Pontiac has been dead for some time now, at least from a manufacturing point of view. The Vibe was the last vehicle to roll of a Pontiac assembly line, marking the end of new car production for the brand in August of 2009. However, the former automaker has been stuttering and mumbling to itself while lying in its death bed. After all, new cars still needed homes and buyers eventually ponied up dough for the keys to the ghostly souls of a marque that once built the king of muscle cars: the GTO. Now, though, the very last new Pontiacs have been sold and the brand is completely, officially, no-doubt-about-it dead.
In an act of lunacy mercy, retired police officer Ed Dieffenbach drove over 1,100 miles to trade in his Chevrolet Silverado on one of the last Pontiac Solstice Coupes left in the country. Driving from Miami to northern Florida, Mr. Dieffenbach helped put an end to the brand’s suffering while also putting a somewhat stylish two-door in his driveway. We’re sure he’ll have years of fun with the Solstice, as long as he doesn’t need to use the cup holder… or stow the roof… or look back.
Few Pontiac models will be missed by as many people as the Trans Am. From its humble origins in 1969 as an option package on the two-year-old Firebird platform through the Super Duty days and the Bandit Special Editions, right on up to the final Ram Air LS1-powered F-Bodies from 2002, Pontiac's longest-lived muscle car has always enjoyed a loyal following.
So dedicated are these Poncho fanatics that the Trans Am name seems destined to live on past the death of the brand that originally spawned it. We've taken a look at Kevin Morgan's Phoenix TA revival once already, and now the first such Camaro-based machine has been driven off the car carrier in front of a few hundred screaming chickens fans at last weekend's 25th Anniversary Trans Am Nationals in Dayton, Ohio.
Perhaps fittingly, this initial 'bird was painted up in a classic black and gold paint scheme complete with a fire-breathing hood applique and a split front beak reminiscent of the 1977 and 1978 Trans Ams. Naturally, there's a shaker scoop mounted atop the quivering hood feeding fresh air into what we assume is a stock LS3 6.2-liter V8 putting out 426 horsepower. The only things that are missing are T-Tops and a CB radio. Well, that, and a young Sally Field. More Photos
The inspiration of Pontiac Solstice SD-290 concept is coming from a vintage race car design. The design concept really capture the design of vintage race car and evoke the emotions of classic sport cars. The concept design has an old school look with a passenger cockpit tonneau cover and a driver windscreen, creating a pure race car looks.
Pontiac reduce the weight of the car, improved the aerodynamics and also redesigned the fender gill panels. They also created a new hood with heat-extracting grilles, a red paint scheme and cockpit filled with auxiliary gauges, a roll bar and racing seat.
This race car concept has direct-injected, turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine that produced 290 horse power, this is the reason they call it Pontiac Solstice SD-290.
Official Pontiac Solstice SD-290 Features Highlight from GM :
- 2.0L Ecotec direct-injected and turbocharged generating 290 horsepower
- Five-speed manual transmission
- Weight reduction through installation of driver-side only windscreen and elimination of door glass/hardware, convertible top/hardware, HVAC system and wiper system
- Solo Performance cat-back exhaust system with center-mounted outlet
- KW Automotive coil-over suspension package
- Three-piston aluminum calipers with 13-inch rotors from Stainless Steel Brake Company
- Forged 19-inch wheels with Hoosier R6 racing tires
- New front fascia, grille inserts, hood and front fenders, leading to better aerodynamics
- Passenger-side hard tonneau cover
- Competition red exterior color
- Rear spoiler
- Tinted headlamp lenses
- Removable racing-style steering wheel
- Racing seat with four-point safety harness
- Chrome fire extinguisher
- Pegasus center console gauge package
- Driver's roll bar
Pontiac Solstice SD-290 Specifications :
General Specifications :
Country Of Origin:United States
Introduced at : 2007 SEMA Show
Engine :
Configuration: 2 liter Ecotec i-4
Engine Location : Front, longitudinally mounted
Powertrain Layout : Rear Wheel
Displacement : 2.00 L | 122 cu in. | 1999.6 cc.
Construction : cast-aluminum block and head
Displacement : 1.998 liter / 121.9 cu in
Bore / Stroke : 86.0 mm (3.4 in) / 86.0 mm (3.4 in)
The Pontiac Soltice is an amazing car, this car is very fresh and flashy. It has modern and very masculine shape design. Pontiac Soltice was introduced at the North American International Auto Show in 2002. Price for completetly decked out soltice was around $ 30,000
Specifications :
Performance & Efficiency :
2,384 cc 2.4 liters in-line 4 front engine with 88.0 mmbore, 98.0 mm stroke, 10.4 compression ratio, double overhead cam, variable valve timing/camshaft and four valves per cylinder LE5
Premium unleaded fuel 91
Multi-point injection fuel system
13.6 gallon main premium unleaded fuel tank 11.3
Power: 129 kW , 173 HP SAE @ 5,800 rpm; 167 ft lb , 226 Nm @ 4,500 rpm
Handling, Ride & Braking :
Four disc brakes including two ventilated discs
Electronic brake distribution
Immobilizer
Wishbone front and rear suspension independent with stabilizer bar and coil springs
Tire kit
Exterior & Aerodynamics :
Body color front and rear bumpers
Manual softtop convertible roof with glass rear window
Day time running lights
Driver and passenger externally adjustable body color door mirrors
External dimensions: overall length (inches): 157.2, overall width (inches): 71.3, overall height (inches): 50.1, wheelbase (inches): 95.1, front track (inches): 60.7, rear track (inches): 61.4 and curb to curb turning circle (feet): 34.8
Complex surface lens halogen bulb headlights
Luxury trim leather on gearknob, alloy look on doors and alloy look on dashboard
RDS audio system with satellite and CD player CD player reads MP3
Cargo area light
Cargo capacity: all seats in place (cu ft): 5.4
Cellular phone other
Clock
Full dashboard console, full floor console with covered storage box
Delayed/fade courtesy lights
Front seats cup holders pop out
Door ajar warning
Driver front airbag with multi-stage deployment, passenger front airbag with occupant sensors and multi-stage deployment
Bucket electrically adjustable driver seat with height adjustment and one adjustment, bucket passenger seat
3-point reel front seat belts on driver seat and passenger seat with pre-tensioners
Front seat center armrest
Two head restraints on front seats
Headlight control with time delay switch-off and dusk sensor
Illuminated entry system
Internal dimensions: front headroom (inches): 38.5, front hip room (inches): 50.6, front leg room (inches): 42.8, front shoulder room (inches): 52.4 and interior volume (cu ft): 50.0
