The Pontiac Solstice is a

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

that was produced by

Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada *Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...

. Introduced at the 2004 North American International Auto Show, the Solstice roadster began production in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Unami language, Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North ...

, starting in mid-2005 for the 2006 model year. It is powered by a naturally aspirated 2.4 L I4 engine, producing and of torque. The exterior styling of the production Solstice is similar to that of the 2002 Solstice concept 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. The new hardtop

targa top Targa top, or targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsc ...

2009 model was announced in mid-2008. The Solstice uses the

GM Kappa platform Kappa was General Motors' subcompact rear-wheel drive automobile platform for roadster applications. The architecture debuted in the 2006 Pontiac Solstice and 2007 Saturn Sky, and ended production in 2009. These vehicles generally have a "M" in ...

, which also underpins the Saturn Sky,

Opel GT The Opel GT is a front-engine, rear-drive two-seat sports car manufactured and marketed by Opel in two generations — separated by a 34-year hiatus. The first generation Opel GT (1968 –1973) debuted as a styling exercise in 1965 at the Pa ...

, and Daewoo G2X. It was the brand's first two-seater since the

Pontiac Fiero The Pontiac Fiero is a mid-engine sports car manufactured and marketed by Pontiac for model years 1984-1988. Designed by George Milidrag and Hulki Aldikacti as a sports car, it was the first two-seater Pontiac since the 1926 to 1938 coupes, an ...

was discontinued in 1988. Pontiac Solstice Dash

The Solstice was nominated for the ''

North American Car of the Year The North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year are a set of automotive awards announced at a news conference each January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The jury consists of no more than 60 automotive journali ...

'' award and ''Design of the Year'' award from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) for 2006. It was 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. Following the 2008 economic recession, GM discontinued the Pontiac division. Production ended with the closure of the

Wilmington Assembly Wilmington Assembly was a General Motors automobile factory in Wilmington, Delaware. The factory opened in 1947, and produced cars for GM's Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn, Opel, Buick and Daewoo brands during its operation. GM closed the plant on Jul ...

plant in July 2009.

GXP (2007–2009)

The ''GXP'' version of the Solstice debuted at the

Los Angeles Auto Show The Los Angeles Auto Show is an annual auto show held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in early December. The LA Auto Show is an OICA sanctioned international exhibition. It is open to the public for ten days each year, filling of exhibit ...

in January 2006. It is powered by a new 2.0 Liter (121.9 cu in) I4 Ecotec engine equipped with a dual-scroll

turbocharger In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

. The engine's output is and . This is the highest specific output of any engine by cubic inches in the history of General Motors at 2.1 hp (1.6 kW) per cubic inch, and it is the first

gasoline direct injection Gasoline direct injection (GDI), also known as petrol direct injection (PDI), is a mixture formation system for internal combustion engines that run on gasoline (petrol), where fuel is injected into the combustion chamber. This is distinct fro ...

engine from an American automaker. According to pontiac.com, the GXP accelerates from 0 to in under 5.5 seconds. Other GXP features include standard

Stabilitrak Electronic stability control (ESC), also referred to as electronic stability program (ESP) or dynamic stability control (DSC), is a computerized technology that improves a vehicle's stability by detecting and reducing loss of traction ( skiddi ...

traction control, a

limited-slip differential A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the generic tr ...

, and

anti-lock brakes An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is a automobile safety, safety anti-Skid (automobile), skid Brake, braking system used on aircraft and on land motor vehicle, vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. ABS operates by preventing t ...

. Summer tires on 18-inch wheels are standard. An available dealer installed option was a modified computer tune and two new sensors that resulted in an increased output to and , further enhancing the performance of the GXP model.

Solstice Coupe (2009-2010)

2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP coupe rear -- 11-13-2009

targa Targa or TARGA may refer to: Car racing events *Targa Adelaide, in Australia * Targa Canada West, in British Columbia *Targa Florio, in Sicily, Italy, 1906–1977 * Targa Florio Rally, in Sicily, Italy, from 1978 * Targa High Country, in Victoria ...

coupe version of the Solstice was unveiled at the 2008 New York Auto Show. Engine choices are the same as the convertible versions. The roof can be removed, but the hard roof cannot be fitted into the trunk. An optional cloth top is available, which can be fitted into the trunk. The car went on sale in early 2009. The Pontiac Solstice Coupes are considered to be quite rare: There were a total of 1,266 Solstice Coupes that were able to be manufactured before the production line in Wilmington, Delaware was shut down: 102 pre-production 2009 models, 1,152 sequentially vin'd regular production 2009 models, and 12 pre-production 2010 models. This is in contrast to over 64,000 of the Pontiac Solstice Convertibles that were manufactured. Summary of all 1,266 Pontiac Solstice Coupes Built: * 1 Unit - “Santiago” Teal Metallic (Specific to Canadian Market - Color new for 2010) * 26 Units - “Fresh” Hydro Blue - Paint Code 22U (USA 25 inc. 1 Heritage Ed. /CAN 1/MEX 0) 2% * 37 Units - “Mean” Yellow - Paint Code 34U (USA 29/CAN 4/MEX 4) 3% * 39 Units - “Deep” Blue - Paint Code 48U (USA 35/CAN 1/MEX 3) 3% * 58 Units - “Brazen” Orange Metallic - Paint Code 28U (USA 35/CAN 8/MEX 15) 4% * 58 Units - “Sly” Steel Gray - Paint Code 75U (USA 50/CAN 8/MEX 0) 4% * 77 Units - “Pure” White - Paint Code 50U (USA 63 inc. 1 Heritage Ed. /CAN 2/MEX 12) 6% * 148 Units - “Aggressive” Red - Paint Code 74U (USA 126/CAN 8/MEX 14) 12% * 213 Units - “Cool” Silver - Paint Code 67U (USA 154/CAN 16/MEX 43) 17% * 221 Units - “Wicked” Ruby Red Metallic - Paint Code 79U (USA 195/CAN 10/MEX 16) 18% * 388 Units - “Mysterious” Black - Paint Code 41U (USA 345/CAN 28/MEX 15) 31%

2010 production

Starting in April 2009 the Wilmington, DE. plant was business as usual and pre-production builds began for the 2010 model year. Between April 21, 2009 and May 28, 2009 thirty 2010 model year VIN-coded cars were built on the Kappa platform. Of those, were 12 Pontiac Solstice Coupes and 8 Pontiac Solstice roadsters. Of the other remaining, 8 were Saturn SKYs and 2 were Opel GTs. They were then used as GM company vehicles to be evaluated and also as special event display vehicles. These vehicles were built to the 2010 model year specs with 2010 model year changes and had legal 2010 VIN numbers. Following the end of use term within the GM fleet, the vehicles were sent to auction. After these 30 2010 models, more 2009-spec Solstices were produced and were the last ones made at the plant.

2010 changes

Deletions

-(QFX) P245/45R18 all-season, blackwall tires -Exterior color (22U) Fresh (Hydro Blue Metallic) -Exterior color (28U) Brazen (Inferno Orange Metallic) -Exterior color (38U) Envious (Emerald Green Metallic) -Exterior color (48U) Deep (Blue) -Exterior color (75U) Sly (Dark Steel Gray Metallic)

New features

-Exterior color (GHF) Hypnotic (Ocean Blue Metallic)( premium paint) -Exterior color (GGW) Sly (Storm Gray Metallic) -(QKR) P245/45R18-96V performance, all-season radial tires (standard on 2MB67 Convertible and 2MB07 Coupe) -(BAY), (B4N), (BAZ) and (BIG) Heritage Editions -(BTV) Remote vehicle start (Included and only available with (MX0) 5-speed automatic transmission) -(20T) Blue Top (Included and only available with Heritage Edition Convertibles )

Changes

-(AU0) Remote Keyless Entry, with 2 transmitters, panic button and content theft alarm, RPO Code has changed to "(ATG)"

Heritage Edition

Heritage Edition, includes Blue or White Rally Stripe, Blue accent stitching on seats, steering wheel and shift knob (manual transmission only), (Q9Y) 18-inch polished aluminum split-spoke wheels, interior trim (192) Ebony leather seating surfaces and (20T) Blue cloth convertible top (Convertible). Only available with exterior colors (50U) Pure (Summit White) with Blue Rally Stripe or (GHF) Hypnotic (Ocean Blue Metallic) with White Rally Stripe.

2010 Solstices produced

* Solstice GXP Coupe, Kinetic Blue (Hypnotic) Black Leather LNF Manual Polished Air Heritage Ed. * Solstice GXP Coupe, White (Pure) Black Leather LNF Auto Polished Air Heritage Ed. * Solstice GXP Coupe, Red (Aggressive) Black Cloth LNF Auto Polished Air * Solstice GXP Coupe, Dk Labyrinth Met (Sly) Black Leather LNF Manual Polished Air * Solstice GXP Coupe, Dk Labyrinth Met (Sly) Red Leather LNF Auto Chrome Air * Solstice GXP Coupe, Merlot Jewel (Wicked) Met Black Leather LNF Auto Chrome NO Air * Solstice Coupe, Kinetic Blue (Hypnotic) Lt. Cashmere Leather LE5 Manual Polished Air * Solstice Coupe, Red (Aggressive) Lt. Cashmere Leather LE5 Manual Polished Air * Solstice GXP Coupe, Santiago Teal Met Black Leather LNF Auto Polished NO Air (Canadian Spec) * Solstice GXP Coupe, Kinetic Blue (Hypnotic) Black Leather LNF Manual Chrome Air * Solstice Coupe, Dk Labyrinth Met (Sly) Black Cloth LE5 Manual Polished Air * Solstice GXP Coupe, Merlot Jewel Met (Wicked) Black Leather LNF Manual Polished Air * Solstice, Pure White Black Leather Black LE5 Auto Polished Air Heritage Ed. * Solstice GXP, Kinetic Blue Black Leather Black LNF Manual Polished Air Heritage Ed. * Solstice GXP, Mysterious Black Black Leather Black LNF Manual Polished Air * Solstice GXP, Dk Labyrinth Met Black Leather Black LNF Auto Chrome Air * Solstice GXP, Kinetic Blue Black Leather Black LNF Manual Chrome Air * Solstice, Dk Labyrinth Met Lt. Cashmere Leather Tan LE5 Auto Polished Air * Solstice, Dk Labyrinth Met Black Leather Black LE5 Auto Polished Air * Solstice GXP, Kinetic Blue Black Leather Black LNF Manual Chrome Air

Yearly American sales

Concept variations

Weekend Club Racer concept

Built by GM Performance Division, this special Solstice features a removable hardtop that drew inspiration from the

Dodge Viper The Dodge Viper is a sports car that was manufactured by Dodge (by SRT for 2013 and 2014), a division of American car manufacturer FCA US LLC from 1992 until 2017, having taken a brief hiatus in 2007 and from 2010 to 2012. Production of the two- ...

roadster, an aggressive body kit, and an oversized spoiler. Engine is rated . It includes 18-inch wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1 255/45ZR18 tires, cat-back performance exhaust system, T-2 race suspension package, along with larger diameter disc brakes. The car was unveiled at the 2005 SEMA Show. This vehicle is featured as

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

in the 2007 film ''

Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, ...

''.

GXP-R concept

The GXP-R concept is a modified GXP with an engine rated and of torque. It includes an SSBC Performance Brake Package and 19-inch x 8.5-inch wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1 245/40ZR19 tires. The car was unveiled at the 2006 SEMA Show.

SD-290 race concept

The SD-290 race concept is a single-seat Solstice GXP with engine rated . Weight is reduced by installing driver-side only windscreen and elimination of door glass/hardware, convertible top/hardware, HVAC system and wiper system. It includes Solo Performance cat-back exhaust system, KW Automotive coil-over suspension package, 6-piston aluminum calipers with rotors from Stainless Steel Brake Company, forged 19-inch wheels with Hoosier R6 racing tire, rear spoiler, Removable racing-style steering wheel, Racing seat with four-point safety harness, Chrome fire extinguisher, Pegasus center console gauge package, Driver's roll bar The car was unveiled at the 2006 SEMA Show.

Solstice GXP Coupe concept

The Solstice GXP Coupe concept is based on the GXP coupe. It is equipped with a GM Performance Parts Stage 2 performance kit and a performance air intake kit, which boosts engine power to about 290 hp (216 kW). The car also includes a GM Performance Parts cat-back exhaust system and race-ready suspension kit, polished factory wheels. The first version of the Coupe Concept was a metallic orange. The car was unveiled at the 2008 SEMA Show.

Motorsport

Ryan Tuerck Ryan Tuerck (born April 10, 1985) is an American professional drifting (motorsport), drifter from Derry, New Hampshire who currently competes in the U.S. Formula Drift series in his Toyota Corolla, Toyota Corolla Hatchback for Rain-X and Nitto T ...

used to drive a Mobil 1 Pontiac Solstice fielded by

Gardella Racing Gardella is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Al Gardella (1918–2006), American baseball player *Danny Gardella (1920–2005), American baseball player * Gus Gardella (1895–1974), American football player *Ignazio Gardella ( ...

. Ryan Tuerck won the 2008 Formula Drift Driver of the Year award and finished 2nd in points for the 2009 season. The Pontiac Solstice Tuerck drove has over 500 hp and built off the stock LSJ engine found in the 2004-2007

Saturn Ion The Saturn Ion is a compact car sold by Saturn between the 2003 and 2007 model years. It used the GM Delta platform. The Ion replaced the Saturn S-Series in 2002, and was replaced by the new Saturn Astra in 2008. Production of the Ion ended on ...

Redline and 2005-2007 Chevy Cobalt SS. * SCCA Club Racing 2006 National Championship Runoffs the

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. * SCCA Club Racing 2008 National Championship the Pontiac Solstice GXP placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in Touring 2 (T2) * SCCA Club Racing 2009 National Championship the Pontiac Solstice GXP placed 1st and 3rd place in Touring 2 (T2)

Shared technology

The sharing of technology and various components is a common practice among automakers, resulting in reduced parts costs. The Solstice shares major components with nearly every GM division: * The rear axle and differential are from the

Sigma Sigma (; uppercase Σ, lowercase σ, lowercase in word-final position ς; grc-gre, σίγμα) is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 200. In general mathematics, uppercase Σ is used a ...

-based

Cadillac CTS The Cadillac CTS is an executive car that was manufactured and marketed by General Motors from 2003 until 2019 across three generations. Historically, it was priced similarly to cars on the compact luxury spectrum; but it has always been sized ...

* The interior storage bin is from the

Cadillac XLR The Cadillac XLR is a front-engine, rear-drive, two passenger roadster (automobile), roadster manufactured and marketed by Cadillac from 2003 to 2009 across a single generation — and noted for its power retractable hardtop, Bulgari designed ...

* The passenger side front airbag, steering column, and exterior and interior door handles are from the

Chevrolet Cobalt The Chevrolet Cobalt is a compact car introduced by Chevrolet in 2004 for the 2005 model year. The Cobalt replaced both the Cavalier and the Toyota-based Geo/Chevrolet Prizm as Chevrolet's compact car. The Cobalt was available as both a coupe ...

* The backup lights are from the

GMC Envoy The GMC Envoy is a mid-size SUV, manufactured and marketed by General Motors for model years 1998-2009 over two generations. Adopting a nameplate used by GM Canada, the Envoy was a rebadged variant of the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, Oldsmobile Brava ...

* The heating, ventilating, and air conditioning modules are from the

Hummer H3 The Hummer H3 is an off-road vehicle that was produced from 2005 to 2010 by General Motors. The smallest model of the Hummer lineup, it was offered as a 5-door SUV or a 4-door pickup truck known as the H3T. Unlike the larger H1 and H2 models, t ...

* The front fog lamp assembly is from the

Pontiac Grand Prix The Grand Prix is a line of automobiles produced by the Pontiac Division of General Motors from 1962 until 2002 for coupes and 1989–2008 for sedans. First introduced as a full-size performance coupe for the 1962 model year, the model varie ...

* The steering wheel is also featured in the

Pontiac G5 The Chevrolet Cobalt is a compact car introduced by Chevrolet in 2004 for the 2005 model year. The Cobalt replaced both the Cavalier and the Toyota-based Geo/Chevrolet Prizm as Chevrolet's compact car. The Cobalt was available as both a coupe a ...

Chevrolet Corvette The Chevrolet Corvette is a two-door, two-passenger luxury sports car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet since 1953. With eight design generations, noted sequentially from C1 to C8, the Corvette is noted for its performance and distinctiv ...

* The 2.4 L Ecotec engine is shared with the Pontiac G6,

Chevrolet Malibu The Chevrolet Malibu is a mid-size car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet from 1964 to 1983 and again since 1997. The Malibu began as a trim-level of the Chevrolet Chevelle, becoming its own model line in 1978. Originally a rear-wheel-dr ...

, and

Chevrolet HHR The Chevrolet HHR (an initialism for Heritage High Roof) is a retro-styled, high-roofed, five-door, five-passenger, front-wheel drive crossover designed by Bryan Nesbitt and launched by the American automaker Chevrolet at the 2005 Los Angeles A ...

* The five-speed

manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission (mechanics), transmission ...

is the same as in the

, GMC Canyon, and

Chevrolet Colorado The Chevrolet Colorado, and its counterpart, the GMC Canyon, are series of compact and later mid-sized pickup trucks marketed by American automaker General Motors. They were introduced in 2004 to replace the Chevrolet S-10 and GMC S-15/Sonoma co ...

* The five-speed automatic is identical to those of the

, STS, and SRX * The seat frames are from the previous generation

Opel Corsa The Opel Corsa is a supermini car engineered and produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel since 1982. Throughout its existence, it has been sold under a variety of other brands owned by General Motors (most notably Vauxhall, Chev ...

Discontinuation

In April 2009, after GM announced the discontinuation of the Pontiac brand by the end of 2010, CEO Fritz Henderson stated that the Solstice would not continue under another GM brand. Although they considered selling the Wilmington plant and the Solstice/Sky products to an outside business, the Wilmington assembly plant closed in July 2009. In October 2009, the new DeLorean Motor Company expressed interest in continuing production of the Solstice, going so far as to release concept artwork for a 2011 DeLorean Solstice. These plans were shelved shortly thereafter, when

Fisker Automotive Fisker Automotive was an American company known for producing the Fisker Karma, which was one of the world's first production luxury plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. It debuted at the 2008 North American International Auto Show, and first ...

instead acquired the Wilmington Assembly where the Solstice was produced.

Reviews

*AutoWeek.com (2004). Drive of pre production Solstices
Our first drive in Pontiac's new drop-top leaves us longing for more
*MotorTrend.com (2004)

*MPH Magazine (Oct. 2005)
drives the Solstice in the Land of the Midnight Sun.
*Automobile Magazine (Oct. 2005)

*Road and Track Magazine (Oct. 2005)
When it was introduced as a concept car at the January 2002 Detroit auto show...
*Car and Driver Magazine (Oct. 2005)
We were worried in a big way, worried that the Pontiac Solstice would turn out to be a cost-cut, watered-down...
*Motor Trend Magazine (Oct. 2005)

*Autoweek Magazine (August 29, 2005)
What a Concept: Solstice gives Pontiac—and GM—a much needed shot in the arm
*New York Times (July 2, 2009)

References

20. The Pontiac Solstice Book. Author Gary Witzenburg. Publisher Lamm-Morada Publishing Co. Inc., Publishing Date 2006.

External links

Official Pontiac Solstice site
{{Pontiac timeline 1980s to 2010

Solstice A solstice is an event that occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21. In many count ...

Roadsters Hardtop convertibles Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States Cars introduced in 2004