Winning in the showrooms and on the racetrack, the Pontiac Solstice is fresh off its first-ever Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Showroom Stock B National Championship, and this fully race-prepared Solstice Club Sport is a shining example of how weekend racers should equip their own Solstice for success in SCCA. All SCCA Club Racing Solstices are equipped with the Z0K Club Sport regular production order option, and this Solstice is no different. Developed by GM Performance Division, the Club Sport option features the standard five-speed manual transmission along with anti-lock brake system (ABS), a limited-slip differential and FE3 suspension. The FE3 suspension is made up of lower control arms with higher-rate bushings, larger stabilizer bars, stiffer stabilizer bar bushings, endlinks and clamps, performance-valved shocks and higher rate springs.

Powered by a 177-hp, 2.4-liter Ecotec engine with a five-speed manual transmission, no other options are available when ordering a Solstice Club Sport, but this SEMA version also features some standard components and safety equipment required by SCCA to make it track ready, including a removable carbon fiber hardtop, rollcage, Hoosier 245/35R18 racing ties, Stainless Steel Brakes Corp. racing brakes, Sparco six-point safety harness and fire suppression system. Racetech racing seats, cat-back exhaust, Sparco racing steering wheel and an Orange Crush paint scheme make this Solstice Club Sport ready to take on all challengers.

Vehicle highlights

Ecotec 2.4-liter I-4 VVT
Five-speed manual transmission
Z0K Club Sport regular production order option package, which includes ABS, limited slip rear differential and FE3 suspension
Custom-painted removable carbon fiber hardtop
Cat-back exhaust system
Racetech racing seats
Hoosier 245/35R18 racing tires
Standard safety equipment, including a roll cage, fire suppression system and Sparco six-point harness
Custom, Orange Crush racing-inspired paint scheme
Stainless Steel Brakes Corp. racing brakes

For the first time since it debuted in late 1989, Mazda's MX-5 Miata is not America's favorite budget two-seat sports car.

That honor now belongs to the Pontiac Solstice.

Heading into the final weeks of the year, the swoopy $20,000 Pontiac sports car has a commanding sales lead over the venerable Miata. And there are no asterisks, either: Both cars came out in 2005, so this is their first full year of head-to-head competition.

Through November, Pontiac sold 18,361 Solstices, compared with 15,873 Miatas. Pontiac padded its lead in November, chalking up sales of 1,305, compared with just 995 Miatas.

This race could be even more interesting next year. Expect greater availability of the high-performance 260-hp Solstice GXP. And Mazda will offer a Miata with a folding metal roof.

Back in October, Leftlane exclusively reported GM was planning to launch a hardtop "targa" version of its popular Pontiac Solstice two-seater. Now, multiple sources are reporting the car will debut at the end of the month in New York.


The vehicle will be on display at the New York Auto Show in two weeks. It's not clear how the project relates to the previously-rumored Solstice coupe. Internally, GM refers to the Targa as GMX627.

Production will start in January of 2009 at GM's Wilmington plant. Production may be limited to as few as 10,000 units annually. Possible debut venues would include SEMA '08 or LAIAS '08.

The Solstice will have a traditional Targa setup, with the panels directly over the driver and passenger's head being removable. Buyers might even have the choice of hard or soft removable panels. It's probably safe to assume the trunk will be mildly reconfigured for a system to stow the roof panels.

It remains to be seen whether GM will also build a regular Solstice coupe, or if this model will sufficiently fill that gap. Nearly a year ago, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said building a Solstice coupe would be a "very logical thing to do."

Lutz said any possible Solstice Coupe would look "exactly" like the Solstice Coupe Concept shown in 2002, so it's safe to assume the Targa model will share its basic lines with that concept. He said it was always GM's intention to build the coupe, but priority went to the roadster.

Lutz acknowledged adding new bodystyles is a good way keep consumers interested in a model when the "new" wears off after a couple of years.

NEW YORK — Drawing inspiration from classic sports cars, the 2009 Pontiac Solstice coupe was created for drivers who appreciate both dramatic styling and balanced performance. Unveiled at the New York Auto Show as a GXP model, the Solstice coupe builds on the success of the convertible model while offering a greater range of all-season driving opportunities.

For drivers still wanting an open-air experience, the coupe also features a removable roof panel, fully opening the cockpit to all of the sensations of the road.

"Today's Solstice is the top-selling roadster in the U.S., and we believe this new model has even broader appeal," said Jim Bunnell, Buick-Pontiac-GMC general manager. "The coupe has all the design cues and pleasing performance of the original roadster, and is an all-season alternative for people who enjoy open-air driving."

The coupe is expected to arrive in Pontiac dealerships in early 2009.

The making of a coupe

The new coupe was inspired by the Solstice coupe concept shown at the North American International Auto Show in 2002. True to the concept, it is a modern sports car with classic lines. The roofline has a "fastback" shape with stylized "rails" that run from the front of the roof to the rear, culminating in a stylish and functional ducktail-style rear spoiler.

The coupe's roof is fixed aft of the B-pillars, with side windows and a rear liftglass for access to the cargo area. The roof panel is easily removed from the passenger compartment, and an optional soft roof cover stores in the cargo area. A home storage case for the roof panel will be offered through GM Accessories.

Engineering the design

Despite its dramatic new look, engineers made only minor structural changes to create the Solstice coupe. The rear fenders and rear fascia are the same as those on the convertible. New taillight assemblies flow more smoothly into the tapered roofline.

"The Solstice coupe represents a major collaboration of design and engineering," said Bruce Kosbab, chief engineer. "The sleek lines of the new roof give the car a fresh appearance, yet only minimal changes were made to the body structure — it's a great example of building on an already solid foundation."

Lightweight structure

The roof's structure was strengthened with additional support elements, including an aluminum roof bow attached with aluminum brackets. The bow and brackets are stiff, yet low in mass, a design feature that pervades the coupe's overall construction. The roof includes a lightweight sheet molding compound cover affixed to a rigid aluminum frame for additional lightweight support. A lightweight magnesium roof panel frame weighs just 31 pounds (14.2 kg) and can be removed by one person. The cover is also made of sheet molding compound.

Powertrain and suspension

Because the change to a coupe body style resulted in only a slight increase in curb weight, no drivetrain or suspension changes were necessary to shift from the convertible body structure. Initial tests have shown that the Solstice coupe will deliver ride and handling, acceleration, braking and fuel economy comparable to the convertible model.

The coupe is powered by a standard 2.4L Ecotec four-cylinder engine that generates 173 horsepower (129 kW), while the GXP version is equipped with a 2.0L turbocharged Ecotec engine with 260 horsepower (194 kW).

Interior additions

Much of the coupe's interior remains the same as that of the convertible. However, the area behind the seats was redesigned for easy access to the cargo area, and a storage tray was mounted directly behind the headrests.

Removing the folding-top mechanism made way for a new, flat cargo floor and several storage compartments. The cargo area's covered bins provide secure storage for smaller items. Cargo tie-down hooks help secure irregularly shaped items.

When Looks Are Everything
By Mike Schmidt Vehicle Testing Manager
Date posted: 02-23-2009


Our hopes were high following the debut of the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe at the 2008 New York Auto Show last year. We had not forgotten the ergonomic shortcomings of the Solstice. Nor had its functional limitations slipped our minds. It was mechanically the same curvaceous Solstice that had made us swoon in 2006. Only now it had a bitchin' hardtop.

So here we stand again with hearts racing and gaze locked on the 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe. The GXP offers you 260 horsepower from its turbocharged Ecotec inline-4 and big tires to put the power to good use, so it's a lot more serious than the standard Solstice coupe. Its angled roof gives the coupe an angry, menacing stance unmatched by the roadster. This is the car we secretly want to like. In the back of our minds, we hope it's different from the 2006 Pontiac Solstice we lived with for a year in our long-term fleet.

And perhaps it's a measure of the intensity of this hope that our disappointment is so devastating.

Looks Only Go So Far
From the moment the Solstice concept appeared at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show, GM had the attention of everyone who loved sports cars. And as the car slowly evolved toward production until it was officially introduced as the 2006 Pontiac Solstice, we tracked its progress faithfully. It brought together the Ecotec inline-4 developed in drag racing, a manual transmission from a supplier to Mazda, and a platform with a short 95.1-inch wheelbase for maneuverability and a wide track for cornering grip, not to mention an extravagantly swoopy shape designed by Franz von Holzhausen.

Even today, the Pontiac Solstice is among the best-looking production cars available. And we'll put the 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe in the same company when it reaches Pontiac dealers in the coming months. Gone is the cumbersome retractable soft top. In its place is a roof that combines a removable, targa-style roof panel made of magnesium, with a fixed fastback that incorporates a cargo hatch. The Solstice coupe's aggressive new roof line is even more lust-inducing than the sweeping curves of the Solstice roadster.

Conceptually, the Solstice GXP coupe is a great car. You can see the proof in road racing competition, where the Solstice coupe ran at the front of the pack in the SCCA's Showroom Stock B. This turbocharged version of the 2.0-liter Ecotec inline-4 makes 260 horsepower at 5,300 rpm and 260 pound-feet of torque at 2,500 rpm, plenty of power even though the coupe weighs 3,057 pounds. This is also considerably more power than you'll find in the standard Solstice coupe, which has a normally aspirated 2.4-liter Ecotec that does 173 hp and 167 lb-ft of torque. And it doesn't stop there.

Acceleration for the GXP looks good. From a standstill it reaches 60 mph in 5.5 seconds (5.2 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) and completes the quarter-mile in 13.8 seconds at 100.3 mph. This performance is quicker than the last Mazda Miata PRHT we tested by 2 seconds to the 60 mph mark. The GXP is four-tenths of a second slower to 60 mph than the 332-hp Nissan 370Z we tested recently, and the Z-car is also only narrowly faster through the quarter-mile with its run of 13.4 seconds at 104.6 mph.

So how is the 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe not the best car ever?

Personality Is What Matters
Now look beyond the fastback roof line and ducktail spoiler. When we delve into the real personality behind the GXP coupe, its American heritage is clear. Give it lots of power and make it go fast in a straight line. Check. Make sure it does burnouts. Check. Wait a second; we're out of boxes to check. Comfortable cockpit with practical storage? All-day freeway comfort? We can't even stow the narrow hardtop inside the car? Never mind that; send this car through production. In Detroit, we only drive sports cars on Sunday afternoons anyway.

This is the character behind a Solstice, and one not everyone can embrace. Don't expect to drive it to the mountains for a long vacation. Don't expect it to out-maneuver the Miata on a winding road. But be certain that when the light goes green, you'll smoke him and that jerk in the Porsche Cayman off the line every time.

The Solstice GXP is an American sports car. It makes the numbers, but it has an unrefined and brutish quality about it. From its stark interior to the balky action of the five-speed transmission's shift action, this car pays no mind to refinement. Look no further than the Chevrolet Corvette for the personality lesson.

When Personality Runs Out
The Solstice GXP will never lose its looks, but its personality runs thin once the wear bars in the Goodyear tires start to show. Sure, we accept the Solstice as it is. But this car serves up a handful of crucial and unforgivable disappointments.

Some key functional obstacles in the Solstice coupe came righteously through the family tree. These ergonomic challenges of the roadster's interior design are well documented. Most remain unchanged in the coupe.

A lack of rear storage was another complaint on the roadster. Pontiac addressed this in developing the coupe, sort of. It added a flat rear load floor, in-floor rear storage cubbies and cupholders located behind each headrest. The optional Capuchin monkey package is a must-have to transport drinks from rear cupholder to hand, as they are otherwise inaccessible by either occupant.

According to Pontiac, no drivetrain or suspension changes were necessary to shift from roadster to coupe body structure, since the overall curb weight increase was minor. As a result, the handling characteristics remain unchanged. The suspension is still underdamped and feels like it hits the bump stops through transitions. This hampers slalom speed during our tests, which the GXP coupe completed at 66.7 mph. The Miata (70 mph) and 370Z (70.4 mph) were considerably quicker under similar conditions.

What's the Story Here?
There is nothing ground-breaking about the 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe. Its new hardtop improves the looks of the already attractive roadster. But aside from this subtle change, the car remains a Solstice. The inherent limitations of this vehicle remain, no matter how much we hope they'll just go away.

Maybe we expect too much. Though it has been conceived as a Miata fighter, the Solstice seems to promise so much more in the way it looks and the way it performs, as if it really wants to be more like a Nissan Z-car, especially since it wears a price tag that's like that of a Z-car. But the result still seems strangely unfinished.

To find closure with the Solstice, we've decided to think of it as GM's project car — a work still in progress. All we can do is wait and hope that Pontiac earns enough cash to finish off this car's development and build us the Solstice we still long for.

Pontiac Makes You Look
By Scott Oldham, Editor in Chief
Date posted: 03-18-2009


We could smell him long before he crept from the dark doorway. Part booze. Part full diaper. "What kind of car is that?" he asks during his stumble and sway across the road.

"It's the new Pontiac Solstice Coupe."

"Daaaaaaamn. That is beautiful, but I thought it was the new Volt," he says, circling the car. "Hey, Bobby," he yells back into the dark doorway. "Check this out. It's a Solstice. I thought it was that new Volt, but it's not. It's a Solstice."

Bobby appears. Part booze. Part full diaper. "What is it?"

"I thought it was that new Volt," repeats El Disgusto #1. "But it's not, it's the... it's the..." He turns back to us, opens his bloodshot eyes extra wide and asks, "What is it?"

"It's the new 2009 Pontiac Solstice Cou..."

"Yeah, it's the Pontiac Solstice Coupe, but I thought it was the Volt. Come on, Bobby. Let's get something to eat." More stumble. More sway.

True story. And proof positive that GM's marketing blitz for the Chevy Volt is reaching the homeless community of Venice, California.

It also proves that the bums of Dogtown have quite an eye for design.

Drop-Dead Gorgeous
The 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe is beautiful. Drop-dead so. The design stops joggers midstride and grabs stares from Beverly Hills lawyers in their high-end European machines. It's the kind of car you can't walk away from without looking back at least once.

And it's butch in a way the roadster can never be. Manly, but not to a flaw. Metros are welcome. Cruise around in a Solstice Roadster and as many women compliment the car's style as men, but in the Solstice Coupe only the male of the species responds. And always with a primordial thumbs-up.

Based on the design of the Solstice Coupe Concept, which wowed the world way, way, way back at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show, the new Solstice Coupe proves that what looked good when Bush was popular looks even better now. Well, with the exception of Bush himself, of course. (Hillary, too. The pantsuits have not aged well.)

Inside and Under the Hood
Still, it's not all guns and roses, despite what the press release says. "The Solstice has always represented some of the best traits of Pontiac: sporty styling, fun to drive and economical," said Susan Docherty, GM North America vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC. "The Solstice Coupe shares those same attributes and provides an all-season alternative for people who still enjoy open-air driving."

All of which is true, but Docherty fails to mention that the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe is sabotaged by the same unrefined drivetrain and ergonomically challenged interior as the Solstice Roadster. From the seats that feel like they are filled with marshmallow pudding to the steering wheel that's just too low, to the complete lack of storage (just to name a few gripes), the Solstice interior has never been a benchmark of design or execution.

And neither has its drivetrain. Like the roadster, the Solstice Coupe comes in two flavors: base and GXP. We tested a GXP coupe recently and as with the roadster, its 260-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 made up for some of the car's shortcomings. This base car, however, doesn't get away with as much. Its 173-hp 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder is not exactly smooth or powerful.

Wring its neck and the Solstice Coupe, which is not exactly light at 2,942 pounds, is quick enough to get you into trouble, but the thrill is coupled with enough vibration to trigger panic at the UCLA seismology laboratory. The slow-revving Ecotec doesn't exactly like to find its 7,000-rpm redline and its five-speed transmission is geared very tall. Taching out just a few gears seems to take a month and the shifter will numb your right hand like the handlebar of a superbike.

Track Testing
We endured the torture, however, and headed for the test track. The 60-mph mark came up in 7.5 seconds from a standstill (7.3 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip). It did the quarter-mile in 15.6 seconds at 89 mph. Overall, a performance identical to the last Solstice Roadster we tested.

With a slalom speed of 64.2 mph and skid pad performance of 0.86g, the coupe and the roadster handle the same, too. Both Pontiacs are very stable and easy to drive quickly thanks to their wide stance and big 18-inch tires, but tossable they ain't. As we've said before, compared to any Mazda MX-5 Miata (including the one with the retractable hardtop) the Solstice — any Solstice, including the coupe — feels like a boulevard cruiser.

We weren't surprised. To build a Solstice Coupe, Pontiac starts out with a Solstice Roadster and basically bolts on the fixed roof complete with the opening glass hatch and removable targa-style roof panel. (There will be no Saturn Sky coupe.) Gone are the roadster's ill-fitting soft top and its heavy and complex folding mechanism. But the car's weight and weight distribution didn't even change enough for Pontiac to bother retuning the suspension.

Therefore the ride is about the same, too; comfortable, if a bit choppy on some concrete surfaces. Same brakes, too. And they work just fine; best stop from 60 mph was 120 feet. And fade is not a problem off the racetrack.

Two Tops
Despite the new fastback roof line and glass hatch, cargo volume remains at a premium. Pontiac says there's 5.6 cubic feet of space, including a very small bit of storage beneath the floor.

It's not enough. Carry along the optional fabric roof panel, which rolls up for transport much like the top of a Lotus Elise (only less elegantly), and the entire cargo area is essentially full. Worse than that, when installed on our silver coupe it looked like a toupee.

We say leave the magnesium-framed, body-colored panel in place at all times. Sure it weighs just 31 pounds and is removed quite easily, but it doesn't fit in the car. That's right; it must be left behind, so top-down road trips need to be either short or without more luggage than a toothbrush and a spare pair of Underoos, depending on your roof choice.

Visibility is also at a premium. If maneuvering through a tight parking lot gives you the chills, this is not the car for you.

Cool Coupe
So it has its problems. But this little car can make you smile. Climb in, crank up the Hair Nation and the drive to work feels special.

You sit low and look through a gunsight-style greenhouse. The view out is all long hood and creased fenders. Somehow it takes you back in time to the days of Porsche Speedsters and Bugeye Sprites.

Don't ask too much of it and the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe is very likable. It doesn't push all the right buttons but it tickles most of them. Plus, there's nothing else out there like it for the price.

For less than 30,000 bucks, the Pontiac Solstice Coupe oozes cool. And for many buyers, that just might be enough.