There are a few power-addicted types on Autoblog’s staff that aren’t impressed with the stock Pontiac
Solstice’s output, and apparently the guys over at Hot Rod magazine feel the same way. Bless their hearts, they decided
to stop complaining and do something about it– by shoehorning in the ferocious 505 HP LS7 from the Corvette
Z06.
The cool thing about this build-up isn’t that it involves sticking far more motor into the car than was
ever intended (although that has a beauty all its own). Instead of just doing one of those “look at the
cool car we built that you’ll never own” articles, Hot Rod is basically publishing a DIY manual for those
interested in building a modern-day Shelby Cobra. So far, there appears to be a few areas that would present a
challenge to most gearheads – custom headers definitely being one of them – but a surprising number of
the components come straight from the GM parts bin, and we suspect that the aftermarket may step up to cover
any remaining gaps. Forego the pricey LS7 in favor of a junkyard GenIII from a pickup truck, scrounge up the rest of
the parts on eBay, spend some nights out in the garage with a TIG welder, and this swap starts to look downright
affordable.
[Source: Hot Rod]