Photo Of The Day: Pontiac Solstice Still Looks Awesome
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I don’t know what it is about Kappa-based GM vehicles like the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky that makes me adore them. Perhaps its their roadster layout or maybe it’s the fact that these cars are simply a blast to drive. However, every time I see one on the road, I can’t stop looking.
And that’s exactly what happened to me the other day when I happened upon a bright red Solstice in a parking lot. The car caught my eye and the black rims instantly put me over the edge. I whipped out my camera and snapped a few shots of the Solstice for safe-keeping. Needless to say, I was that weirdo with the camera taking pictures of random cars in the parking lot while my fiancé was impatiently tapping her foot next to the supermarket.
What I find intriguing is the fact that – to me – it doesn’t matter that this particular Solstice has slight body damage or needs a thorough wash. Its looks are to die for and those black rims and red body are a perfect combination that almost made be drool all over my Canon DSLR. Boy do I wish I was the lucky owner of a Kappa car… but more than anything, I wish these cool vehicles make a comeback within GM’s portfolio sooner rather than later.
What do you think? Sound off in the comments below.
I agree! The Solstice & the Sky were awesome. However, didn’t they have a plastic rear window instead of glass? If I remember correctly, they did. That was a downer as they can crack after a few years.
Now here’s a question that I have.
Someone told me many years ago….
Remember the Pontiac Fiero back in the 1980′s? I heard a rumor that just before the axe fell, Pontiac gave it a V-6 engine and sales started to turn around and then really pick up. I heard that Pontiac had big plans to either turbo or supercharge that engine & give it a high performance package. I mean this was going to be a little bomb aimed at Porsche. The problem was (as was told to me), is that the Fiero was going to be too good. And that Chevrolet’s executives went to upper GM management & complained that Pontiac’s plans could undercut Corvette’s sales. Since Chevrolet is a “Core” GM Division and Corvette is an American Icon, they gave the ‘nod’ & had Pontiac kill the Fiero.
Have you heard anything about this Alex? Some people point that the Fiero had problems in the beginning & that’s why it was discontinued, but others note that after they gave it the V-6, sales were really starting to take off and that it didn’t make any sense to kill a brand that finally found its niche. (???)
I think the Solstice/Sky got further than the Fiero. Nobody noticed the SCCA victories of the 80′s exept me and about 10 other GM diehards 7 of whom were probably involved in the racing campains. Now that GM is small enough to drown in a bathtub I hold little hope for the return of Kappa or annything similar. GM should concentrait on awsome Cadillacs that it can sell for a profit, and reliable and efficient Chevys to make them America’s car again, just my two cents.
I miss the GM juggernaught, the one that made locomotives and army helocopters, If I could have that GM back againe I would gladly accept public ownership.
I once did a rendering of what I believed a Buick version of the Kappa would look like. I think reviving the Kappa as a Buick would inject that higher dose of “sport” that the brand is seeking.
Here’s the rendering:
Oops. Here’s the rendering:
http://i52.tinypic.com/315jqyu.jpg