All the old MPVs are getting rare now as when was the last time you saw a Renault Espace mk1,mk2, mk3 and a Ford Galaxy MK1
@@bentullett6068 Many years ago.
@@bentullett6068 It just seems like just yesterday when every street had a Espace or Galaxy.
@@twobob8585 all now been replaced by ugly SUV's
@@bentullett6068 uuglyyyy.
The 3800 V6 is awesome (very dependable) - it's history goes back to the early 60's Buick - I believe the HP was in the area of 170 - those rear bucket seats were individual - removed or added as needed - It's 30 years old and runs well ...bravo!
Hi Ian, a few clarifications for you:
1) @5:35 the rear fan controls are at the second row passenger's seat on the left side, behind the driver. You wouldn't have been able to see them because of the baby seat.
2) @5:54 rear passenger head restraints were not required by US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards until 2010. Most manufacturers voluntarily provided them long before that though; second-generation U-body vans (1997-2005) had them.
3) @10:52 the transmission's shift ranges are Park-Reverse-Neutral-Overdrive-Drive-2-1. "Overdrive" (the symbol in the instrument cluster is a D encircled by an O) allows the transmission to shift between all four gears, whereas "Drive" locks out fourth gear. It wasn't until the mid- to late-1980s that 4-speed automatic transaxles with an overdrive gear became popular, and GM (and many others at the time) marked their 4-speeds' shift ranges this way. The torque converter will lock up in 3rd and 4th gear, no matter whether the transmission is in Drive or Overdrive. The base model Trans Sport (/Chevy Lumina APV) came with a 3.1 L V6 with a 3-speed automatic-no overdrive gear-and the shift ranges were simply P-R-N-D-2-1.
The three speed trans did have the lockup though, which was pretty much standard across the industry by the late 80's.
@@emjayay I didn't mean to imply the three-speed didn't have a lockup torque converter, I was replying directly to Ian's speculation that the difference between OD and D might have been allowing the torque converter to lockup or not.
When these were new here in the US, I thought they looked a little silly, but I also loved them because they looked like the shuttle craft on _Star Trek: The Next Generation._
Majestic.
And joyous to see you back reviewing cars.
Yes indeed!!
A few days ago I found a 30 year old photo of me and some friends standing next to a white Trans Sport. Still my favorite style minivan. It’s too bad the euro model lost the cool steering wheel that was full of buttons.
The display above the mirror is an info display showing low washer fluid, door open, etc...
Great Looking
the structure of these things was started by Saturn, a division of GM. i dont believe it is still in use though in any gm cars. they did still rust out just not on the exterior panels!
many north american cars and trucks still dont have amber turn signals in the back of the car many still use the same bulb/filament for turn signal and brake light. rear foglights are unheard of here as well
considering the us invented the high mounted brake light, it's surprising that the rest of us lighting laws are still so archaic
i think you should find one of our gargantuan pickup trucks and take it for a drive in wales, there should be a few roads wide enough!
Yes, built like a Saturn and then three different GM versions but no Saturn. GM marketing brilliance!
Wow horrible'American car AKA (Pontificate)Pontiac is no longer in business sad but true. I really aught to have my glasses on when I comment.
The 3.8 engine came after the first year. It's actually well known as a great V6, reliable and economical (not so much the different design 3.1 originally offered, even though the 3.8 was already around in 1990.) The 3.8 also had a 4 speed rather than 3 speed automatic.
G'day, Ian! Pontiac intended, a production version of the Trans Sport was released for the '90 model year. Though not as radical as the original concept, it was still a leading-edge design-perhaps a bit too much for buyers at the time. Though it shared the same general shape as its predecessor and could certainly trace its roots to it, the production Trans Sport's proportions were quite different. It was significantly taller, and its wheels were not pushed out to the corners as much as those on the original concept van's.
Still, it had some attractive innovations of its own, like a Fiero-inspired space-frame chassis, non-structural composite body panels, and seating for up to seven passengers. That first-generation of the Trans Sport was in production through the '96 model year. It never sold in the numbers that Pontiac had hoped, and when its much more conventional replacement arrived in 1997.
Fortunately, the '86 Trans Sport has remained in excellent condition and is part of Pontiac's Historic Fleet. When GM returned to building true concept vehicles in the '80s, it decided these unique creations were significant pieces of its corporate history and the practice of destroying non-production-based show cars ended. This is why they are still displayed at events like the Eyes on Design Classic Car Show in Detroit and the Pontiac-Oakland Club International Conventions.
Though it would be easy to dismiss the '86 Trans Sport as just another minivan, it is actually a significant vehicle to Pontiac, and for multiple reasons. First, it was a sign that the division was a much healthier company than it was just a few years before. Second, it showed that Pontiac designers and engineers had a lot of talent and innovation to bring to the table. Last, a version actually made it to production and lasted seven model years. All in all, it was a launch back into show business. Thank you!
Cheers! 😊✌🏻🚐❤️
P.S. While Chrysler built its Voyager and Caravan around the space-efficient, front-drive K-car platform, Ford stuck with a rear-drive chassis for the Aerostar van. The decision ultimately proved less innovative and well-suited for a family van (as GM also found out with its Chevy Astro/GMC Safari), but Ford’s engineering and design efforts provided a conceptual template that eventually bridged the gap between traditional trucks and longroof wagons. That work helped the Blue Oval jump-start the SUV-hungry 1990s, kicking off a high-riding craze that has all but extinguished the once-proud minivan from suburban garages.
Great Review 👍
That 3800 engine was GMs 💎 gem.
Oddly, the V8 that the V6 is based on was only made from 1964-1966. By 1967 the Skylark had grown so much that the 300 V8 was replaced by a 350. My thoughts on the Trans Sport? Tea shelferey as far as the eye can see. Furiousdriving needs this one far more than you do....
looks like a Renault Espace,
165 BHP when new, so quite powerful , new vehicle for you Ian and the HubNut family.
HubNut 🤪
I was obsessed with these as a kid, there was a turquoise one that lived near my grandparents in Tamworth, as a child it was extraordinary in England
Very appropriate having a plastic car in Tamworth :) 😀
Most kids were dreaming of Lambo's and Ferraris, and you wanted an American people carrier :D
@@ferrumignis haha yep, spent plenty of time around cool cars as a kid but this was something very different
@@StevesMachines haha true!
They were different to anything else
Wife and I bought three of these, a new a white 1990 also a new blue 1991 and a used green 1996 model
The 3800 engine worked well. Very rare to see any nowadays.
19 kids. Have you not heard of the birth control.
The fan not working on all speeds is usually a blower motor resistor pack
You can get front and rear replacements for about $50 (£38)
another pointless fact .....the windscreens in those Pontiac mpv's were used in Lamborghini Countach replicas (cut down).....ask me how i know.
This is even rare here in the US 🇺🇸! The 3.8 litre V6 was optional, a 3.1 litre Chevrolet V6 was standard. Pontiac was more a sports, performance oriented division of GM. Oh, yes, typical atrocious GM build quality, cutting costs to save money 💷, another reason why others bought the imports.
We had the next generation of this van, 2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette GLS, heated front seating, power side door (GM first introduced in 1996 in the previous generation before the others) leather seating. 3.4 litre Chevrolet V6, less horsepower, but it felt so much better than the similar Toyota Sienna I test drove. That was awful; first one had a dead battery, the one I test drove the air conditioner was awful (drove it in the middle of summer), no power. Then test drive another Silhouette and it was far superior to the Toyota, more equipment, just everything far better than the Sienna.
That 3.8 litre V6 powered many a GM vehicle, and if well-maintained, could last for a long, long time!
I never realised that this generation of minivan from GM was exported!
Plus, your knowledge and how the controls worked were spot on! Well done on another great review!
You can find photos of them and look for what they did to convert to Euro spec. Mine seemed screwed together OK, but typically many bits and pieces of body hardware broke over the years.
The 3800 series 2,beingg different from series 1 by adding balance shafts to address the 90 degree issue,One of the most reliable and economical motors in GM's lineup.30mpg US was normal for straight highway driving.later they added a supercharger putting out about 230 hp.I'm not so sure about Che's image on the rear.
It's probably almost easier to find one of these pre-facelift TranSports in Europe than here in the states... I never see them for sale, and they filtered out of the used car market in less than 15 years... a lot of my friends hated them. Last one I saw for sale was almost a TranSport... Olds Silhoutte (The Cadillac of Minivans, according to "Get Shorty") about 10 years ago... but it was rough.
I would adopt one of these into the family as a quirky cheap van, if I could find a reasonable one... I always thought it would be interesting to wedge either a hopped up supercharged 3.8 or the LS4 transverse V8 into one as a sleeper.
Just want to say that the name of this car might be one of the most genius names ever concieved in the history of cars, and I have thought so ever since it launched. I have sometimes toyed with the idea of buying one just to be able to have the following conversation:
-What do you drive?
-A pontiac trans...
-Am?
-Sport. Trans sport. You know, to trans...sport stuff.
Also it looks like some kind of older TGV Train from the front, with its long nose.
Yes I am a weirdo.
Other than the taillights, the steering wheel is a giveaway that what you drove was definitely not a North American version.
Having driven a new one for a long trip in the 1990s, I found myself disagreeing with pretty much everything you said... especially about the visibility. You can see very well out of it, of course, but you never know where the front end is with any certainty: it's out there somewhere, completely out of sight. Of course, to someone living in Wales it's rarity makes it interesting and exotic, not unlike your GSA is interesting and exotic to someone living in North America.
The Chevrolet Lumina twin was pronounced bit differently than your attempt. Think of the middle portion of the word “illuminate”. :)
I can see lots of Holden Commodore bits (as well as the engine) from the GM parts bin of the era in this car. A lot of Aussies think their Commodores are all Aussie. Nah.
Brilliant video Ian beautiful car I always like pontiac once looked at one for sale when I lived in spain
Looks like you are away to pickup the kids from soccer practice and then take them to the mall 🙄🤣
What with this and the PT Cruiser, HubNut has a rather MPV-centred theme this week. And that's fine by me! I miss the Espaces I grew up with. And the Pontiac being American reminds me of the surprisingly good 2012 Chrysler Town & Country that my family rented on holiday in the US. I love a good 'people carrier' 👍
Regarding the 2 Drive positions. One allows Overdrive, 1 locks out Overdrive for mountains or trailer towing
Yep, plenty of these here in the states and Canada.....💪🇺🇸 🇨🇦🏴💪
The first compartment in the ceiling console is for a remote garage door opener. Brilliant video.
«It must be sporty, it says so»... what a brilliant quote! I will keep this in mind! 😃
I can remember one of these driving around Kidderminster in the early 90's. Metallic light blue and as a 12 year old thought it was from the future!
I remember these from the ol' Davidsfarm days (for those that know, they know why those ended), and a few of these ended up on the farm with the bodies having become somewhat separate from the metalwork, as the metal was being returned to the earth due to Ontario being one of them parts of the world where they have almost as much salt on the roads as mcdonalds fries, and I think one of them, the carpet was structurally supporting things... :S
All of those vans rusted away here in the Midwest. Haven't seen one on the road in a long time
Ian said they were stainless steel and plastic ???
@@benholroyd5221 the exhaust was stainless , exterior panels plastic the rest was steel
In some ways the plastic actually traps the salt and crap behind it onto the inner structure where it will likely never be cleaned. You never see it coming either because the thin outer panel never goes.
@@danh2134 1:40 I'm trying to parse "stainless steel subframe" and "galvanised".
Anyone else spot the Robot Face on the interior overhead console 😀
Plastic body panels that can’t rust has to be the least HubNutty thing ever.
Those 3800's were built like tanks I've seen quite few with a lot of miles on them
11:36 Is the other Drive position a sportier setting, perhaps ?
Assuming your pedal operation has hit the boards that was not the response I was expecting.
My buddy had a loaded Olds Silhouette of around the same year and it was reliable mechanically,,, the drive train was very good, but everything else broke,, lol...
And driving that thing around in the Houston Texas summertime was borderline,, that AC just barely had enough grunt to get it done....
The windshield let in a lot of solar energy!
@@emjayay Oh yeah,, that A/C had a LOT of work to do and it struggled..
My guess would be that that example was originally sold in Germany. That series of vehicle does seem to have been quite popular in Germany, and it wouldn't be an obscene distance to drive to France or Austria for family holidays with the kids in the back...
It might be interesting to test an original Toyota Previa soon to get a comparison with a UK-market equivalent...
Great car, it was rather popular back in the day in the Netherlands. The Chevrolet version was called Lumina APV by the way, there was also a regular Lumina which was a completely different (sedan) car
Exactly. It is Lumina APV not only Lumina.
As someone from the US. Why are you testing the worst cars ever made here? This and the PT Cruiser are considered absolute junk here in the US
To be fair, I like testing the worst vehicles, regardless of where made.
Actually both of them have and had many fans.
This did not disappoint! Good video!
3.8 V6 was a great engine, the heater needs a new blower resistor but remember the thing's nearly thirty years old.
The Oldsmobile Silhouette - The Cadillac of Minivans. Next week I expect to see the Hubnut review of the Pontiac Aztec
Not so much a triangle of doom more a V of utter indifference 😂
IF they had sorted things out that could've been an Espace challenge here in the UK as they were everywhere. I love the switchgear on the dash as it reminds me very much of the Citroen of that era.
Many GM cars had various versions of end on instrument binnacle controls around then. Corvettes, Chevy Corsica (rotary version) etc.
Hubnut goes American, when are we going to see a Pontiac Aztec on this channel or a AMC Pacer?
Awesome! I'm glad people like your friend Alex buy exotica like this. Tasty looking car.
Ian, I'm not 100 percent on the engine, bit it looks so much like the Holden VS V6. Same rocker covers, same coil pack etc.. and all made by Holden GM
Its closer to the VN-VR V6, different intake manifold, but I'm thinking mostly the same underneath. VS-VY V6s are a significant redesign of this earlier engine, although the rocker covers and other bits look quite similar.
absolutely fantastic lunchtime video. great viewing
Looks like the triangular side windows have something going on there, like a wiper? Surely not, since you of all people would've shown them in action. So what are they?
It's a stick-on aerial for the radio.
"Chevrolet Loo-MEE-nah." That's adorable.
I loved these things when I was 10 and I still love them. These and the Previa debuted around the same time in the States and were quite a shock to the system after years and years nothing but Caravans and Voyagers.
'Loo-MEE-nah' absolutely decimated me upon impact
Citroen BX (driver controls) meets Renault Espace (General body shape, Alloys), meets Toyota Echo Verso (gear shift) meets Toyota Estima/Previa (seating) meets Renault Grand Scenic (cubby space) meets Smart for Two (body Panels) meets late '90's Mercedes (handbrake release) meets (original) Fiat 500 (independent (of main instrument cluster) indicator repeater light below the stereo head unit space)) meets Leyland Alexander Bus (windscreen wash inset to wiper arms) meets fancy intro/outro (Top Gear) meets..............Waft (HubNut)
Another great video Hubnut - Much Luv, Keep 'em comin !
Wow
So strange watching you drive the left hand side, feels like my screen is mirrored.
Oh I love this.. HubNut is taken to the next level! They got a lot of stick for their bizarre shape yet to most it will look like an Espace or Previa. This one is in lovely condition too! And that 3.8 is one of GMs finest and most reliable engines - they sound fantastic too! Brilliant video Ian
It failed miserably in the U.S. market. It's just a big turd. In the U.S. it was classified as a truck. So safety things like head restraints weren't required. Other brands of vans had head restraints, but not GM. Screw (kill) the customer! The had a Dodge minivan which was a bit newer that was vastly superior. I always enjoy your European view on American cars.
The lower than expected sales in the US were because of resistance to the Citroenesque big far away windshield design with quarter windows ahead of the doors. 1992 Dodge Caravans did not have rear seat head rests either or for several more years. I think rear seat headrests first appeared only with the optional built in child seats in about 1994.
It was sold as the Chevy Lumina APV (All-Purpose Vehicle). The regular Lumina was a sedan/saloon. (And this was during the phase when GM thought that putting some red stripes and blacked-out trim on their cars and calling them "Eurosport" would make them competitive with BMWs and Audis.) The first compartment in the roof is for a garage door opener.
My grandmother had a Celebrity Eurosport then traded it for a Lumina Eurosport. My GRANDMOTHER. A little old lady living in Des Moines, Iowa.
I bet it's a guzzler when it comes to fuel consumption especially with UK fuel prices lol
The 3.8 was known in Buick sedans for getting up to 30 miles per gallon (smaller US gallons). The transmission has a torque converter lockup and overdrive fourth gear.
That is possibly the most futuristic car I've seen in a long time, all it needs is a similar dash to your citroen and its something straight out of 2000AD haha,
Those 3800 V-6s’s are one of the best engines ever built, you can accelerate up too the speed limit, then back off on the accelerator and just let it pootle along at low revs and being very efficient. I had one in a Dodge intrepid, that unfortunately succumbed to the bane of those cars, a dodgy transmission.
Chrysler engines are not at all the same as GM engines.
So it is the American Renault Espace, never known that it also has plastic panels on a gavanized chassis. Delicious, a good old car review!
“Loo-MEE-nuh” 😂 it’s actually LOO-mi-nuh, emphasis on the loo. Literally.
To ad to your commentary, that is a '92 model. First year for the 3.8 in these vehicles, and for 93 they added a storage bin below the radio. 94 was the face lift. The rear seats can come out individually as you mentioned, but there are also 2 positions for them in the floor. I noticed that one had the air leveling rear suspension. There is a spot for an air hose to fill your tires or beach balls or what have you. It's in the bonnet on the left. Very cool video, first time watching you!
The two slots in the floor for the second row seats are about four or five inches apart.
never seen one in Texas. I think they were crushed at the border.
I think that it may be an American nod at the Renault Espace. Perhaps ex American servicemen family.
Wow! What a crazy MPV! Very interesting construction too. Certainly agree the 3.8 V6 is not bad from a flexibility/wide torque band perspective, Seems quite effortless in most situations. Been reminded of its plus point by driving my Ute for the last week! Fun in the rain! 😆
You reviewing this Pontiac and Furious Driving reviews a GAZ Volga M21. Today is a good day!
Definitely an interesting car! I've always liked the design, though they also made me very sad cause one of them ran one of my cats over :(
Aw!
A very attractive vehicle, if you hadn't told us I would have been thinking French rather than US. A lot more commodious in the back than you might expect. Happy clappy wipers AND on blade jets, you're spoiling me, thanks for that.
The problem with the blade jets on these as you can see in the video is that the blades start before the water, which will score the windshield if the blades are not clean. Honda Accords had them at one point, but of course their jets started first.
but nothing explains the Che sticker... ;-) Wait, oh yeah, came from France...
How can you spell 'for sale' wrong? 'For sail'? 'Foresail'?
For Sael...
@@HubNut that must be the Welsh version
Four sail, four sale...ooh! such fun.......
Oh! - phwooar sale.....?!?!?
It just gets better.....
dread to think of the fuel 'economy' or lack there of being a yank tank.......
Reminds me of something from back to the future the type of car you see parked up on a drive in the suburbs of 80s California.🙂
I believe they were in a few films, including the likes of demolition man as moat cars were GM concepts
and the engine is relative to the Rover V8
That La Coupole V2 launch site is absolutely worth checking out. Would be fun to drive there with this car.
I got so excited when I saw Pontiac trans....
I was thinking Ian taking the fam for a literal spin, then I saw sport...........
Oh well still could be fun.
I like it a lot, excellent review as always.
I have the Majorette miniature car of this Pontiac in blue. 😃
This must have one of the strangest locations for a dashboard indicator light!
I think that's the towing repeater, which shouldn't work when there's no trailer attached...
1989. That aged very well, especially the exterior!
I like these things. Saw them as a kid. I also remember a badge engineered Opel Kadett E (Mk2 Vauxhall Astra) as a Pontiac Lemans around where I lived. The Smokey And The Bandit is my favorite movie, so seeing Pontiacs in the wilderness of early-to-mid 90's Finland was something special. Not seen one of these in years.
I had one of those, but with the 3.1 V6. There were all sorts of things wrong with it, but I really liked the shape and all the space inside.
It looks much more modern than the espace, I have a 2011 VW Sharan and the similarities are quite uncanny.
LOL! My 2000 Pontiac Montana Luxury (same platform) is completely rusted so I wouldn’t call an even older one “Wales-proof,” plastic panels or no. ;) Mine is so far gone I can’t even properly jack it up! You can just grab handfuls of rusted, flaking, hole-filled metal and watch it crumble away in your hands like potting soil.