http://www.mallettcars.com/solstice-conversion.htm +

7/16/2008 10:22:58 PM

lookin' better than that new lotus. not sure why they haven't had a factory coupe option

7/16/2008 10:32:40 PM

nice looking car

reminds me of a Z4


[Edited on July 16, 2008 at 10:35 PM. Reason : sadf]

7/16/2008 10:35:28 PM

Every little car like the solstice/z4/350z have similar lines. I've read this argument that the solstice is copying the z4 blah blah blah on a few other forums. If you want to get technical, I suppose the first car to come out with this "design" (if you will...) was the ferrari something-or-another. (damnit) I can't find it, nor remember the name of the 60's ferrari (slipt my mind atm), but basically, it looked like the shelby daytona (which based it's designs from the 60's ferrari) as seen here:





But the solstice coupe is VERY good looking. I heard they wouldn't do a coupe for the sky because the lines are too sharp to make an aesthetically appealing coupe version.

7/16/2008 10:45:08 PM

the 250GTO, one of the best looking, most technologically advanced (for its day at least... not many 7000+ rpm motors and 5 speed transmissions with disc brakes in the early 60s), and most valuable cars ever produced.

7/16/2008 11:11:13 PM

i love it

7/16/2008 11:18:32 PM

^^thank you sir

[Edited on July 16, 2008 at 11:29 PM. Reason : .]

7/16/2008 11:26:26 PM

Soltice's styling goes back even further, to the old la mans cars

7/16/2008 11:44:49 PM

does look damn good. A HELL of a lot better as a coupe than it does as a convertible. Still not at good looking as the concept model back in 05 though.

7/17/2008 12:10:48 AM

I wish they could've introduced it over here as an Opel, not the European Opel b/c it's the Saturn.

7/17/2008 12:15:35 AM

I think the pontiac solstice has tons of convertible top related problems. mass recall maybe.

If the interior is anything like a mx5 though I don't think I would ever buy one. I think the mx5 was my first experience with plastic panels that are molded and textured to look like leather in photos. It really does look like leather in the brochure!

7/17/2008 12:16:16 AM

splooge
http://youtube.com/watch?v=L7nzC2JRxOM

7/17/2008 1:18:50 AM

^if mallett or hinson had offered me a little better price for my c5 a couple of months ago, they'd be building me an lsx sky right now. it's still heavily on my mind and might still come once the used market on them eases off some more. it's like a pocket sized c6 roadster with more balls than the zo6, too cool.

i can't say i've ever liked or really fully understood coupe versions of roadsters though. a big chunk of the fun in driving one is the open air element.

[Edited on July 17, 2008 at 1:58 AM. Reason : .]

7/17/2008 1:56:26 AM

^less drag, more tolerable on long track days, plays nice in the rain, and generally weighs considerably less than the open top versions

7/17/2008 2:12:29 AM

yeah, i get all that... just saying for me personally the few advantages aren't worth trading off the ability to drop the top. kind like people who buy wranglers and never take the top off.

7/17/2008 2:18:11 AM

^^^

I tried.

7/17/2008 3:21:44 AM

^^

Luckily they almost all have optional hardtops so its kind of a "good at everything master of none".

7/17/2008 8:07:33 AM

^yeah that's the worst of both worlds. Still no rigidity plus more weight for the hardtop.

7/17/2008 5:59:06 PM

Just because its a convertible doesn't mean it has poor rigidity.

Usually, sure. Is it harder, sure.

There is a reason people don't drive elise'. If anyone here is familiar with them, it would be you.

7/17/2008 6:39:55 PM

^The Elise has terrible rigidity. When you change the tires on the car, you have to open the doors and pop the trunk because the whole car flexes enough that it can pop the fiberglass. It just happens the car is so damn light it doesnt go to all shit on the track.

And you can look at ANY car that has a dedicated coupe and convertable version and see the difference in both weight and rigidity. Going back to the Cobra's in the 60's all the way to modern day super cars.

You get the choice,

About the same weight, but much less rigidity in the convertible OR
About the same rigidity, but more weight in the convertible.

7/17/2008 8:50:00 PM

Quote :

"And you can look at ANY car that has a dedicated coupe and convertable version and see the difference in both weight and rigidity. Going back to the Cobra's in the 60's all the way to modern day super cars."

So you cant look at the boxster, s2000, miata, or mr-s. Arguably the only roadsters worth owning if youre serious enough to know its not RX-8 rigid.

7/17/2008 9:08:29 PM

there's a hardtop version of the boxster. it's called a cayman.


miata isn't stiff at all, although they're fun cars (and can be stiffened up enough to be acceptable). never driven an MR-S. S2000 is very stiff and composed for a convertible.

7/17/2008 9:21:22 PM

Quote :

"So you cant look at the boxster, s2000, miata, or mr-s. Arguably the only roadsters worth owning if youre serious enough to know its not RX-8 rigid."

Like ^ said the Miata ain't stiff.

Miata stock: 2100-2400lbs (depending on model year)

s2000 stock: 2800lbs

Boxster: 3130lbs (Cayman is 2950 btw)

MR2 Spyder: 2150lbs (and it aint stiff at all either)

Notice a trend?

7/17/2008 9:57:53 PM

i have to say

i enjoyed my miata and s2000 a lot, though, and part of that was the convertible factor

7/17/2008 10:03:54 PM

this whole thing was from BBR talking about an LS7 Solstice. If you are going to spend major bucks on a car that only shines on the track, why in the world wouldn't you go for a coupe?

On the realistic side, I completely agree with you. A convertible is a billion times more fun than an enclosed vehicle.

7/18/2008 7:05:47 AM

yeah

part of me wants to put an LSx into SOMETHING, myself. not a solstice, though. more likely an FD RX7. I'm concerned that (A) it might be a major headache to own, even without the 13b and sequential turbos, and (B) that the platform is dated, and wouldn't be as good as we remembered it being from 15 years ago.

Miata would be cool, but I think you'd uncover the limitations of the chassis. even my FMII Miata was a bull in a china shop...the Comptech S2k was FAR FAR easier to drive fast. The other problem is that you then have a $15k+ Miata, which is hard to stomach.

another part of me would love to drop an LS1/T56 combo into an E46 sedan, but it would just cost too much to do (BMWs are best left alone, in my experience. EVERYTHING costs a shit ton.)


and then part of me wants something that's only lightly modded...like bolt-ons (i.e., C5/C6 'Vette or another Evo IX).

7/18/2008 11:28:28 AM

reminds me of the Saturn Sky

7/18/2008 12:34:59 PM

That would be because it is the saturn sky.

Just different bodies.

7/18/2008 2:32:18 PM

^!

7/18/2008 2:45:47 PM

^^^ HAHAHAHAHA

7/18/2008 8:04:56 PM

saw Rhys Millen race the Pontiac Solstice up Pikes Peak yesterday

7/21/2008 4:11:08 PM