↑ 1986 Pontiac Transsport

Looking like something that just drove off a science-fiction movie soundstage, the '86 Trans Sport redefined the minivan and ushered in a new era of Pontiac concept vehicles.

Looking like something that just drove off a science-fiction movie soundstage, the '86 Trans Sport redefined the minivan and ushered in a new era of Pontiac concept vehicles.

Pontiac Trans Sport, 1986 - Рисунок А. Захарова
Pontiac Trans Sport, 1986
Looking like something that just drove off a science-fiction movie soundstage, the '86 Trans Sport redefined the minivan and ushered in a new era of Pontiac concept vehicles.
Pontiac Transsport, 1986
Though the proportions are different between the concept and production versions of the Trans Sport, the design cues are similar. The first Pontiac concept of the '80s became the first new Pontiac production vehicle of the '90s.
Pontiac Transsport, 1986
Press Release dated January 10, 1986
Pontiac Trans Sport, 1986
The gullwing rear side door really added a futuristic touch. Even after 20 years, the Trans Sport is still one of the most radical minivan designs ever created.
Here's the '86 Trans Sport on display at that year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The futuristic concept van was light years ahead of the competition and showed Pontiac was indeed capable of technical and design innovation, even in a minivan.
The dash of the Trans Sport features a dizzying array of buttons and gadgetry. A Head-Up Display and buttons on the steering wheel soon became production realities, though in the case of the Trans Sport concept van, the buttons remained stationary, while the wheel turned.
Pontiac Trans Sport, 1986 - Interior
This original rendering was drawn by artists at GM Design and recalls Pontiac's proud performance heritage.
A full-scale clay mockup is completed by sculptors. The mockup is not painted but covered with thin plastic sheets, known as Di-Noc. This sheeting simulates painted and glass surfaces. A mold will be made from the clay model to construct the composite body panels.
From this angle, one can see just how the proportions differed from the production version. The bubbled contour of the windshield and roof are clearly evident.
A production version of the Trans Sport debuted for the '90 model year. While it was toned down a bit from the radical concept version, it was still a technical and design breakthrough, with its spaceframe construction and plastic body panels. It was a little too radical for the market, though, and sales picked up when it was replaced with a more conventional minivan design in 1997. This is a '93 model, the last year for the original exterior design before a '94 facelift.
Иллюстрации: www.highperformancepontiac.com; JOHN LLOYD Collection