SEMA: Pontiac Solstice GXP-R

The Pontiac Solstice is a fun little roadster that has managed to capture the fancy of people who would never have even thought of stepping into a Pontiac dealership. Cute and affordable are a good combination for guaranteeing sales, but there wasn't a lot of meat on its bones. Slightly anemic in N/A form, the turbocharged GXP made it a car that even weekend racers might enjoy. And now we see the GXP-R, which takes thing up a notch or two. Rather than the already-admirable 260 hp in the standard GXP, the overboosted engine in this SEMA version delivers a nice round 300 hp and 315 lb.-ft. of torque all the way down at 3250 rpm.

Upgraded stopping comes via the SSBC Performance Brake Package, nestled behind custom 19-inch x 8.5-inch wheels, and wrapped in chunky Goodyear Eagle F1 245/40ZR19 tires. The outside of this Solstice GXP-R has been enhanced with a revised front fascia with a couple of new slats and altered grilles for better breathing. At the side we see modified air extractors behind the front wheels, a different rear fascia and a pretty subtle rear spoiler. Eschewing the color-of-the-day orange on its Club Sport brother, the GXP-R wears Hydro Blue that looks a bit like the Escalade EXT and Hayabusa combo elsewhere in the booth. Same color pops up in the vehicle's interior, in the form of stitching, bezel and trim pigmenting. Like the engine and trim, still prefer the Club Sport though. More pics after the jump.