SEMA Debut -- Pontiac Solstice Weekend Club Racer
GM is planning a big show for SEMA: it will be coming to the party with tricked-out versions of the Hummer H3, Chevy HHR and Cobalt, Saturn Sky and Ion, Pontiac G6, and this race-inspired Pontiac Solstice named "Weekend Club Racer". Built by GM Performance Division, this special Solstice features a removable hardtop that drew inspiration from the Viper, an aggressive body kit, and of course, an oversized spoiler. There's not yet any information on what goes on under the hood of this little beast, but stay tuned, as we'll bring you more details when our SEMA coverage begins.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
zed 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
I don't know about drawing inspiration from the Viper. BMW maybe. I thought at first it was the new Z5.
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jes 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
AWESOME. A Mini-viper (which was too long to begin with) at 1/3 the price.
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dan 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
drop-sdead-ugly! when are the designers going to grow up and get over their little "HOT WHEELS" fantasies?
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Ben 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
Ditch the boy-racer touches (especially that spoiler) and it starts looking pretty sweet...
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forma3 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
Ugh, that looks horrible! All the lithe forms that made the original car so gorgeous are completely destroyed by all the "go-fast" body kit paste-ons.
Somehow I find it difficult to imagine that all the new bits help it go all that much faster. Stick a bigger engine in there and perhaps a turbo-charger while keeping the original grace (think BMW 3-series to M3) and then I'll care.
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motorfocus 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
First impression: poseur.
Counterbalancing any such cynicism would be proof that it's ready for the 'weekend club racer' task - including significant weight reduction.
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Dustin Tarditi 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
Cool - lets just hope it's not "all show, no go"
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John B 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
I saw a dark grey Solstice in Toronto recently - drop dead beautiful even with the top up. I agree with posters above, this thing is butt ugly. Ugh!
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Joseph Willemssen 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
They did a wonderful job of taking a handsome car and beating it with an ugly stick.
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motorfocus 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
On second thought, maybe this is the Solstice's Halloween costume.
The 'trick' is on us. (Like Charlize Theron dressing up as Elvira.)
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mj 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
mini-vipeeer looks awesome. The small dodge convertible that was never built.
http://www.dodge.com/dodge_life/past_and_future/concept_cars/razor.html
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ZoomZoomin' 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
THAT is what the upcoming Solstice coupe should look like, particularly when it comes to the passenger compartment. I much prefer how it looks with this hardtop compared to the soft/sloped back concept version of the coupe. I can definitely see the Viper influence in the hardtop...when scrolling down the main page, the quick thought of an odd looking Viper flashed through my mind before my eyes actually focussed on the picture.
I don't like the color, but I do like most of the elements and think it makes the Solstice look a little extra aggressive without going full Sky. The side skirt design could possibly use some tweaking. It looks kind of like a Pontiac Viper-Elise. Of course, what has changed under the body/hood to match the new look is most important.
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Pontiac Solstice 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
Looks sweet, cant wait to see it in person!
--
Discuss your Pontiac Solstice at the Pontiac Solstice Forums:
http://www.solsticeforums.com/
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Andrew Pierce 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
Wow -- they took the Solstice and made it look like a Pontiac. I knew that car must have some ugly in it somewhere.
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Rocket Punch 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
Looks like a pirated hot wheel knock off made in China and sold in the dollar store. It is obvious that this is from the same guy who designed the Sunfire or Aztec.
One thing the auto industry totally missed the mark is Tuners are like T-Rex, they don't want to be feed with factory made wannabe parts, they want to hunt for the good aftermarket stuff.
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lalaland 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
#9 You mean Charlize Theron in her role in "Monster"...? (sound of head shaking very quickly to jar image out of head). That SEMA car is worse than the Aztek. Damn they killed it dead.
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Jaymez 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
Lose the wing, change the color, and it'd be a beautiful car. Lose the gills in the hood and the portholes in the fender and GFX and it'd look even better. The Soltice is the ugliest thing Pontiac has ever built. Hell, it's even worse than the Aztek.
If that kit was produced, and I was in the market for a small two seater, I'd buy it in a heartbeat (even if the motor wasn't upgraded) and never take the top off. I hate convertables, but the top makes the car look awesome.
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Joe 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
I can't wait to see the Chevy HHR at SEMA. If you guys have pics, can you post them at http://chevyhhr.net ?
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B Kelly 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
Apparently there are those who missed the point. Note the name of the project and think it through. In terms of the stock Solstice, congratulations to Pontiac for building a car that has created a new level of excitement within dealerships, well done GM. Now, build enough to satisfy demand and let the mods begin!
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Scott J. Smith 11:17PM (12/18/2005)
Is GM REALLY going to produce the Solstice Weekend Club Racer?
Remember, they teased us once before with the Sunfire Speedster in 1994...using, coincidentally, the same color scheme. I believe it was called "Sunfire Mango."
http://www.carstyling.ru/car.asp?id=1990
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