Pontiac Solstice Totally Explained

Everything about The Pontiac Solstice totally explained

The Pontiac Solstice is a roadster from the Pontiac division of General Motors. Introduced at the 2004 North American International Auto Show, the Solstice began production in Wilmington, Delaware, starting in mid-2005 for the 2006 model year. The exterior styling of the production Solstice is similar to that of the 2002 Solstice concept(External Link

) that preceded it. Production of the Solstice was to be running before summer 2005, but delays at the Wilmington plant pushed volume production to the fourth quarter (External Link

).
The Solstice uses the GM Kappa platform, which also underpins the Saturn Sky and Opel GT. Pontiac may eventually build a fixed-roof coupe version, which would allow the Solstice to be eligible for certain racing events not open to convertibles.
The Solstice was nominated for the North American Car of the Year award and Design of the Year award from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) for 2006. It has been a runaway hit for Pontiac, with 7,000 orders in the first 10 days of availability and 6,000 more orders before winter. Although first-year production was planned at 7,000, GM apologized to customers for delays and increased production, delivering 10,000 by March 1. The base price was adjusted upwards to $20,490 in mid-December, but most buyers report paying $5,000 or more over sticker to get a Solstice. The Solstice currently has an MSRP of $22,115.

GXP

The GXP version of the Solstice debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2006. It is powered by a new 2.0 L I4 Ecotec engine equipped with a dual-scroll turbocharger. The engine's output is 260 hp (193 kW) and 260 ft·lbf (353 N·m). This is the highest specific output of any engine in the history of General Motors at 2.1 hp (1.6 kW) per cubic inch, and it's the first gasoline direct injection engine from an American automaker.
Other GXP features include standard Stabilitrak traction control, a limited-slip differential, and anti-lock brakes. Summer tires on 18 inch wheels are standard.

Hardtop coupe version

A coupe version of the Solstice was unveiled at the 2008 New York Auto Show. When it goes on sale for 2009, it'll include a revised four-cylinder engine with an increase in power.

Motorsport

Pontiac works and Red Bull backed driver Rhys Millen replaced his GTO for a Solstice GXP to compete in drifting events, particularly in Formula D and in the US rounds of D1 Grand Prix
SCCA Club Racing 2006 National Championship Runoffs the Pontiac Solstice placed first place in Showroom Stock B (SSB).
SCCA Club Racing 2007 National Championship Runoffs the Pontiac Solstice GXP placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in Touring 2 (T2) and the Pontiac Solstice placed first place in Showroom Stock B (SSB) even after being penalized 200 lbs between the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

Trivia

The Solstice was featured in a challenge on the third season of The Apprentice television program. Winner Kendra Todd also won a Solstice as part of her victory. The Pontiac Solstice challenge required the candidates to produce a sales brochure for the then upcoming sports car. Kendra Todd developed the winning brochure for her team. In it, she decided to use emotions as descriptors for the car, which all became the names of colors used by Pontiac in marketing the car:

"Aggressive" (Red)
"Sly" (Dark Silver Metallic)
"Cool" (Silver)
"Pure" (White)
"Envious" (Dark Green)
"Deep" (Dark Blue)
"Mysterious" (Black)
"Mean" (Yellow)
"Brazen" (Metallic Copper/Orange)

The Solstice shares major components with nearly every GM division:

The rear axle and differential are from the Sigma-based Cadillac CTS
The interior storage bin is from the Cadillac XLR
The passenger's side airbag, steering column, and exterior and interior door handles are from the Chevrolet Cobalt
The backup lights are from the GMC Envoy
The heating, ventilating, and air conditioning modules are from the Hummer H3
The front fog lamp assembly is from the Pontiac Grand Prix
The steering wheel is from the Pontiac Torrent, Pontiac G5, Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet Malibu
The 2.4 L Ecotec engine is shared with the Opel Astra, Pontiac G6, Chevrolet Cobalt, and Chevrolet HHR
The five-speed manual transmission is from the Hummer H3, GMC Canyon, and Chevrolet Colorado
The five-speed automatic is from the Cadillac CTS, STS, and SRX
The side view mirrors and AC vents are from the Fiat Barchetta
The seat frames are from the previous generation Opel Corsa

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