Summer of Solstice

In 2005, Pontiac brought forth what would be its last sporty car. The 2006 Solstice was an attractive — even rakish — convertible 2-seater with excellent balance and handling. The Pontiac’s introduction was followed up later in 2006 with a badge-engineered döppelganger called the Saturn Sky and Europeans got the same model as a revived Opel GT.

The first-year Solstice received a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter 4-cylinder rated at 177 horsepower and 166 lb-ft of torque. That wasn’t bad compared to the benchmark Mazda MX-5 Miata, but woefully less than the upscale Honda S2000. Transmission choices included a 5-speed Aisin manual or a 5-speed GM automatic. However, the base-engine Solstice delivers lackluster performance, and that GM automatic just sucks the joy straight out of your heart. Simply put, those cars have a hard time getting out of their own way.

Get the GXP

This was all remedied with the debut of the Solstice GXP (and the corresponding Saturn Sky Redline). Introduced for the second model year, it boasts a 2.0-liter Ecotec four with a twin-scroll turbocharger producing 260 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. The new engine made the Solstice into the sports car that it always should have been. 

The direct-injected 2.0-liter has the distinction of having the highest output of any GM engine ever made, at 2.1 horsepower per cubic inch. Even better, because the Solstice GXP was born in the OBD-II era, a dealer-applied reflash of the engine-management system could boost output to a heady 290 horsepower and 340 lb-ft. 

On top of the more-powerful engine, the Solstice GXP received GM’s latest Stabilitrak electronic traction control, a torque-sensing limited-slip differential and anti-lock brakes. With the stock engine tune and the 5-speed gearbox, you could expect to see 60 mph in a little more than five seconds, and you could pull 0.87g on the skidpad. You’d get all that for $25,995. By comparison, a base-trim 2007 Corvette sold for $44,250.

Solstice sales were initially strong. GM made 21,273 for 2006, and 24,018 for 2007, besting Mazda’s new third-generation MX-5 Miata in the same years. That was before sales fell off a cliff during the 2008 financial crisis. Of course GM then axed Pontiac as part of its 2009 bankruptcy.

Warts and all

The Solstice has its weak points. The convertible top is a legendary “what were they thinking?” design. To erect the top, you have to pop open a hatch, pull the top up and latch it, put down the hatch, and then pin down its two flying-buttress ends on the rear deck. The benefit is that the top totally disappears when not in use, but it’s a fiddly process compared to the Miata’s simple actuation that can be done from the driver’s seat.

The other flaw is the trunk. Somehow GM thought it was okay to have a giant lump in the middle of the trunk, with just a U-shaped channel around it. Forget packing your golf clubs or more than a backpack or soft-sided duffel. Finally, GM’s tone-deafness extended to the interior, where the cup holder is back where the driver’s right elbow wants to be. It’s inconvenient no matter what you do.

The rare ones

For 2009, Pontiac made a Solstice coupe with a removable targa-style panel. In an era when the rest of the industry was going to retractable hard tops, it was a bit of a throwback. The only problem was that the top panel was too big for the trunk, so drivers had to decide to go open or closed before leaving home. Pontiac’s solution was a temporary cloth top that would stow in the trunk. The coupe was available in the base or GXP trim, and a total of 1,266 were made.

For something even more out of the ordinary, there are the elusive 2010 models. GM shuttered Pontiac’s Wilmington, DE, factory that made the Solstice at the end of May in 2009. But before that happened, it made 30 cars to 2010-model-year specs. Those included 12 Solstice coupes, eight Solstice convertibles, eight of the Saturn version and two Opel GTs. The main changes for 2010 were remote keyless entry and some color options. A paint-and-stickers Solstice “Heritage Edition” was also available, of which two coupes and one convertible were made, all GXPs.

Strangely, after the pilot production run of 2010 models, the factory went back to producing 2009-model-year cars, with total sales in 2010 amounting to 7,409 cars, almost all 2009s. That means if you found the very last Solstice ever made, it’s a 2009, not a 2010.

Solstice-spotting

GM never published authoritative information breaking out GXP sales from total Solstice production, but the best guesses are that about 18,000 Pontiac Solstice GXPs (and another 15,812 Saturn Sky Redlines) were produced. So these will never be rare cars, unless you limit your search to a coupe or a 2010 model-year car.

The bright side to higher production volume is that the Solstice GXP is truly affordable. You can get a good manual-gearbox Solstice GXP for well under $15,000. Examples with automatic transmissions or higher mileage go for less. Expect to pay a little more for the Sky Redline. 

You can find a Solstice on a dealer lot or through local advertising, but the cream of the crop will be found in the online auctions. Prices are the $15k-$20k range for low-mileage cars, of which there seem to be no shortage, as many Solstices seem to have lived pampered lives as sunny-day-only toys. The high-water mark for the model is a 118-mile 2009 Solstice GXP coupe with an automatic transmission sold for $59,850 in March 2022 on Bring a Trailer. Yet we’ve more often seen GXP coupes selling in the lower $30k range.

The bottom line is that the Pontiac Solstice GXP really was the last great car to come from Pontiac. That alone should push the Solstice towards collectibility, but the excellent performance and throwback look of the Solstice GXP is what seals the deal on this affordable classic. ♥