Official GM pictures of new Solstice Coupe GXP

[jel]

So it's about half the price of the Cayman? Looks like a copycat to me.

[ihawk95]

This one just doesn't do it for me as I posted over on the Sol Forum. I miss the humps. But I'd like to see one up close and personal to be sure.

Plus, I'm also wondering about storage space. I figured there would be more, but I'm thinking golf clubs won't go in that trunk. No bueno.

[mynewsolstice]

Golf clubs will fit....

[Kappa Fan]

Originally Posted by mynewsolstice

Golf clubs will fit....

Do you have 'pictures'?

I would think with the entrance into the hatch that it might be a little 'cumbersome'

[JohnD]

I like the lines a lot! I think it flows really niceley and does a good job of bringing Frans' original concept to life. Remember, the first drawings of what would become the Solstice were as a coupe - not a roadster.

As for the top, this goes back to the Porsche 911 Targa of the 1960s and 1970s. At the time, Porsche did not think they could do a roadster and pass the safety regulations so they came up with the Targa design incorporating a massive rollbar to replace the fastback. Over the front seats was a removable, foldable cloth panel that could be stowed in the back. You also had a hard top that could be left at home. This is all reflected in the Solstice Targa.

One difference, in the early 911 Targas the rear window was a "zip out" affair, so that it could too be removed, leaving a near-convertible effect with a rollbar. In later models the zip-out rear window was replaced with fixed glass.

The 911 Targa roof lines with the heavy rollbar were very different from the 911 coupe. The top always looked awkward and clunky to me. The Solstice Targa doesn't suffer from any of that.

By the way... I was seriously considering buying a "softback Targa" (the term for the zip-out rear window models) when I ended up going with my Porsche 356 Coupe instead. I know a lot about those cars and was always intrigued by the innovative design of having a cross between a convertible and a coupe... The Solstice, as a car designed to revive the "classic sports car emotional response" does a pretty good job of doing that with the Solstice Targa.

The trick is not to compare it to a 2008 Porsche Cayman - try comparing it to a 1970 Porsche 911 Targa. Then it all makes sense.

I think GM has a winner here. I'll still keep my SKY Roadster, thank you very much, but the design is pretty classy-looking and will probably appeal greatly to those roadster-types who like to keep the top up most of the time anyway!

[JohnD]

A quick search returned these pictures of a classic "Softback Targa." Some of them are of a Porsche 912 - the same body as the Porsche 911, but with the old 356 (& VW Bug) type flat 4, versus the 911's flat 6. Think of the variant there as a normal Solstice (912) and GXP (911).

[JohnD]

And here is the removable soft top, shown removed (but un-folded)!

[Rob the Elder]

This is really good news for all of us. It shows further and continuing commitment by the company to the car platform we all love. And it expands the market to people who like the car but will not or can not justify the cost for a ragtop with no trunk.

Personally I think it looks like an old Z car more than a Sol but then Im not the target audience.

Good news all around

R

[lorennerol]

I think it looks quite nice. Good compromise to offer a hard top that doesn't fit in the car and an optional soft top that does. I wouldn't choose a targa over the convertable model, but I think lots of people would, so I give GM and attaboy for coming up with an alternative that will hopefully buoy sales while maintaining a very appealing design.

[Lithium Lotus]

The Lotus Elise is a soft-top targa, with an optional hardtop [the Exige is hardtop only, not a targa].

[Kappa Fan]

Video of the reveal in NYC:

New York 2008: Pontiac Solstice Coupe - Video

[akinmb]

Why not just slap a BMW emblem on it?

[sidejam]

I'm not big on convertibles since I live up in Canada and drive my Sky year round. Had a hardtop been an option, I definitely would have bought it.

[Nemesis]

I actually think the solstice top was done better then the BMW near the rear of the solstice. The front where the top hits the windscreen was a difficult area that they did their best on, but it still is slightly off the way the windscreen and roof don't look connected. I still really like it.

does anyone know if roadster guys (an gals!) can get a hardtop(no targa)? Just curious if the top would fit on the roadster without too much trouble.

[Nemesis]

Anyone notice that the gap between the wheels and the top of the fender well is even back and front? The roadster has a larger gap in the rear. Also, is that a new rear valance that I spy in the back? Anyone have a good enough eye to see if those are 19'' rims?