Merriam-Webster defines the summer solstice as the point in the sky occupied by the sun on or about June 22nd when summer begins in the northern hemisphere. On the longest days of the year, the sun sets right around 8:30 PM in Chicago, with remnants of daylight still visible for the next half hour or so in the fading sky. Any day of the week is great for an evening walk. There’s so much promise inherent with summer’s official arrival. From that point on, the days may be slowly and surely shortening by increments, but summer is just beginning. This yellow Solstice GXP was parked near the campus of the local university on the Sunday that Daylight Savings time had ended. The sun would set at 4:40 PM that day.
Loyola-Leone Beach Park.
The best way to describe that afternoon was “gray”. A soft blanket of clouds acted as a filter through which only a few, stray beams of light seemed to pierce. In this gauzy daylight, colors seemed muted, even those of the changing leaves. I’ve been through the bi-annual time change for decades now, and yet I feel there’s never any effective way to truly prepare for how I’m going to feel on the day the clocks either spring forward or, as was the case three weeks ago, fall back. I love fall and its cool, cozy quietude, as well as the melancholy beauty of the early darkness and bare trees once the leaves have fallen.
I have also come to appreciate an empty beach. During summer, there was a smorgasbord of sound between music coming out of speakers, human voices, birds, passing traffic, the bells of ice cream carts, and crashing waves. By this point in autumn, traffic on North Sheridan Road is still very audible, but at the shore, it is the sound of the waves of Lake Michigan crashing against the sand and pebbles at regular intervals that is at the forefront. Whoosh... I remember sitting there, next to the guys who brought their cat that day. Whoosh... I didn’t make it to the hot dog stand this year. Whoosh... Summer 2020 was an exercise in sheer willpower after the mayor had “closed” the beaches all season. Whoosh… I got through that. I can get through anything.
Against these ruminations on this quiet, introspective Sunday, the daylight-on-wheels shade of yellow paint on this two-seat Pontiac stood out almost as if selectively colorized in an otherwise black-and-white photograph. Here was an example of a model named after the longest days of the warmest season as seen while well on the way to the other solstice, the cold one. Long past its prime, I had often seen this car while riding a city bus, but had never before had a chance to inspect it this closely. What could be considered Pontiac’s proverbial summer solstice? Its wholesale reinvention that had started in the late ’50s had blossomed in the ’60s in that “Wide Track” era, with beautiful, desirable, high performance cars like the early Grand Prix, GTO, and Firebird.
One could also make a case for the ’70s being Pontiac’s summer solstice, with individual models like the midsized, Colonnade-platform Grand Prix and the Trans Am variant of the popular Firebird selling like crazy, even if the rest of its lineup didn’t live up to the promise or runaway popularity of those two cars. Demand doesn’t necessarily translate to superiority. Still, the GP of the seventies was loved by many, attracting 228,000 buyers in ’76 and over 288,000 in ’77, its peak year. Sales of the high-performance Trans Am were impressive at 93,000 units for ’78 (almost equaling the 94,000 combined total of the other three Firebird submodels), but would smash through the hundred grand barrier the next year with almost 110,000 units, being the most popular Pontiac F-body, by far.
When the Solstice arrived for the ’06 model year, Pontiac was far along into its months of short days and long, dark nights. It was still inconceivable to me that the entire Pontiac brand would be gone just four model years after this attractive two-seater had first arrived. Based on GM’s rear-drive Kappa platform, the Solstice came standard with a 177-horsepower, 2.4 liter four-cylinder engine. The GXP, of which this yellow roadster is an example if my license plate search was correct, featured a turbocharged 2.0L Ecotec four-cylinder engine with 260 hp, which represented a significant, useful, 47% power upgrade. A 0-60 mph time in the mid-five second range made this a legitimately fast car.
While the Solstice was said to handle well, most criticisms centered around its general lack of refinement. Fit and finish were lackluster at best, wind noise was an issue even at moderate speeds, and as would be expected with a car with a folding top and a bobbed tail, it couldn’t haul much cargo (which, admittedly, is never the point of owning a convertible). Just over 65,700 found owners over the course of its five, official model years, with production having ended in mid-2009. When the Solstice was discontinued that July, it was a feeling not dissimilar to how it often feels when I see that the lifeguard towers have been removed from the beaches after Labor Day weekend.
The only trouble with that metaphor is that instead of the promise of another summer in the coming year, Pontiac was shut down completely by 2010, months after the last G6 was produced that January. I honestly don’t know how to feel about Daylight Savings time. Without it, the days would have been getting shorter much earlier in the year, which would have meant even fewer afternoon walks, which I love. Less daylight is inevitable and scientific, no matter whether its hours are allocated at the beginning or the end of the day.
I realize now that it’s not Daylight Savings time that’s sometimes challenging for me… it’s when it’s over. The slightly banged-up condition of this Solstice reminded me of a child’s favorite plastic beach toy that had been well-loved and played with all summer. It sat in the darkness of an early-November afternoon, resolved to wait patiently in the hope of being granted just one more season of long, sunny days in the open air.
Rogers Park, Chicago, Illinois.
Sunday, November 5, 2023.
I always liked the look of this sports car. It reminded me of what a Miata would look like if it took anabolic steroids. I was especially fond of the fairings or “bumps” in the body behind the driver’s and passenger seats. It’s a shame that performance, fit, and handling weren’t as impressive as the look.
I still like its looks, with fit of the top mentioned below notwithstanding. I like the “Miata on steroids” comparison. With a usable trunk, I think I could live with the rest of the Solstice’s shortcomings.
Personally, I’m a big fan of permanent daylight savings time. I rather like waking up in the dark (it reminds me of delivering newspapers when I was in high school) and the extra daylight in the evening seems like a win all around. To me. So, naturally, I was disappointed that the clocks once again had to change this month. Oh well.
As for the Pontiac, I too find those Solstices kind of melancholy. They always looked like a hail mary “what have we got to lose?” effort by a company that was on its last breath. The fact that all of them looked to me like they were assembled by not-very-talented plastic scale model builders (i.e., someone like me!) didn’t help. I’ve seldom seen one nowadays that doesn’t have the awful panel gaps and loose body parts that your find has.
At least though the owner got it right with the Pokemon sticker in the right-side window. That car does look like Pikachu!
I also have find memories of being up super-early, from my own paper route, working as a landscaper and greenskeeper at a golf club, and going to class.
And, yes, the homemade-looking assembly quality was unfortunate, but I still really have a soft-spot for these. And I also noticed Pikachu on the window!
Another Tuesday highlight Joseph. Love the way this Solstice leaps out at us from this otherwise dreary street of nondescript and anonymous cars. Reminds me slightly of the famous Apple Superbowl ‘1984’ commercial, in its visual impact.
A product of that tremulous era between roughly 1993 and 2010, when domestic carmakers introduced some rather creative and dramatic designs, that pursued various lifestyles. I do miss that era, even if many products missed their mark.
Most of these Pontiacs I’ve spotted over the years, have been in red or yellow. I find dark grey suits them best. They look more aggressive, while also more elegant, and modern appearing.
I’m stuck on this commercial… Double-plus good!! Wow. Don’t remember that one. Dark gray is a color that makes most cars look more serious. I do like the Solstice in that color, but I would probably want one in a more festive color. Maybe not this chrome yellow of the featured car, but something more like summer. I certainly wouldn’t diss a gray one at the right price.
“Fit and finish were lackluster at best, wind noise was an issue even at moderate speeds, and as would be expected with a car with a folding top and a bobbed tail, it couldn’t haul much cargo (which, admittedly, is never the point of owning a convertible).”
This was an argument I had with a person who presented himself as a GM executive on a racing engineering forum. The Solstice/Sky didn’t just have a small trunk. It practically only had a trunk lid. Miatas, Boxsters, Z3s and S2000s aren’t like that. They make the most of the space that they do have available, and many of them serve or served as daily drivers. The Solstice was priced and built for people who couldn’t afford Porsches or Corvettes, but it wasn’t built for those people to use as transportation.
I knew a woman who had a Saturn Sky about a dozen years ago. We used to go hiking together. I only ever saw her drive the Sky one time. Every other time I saw her she was in her Ford Escape. She didn’t drive the Sky whenever she was going to have a passenger, as then she wouldn’t have a place for her purse, but I only saw her drive it the one time to meet me. Every other time she arrived alone in her Escape. Four wheeled motorcycles might be fun, but the market for them consists mainly of people who don’t need to settle for GM parts-bin interiors and GM’s four cylinder engines.
I wonder how much use your friend with the Sky got out of hers. Even with a two seater, I would expect to be able to do things like get groceries and pack for a weekend trip. From the pictures of the Solstice’s trunk, it looks like either would be stretching it.
These were just so crippled by the concept > real world transition. The concept was never intended to go into production and unfortunately the end product reflects it in far too many ways. The top, which was never even planned for on the concept, is the most obvious way but the trunk opening, fuel tank, and storage were probably worse once a prospective buyer got close.
The real problem with this and every other car like it is that the Miata is just too good and has been for too long. You’re not competing with the Miata for new sales but also every used one that Miata owners and clubs have kept running for thirty years, all of which have reasonable storage, one-handed soft tops, diehard reliability, and racing bona fides and are available all day long at every price point up to $40k. There’s just not enough appetite for two seat convertibles to compete and certainly not for one that has compromises.
I really liked this car when it came out and still have a soft spot for it but like Jeff said it’s something that could only be made out of desperation. It never had a chance but I’m glad it existed.
That’s a pretty good Miata summary. And before covid – good Lord they could be had for a song.
It never had a chance but I’m glad it existed.
So am I, Anthony. Great assessment.
Since many parts and the engine come from the GM Delta platform (Chevy Cobalt), parts would be obtainable.
However, I’d take the Ford Thunderbird. More of a boulevard cruiser, but great for long trips to Florida via I-95 with a fat cat V8 purring under the hood, top down, and my CD player blasting away….
+1. The new-era Thunderbird would be a much more livable two-seater and CD’s rule.
That was another parts-bin car, with engineering involvement from Ford Dearborn, Ford Europe and Jaguar.
It’s a shame the Thunderbird (and LS) only had the odd 3.9-liter Jaguar-derived V8…and built in Lima, OH, rather than the corporate Ford plant in Bridgend, UK, like the proper Jag motor. Sadly, the Thunderbird didn’t get the second-gen Jaguar V8 in 4.2 or 4.2 S/C flavor, which would have been a massive improvement.
CDs do rule!
The T-Bird was my choice as well, but I did at least do a couple of searches for Sky and Solstice but for many reasons felt no desire to check one out in person.
Good job capturing some of the essence of fall. I love the thick clouds and dim daylight as a dreary (but not unpleasant) background to the brightly colored Soltice.
Arizona and Indiana don’t participate in daylight savings. I didn’t grow up in Arizona, but lived there for 15 years as an adult. The unchanging time works in that longitude, combined with the consistent sunshine. Now I live in Texas and personally I like extra long days in summer and am OK with early darkness in the colder months in exchange for a reasonable sunrise time. Makes sense to me, just don’t get my wife started. She spent her first 30 years in Arizona. To her, Man is not meant to change clocks and it’s a crime against nature.
As to the Solstice, it’s not a crime against nature or even against sports cars. As others have said, I know it has flaws but I appreciate it anyway. The world is a lot more interesting when automakers are willing to take risks. Post-bankruptcy GM is pretty much just into building Sure Things. (I suppose going all in on electric is risky, but I think they see it as a sure thing. OK, the absurdly heavy Hummer is a bit of a risk)
Jon, thank you, and I appreciate your somewhat sympathetic take on the Solstice – one which I share. I do miss “risk-taking GM”, though I realize that some of its experiments weren’t profitable or good for stockholders. Aside from that, modern cars got a whole lot less interesting to me at some undefinable point. The Solstice moves me on certain levels.
I have friends with extended family in Indiana, and I think I recall hearing about the non-time change. I think that would be kind of cool, but then I’d have to calculate when calling friends in other time zones. Small problem, I suppose.
A major concession an owner had to be willing to tolerate with these cars was that wretched top; the design dictated sail panels that simply did not work, and resulted in distortion and ill fitment from the first time one lowered the top. They all suffer from this, regardless of age or precaution. The press weren’t even given examples not affected when they were new, and it certainly didn’t endear the shopper who wasn’t aware of this until they saw one with the roof up for the first time at a dealership. A correlation to a cheap pontoon canopy was inescapable:
Indeed, the minimal styling benefit of the convertible top’s sail panels no way offest the downsides, with the biggest one being that it was not possible to lower/raise the top while seated in the interior; you had to release the sail panel hold-downs from the inside but then get out and fold them up to open the boot to be able to then lower the top.
It was a very convoluted (and quite unnecessary) process, which undoubtedly resulted in some soaked owners when caught in a sudden downpour with the top down.
That engineering faux pas aside, I never warmed to the styling of the Solstice (even less its cousine, the Saturn Sky). IIRC, this was one of Bob Lutz’ last projects while at GM. My sister had one and the driving position was way too low. In effect, it was yet another shot at the Mazda Miata market that missed the target by a wide margin.
That is incredible that the failed so badly with the top in multiple ways. Having to go through that monkey business to raise and lower the top would be a deal breaker for me.
What’s interesting is that when I was photographing the subject car, I don’t recall having paid attention to the fit of the top. I know that has been mentioned before, but I’m sure I’ll be seeing it from now on. I wonder just what engineering solution could have been implemented to fix this…
Note: Oddly, it took me awhile to think about the time change issue for dogs, and kept getting confused about how Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time is perceived by animals in general. I think I got it, but if I did not, I’m sure someone will set me straight.
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Debbie’s three dogs have very accurate timekeeping mechanisms in their stomachs that says “Dinner is always at 7:00 P.M.”. Autumn clock set back time is an unexpected gift.
Dachshund question: OK, that was a great one-hour-early dinner; do we still get our regular 7:00 P.M. dinner too?
Answer: No, but tomorrow’s breakfast will also be an hour early.
In the spring-forward time change, at what – one day before – was 7:00 P.M., but is now only 6:00 P.M., the three dogs stand around in the kitchen looking at us like we have completely forgotten their dinner, which is a serious break in the human-to-doggie relationship.
(The steady use of treats helps smooth this transition.)
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The trunk of these little Pontiacs was (at first) mostly full of the gas tank (photo below). It’s not a big deal physically, but it signals a worrisome concern about the level of thought and care that went into the vehicle’s overall design. A mid-year modification eliminated this “issue”, but by then first impressions were already impacted.
“A 0-60 mph time in the mid-five second range … “.
That’s seriously way faster (by some 3 seconds) than a 140 hp Miata. There was a time in my life when that would have been a big deal, but where that feeling went, I have no idea.
The Solstice’s profile looks like some 1949 Mercury lead sled driver chopped the roof and the tail of this little Pontiac roadster. Of course that’s my old-timey subjective opinion and doesn’t really count for much in the big scheme of things.
“I have also come to appreciate an empty beach.”
As I have mention occasionally on this forum, when I lived on or near Long Island I often visited local beaches in off-season (even during snow storms). I love the sight, sound, and smell of the ocean. But I do not like the sight, sound, and smell (e.g., coconut tanning oil) of summer beach goers.
It’s not that I don’t like happy, beach going people, maybe I just don’t like people messing up pristine beaches. It’s one thing to be surrounded by people on a NYC subway; a beach deserves better.
Some dogs are better able to deal with the time change than others. I have 3, and two of them transition just fine. The third continues to pester me an hour before dinner…and will do this until about March, where we get a month of peace until I start confusing her by feeding her early. Poor girl.
But speaking of beaches, one of the other benefits of winter beaches is that many (at least those around here) allow dogs on the beach during the off seasons. I have universally found that there is no happier dog than one who is at the beach.
Our practice has been in the spring to feed the dog a half hour early (by the clock) for a few days after the change. When she seems to have adjusted to that, we move back to the regular time. Neither of our dogs has appeared to suffer more than a week of meal schedule disorientation that way.
These are some great points. Thinking about my own stomach-clock, I wonder why my eating habits weren’t affected that much by the time change. Dogs, though… Pavlov was onto something with his behavioral studies.
About the trunk, and “ it signals a worrisome concern about the level of thought and care that went into the vehicle’s overall design.“, wow. I hadn’t really thought about it that way. I would assume that any modern roadster would have all the safety stuff in place. I’d assume that any other shortcuts might have been made to things like materials. And that ill-fitting convertible top.
At the end of the day, this was a parts-bin car, with portions of the structure derived from the Corvette and various pieces used from many other GM platforms. The design was a bit odd and compromised, especially the–as someone pointed out–giant hump in the trunk for the fuel tank and the fiddly top.
Unfortunately, it had some unfair criticism levied at it. MX-5 Miata and S2000 people complained that it wasn’t dynamically as good as those cars (not that the original NC. was a great sports car, either)…while Corvette people complained that it didn’t have a V8 and “wasn’t a Corvette.”
I personally thought the Solstice was cool, although I preferred its Saturn Sky cousin for styling and that car’s Opel/Vauxhall GT clone. Incidentally, I think the Sky was the only RWD Saturn ever.
I think you’re right about the sky being Saturn’s only RWD model. I hadn’t even thought about that. As far as the styling of the Sky vs. Solstice, wow – I think I like them both equally. I don’t think I was aware that the trunk situation was really that unfortunate.
As previously mentioned, while not a fan of the Solstice convertible, GM, as usual, came up with a much better version right as the car was being discontinued, and that’s the very nice Solstice coupe, of which only 1,266 were produced.
And, in another typical GM move, they screwed-up the targa feature since the standard, included hard top, when removed, could not be carried with the car. There was a folding targa top that ‘would’ fit, but it was an extra cost option.
Regardless, the low production and relative rarity of the quite good-looking Solstice coupe makes it a perfect future CC candidate. I dare say that, from a rear 3/4 perspective, it reminds me a bit of the old Cobra Daytona coupe.
I do also see a little Cobra Daytona. Absolutely. I don’t recall if or when I have ever seen a Solstice coupe in the real. I do like them in pictures, but I think I’d still want the convertible as there are other closed coupes I think I’d rather have than the cool and rare Solstice.
Sorry – but the Saturn Sky that was sold as an Opel, was a much better looking version of this car. The Sky looked like an updated version of a classic 1962 Corvette, while the Solstice looked like a Sky with the cool parts removed and stuck with a dull-ass Pontiac grille that came off of a G-5. The guys at Pontiac didn’t want to make a mistake, and this car reeks of their fear. Pontiac always did crazy cool stuff that was hit or miss. However, by this time, Pontiac seemed afraid of its own legacy and made the Solstice look like a rolling battery-operated bedroom appliance. FAIL.
I’m surprised at how many of these I still see, along with their Saturn siblings. Especially as it was a car that totally escaped my radar when it was actually in the showrooms. I saw one hiding down at the end of a long driveway just yesterday. Around here most seem to be black or dark gray though.
I think that maybe by this point, this many years after production ended, those who wanted one enough to have one now appreciate what they have, which may correlate with their survival rates. The featured car is far from pristine, but it’s been here in the neighborhood for years now.
I see them in metro NY, but never on the road, always parked in someone’s driveway. There was a guy down the street who would sit in his with the driver’s door open to smoke. I never knew whether the cigarette or the car was what “drove” him to do it.
I’ve been more into the Sky, but those headrest fairings were a big mistake on a road car.
Incidentally, my nephew corrected me several years ago, and I’ve never forgotten, the term is “daylight saving”, singular on the “saving.”
Thank your nephew for me. “Savings” is one of those things I’ve always said even though it in fact makes no sense to use a plural in that case. Sort of like misheard song lyrics, sometimes I just go with things that make no sense for no good reason.
Man, going out to sit in the car to smoke. Over the years, I’ve encountered that situation a few times. Usually it involves some very sad spouse or someone’s partially unwelcome bachelor uncle at holiday gatherings (like my uncle..who my mom would force to take his smoke breaks in the car/truck during rather painful Thanksgiving/Christmas dinners).
This is the opposite of me. I used to pull over in my Mustang so I could light up a cigarette and not smoke in my car. That went out the window at some point during my ownership. I smoked for seven years.
Thanks for the correction! I hope my use of “Daylight Savings” wasn’t too cringey to you or to any of the other readers! LOL
What does GXP stand for?
The best answer I could find for my search of what GXP stands for is, G-Series Xtra Performance.
The jury’s still out, I think. One source said it stood for “Grand eXperimental Prototype”, and another said it stood for “nothing”. We can all agree that it didn’t stand for “Grand-Times-Prix”. LOL
The Solstice is one of those few cars that genuinely irks me. And I love convertibles, and miss Pontiac… it’s just that I view this as a case of a company trying too hard, and flopping instead. It’s the automotive equivalent of a middle-aged dad who wants to appear cool to his kids, so he does a TikTok dance in public. Not cool; just embarrassing
Maybe that’s a bit harsh on both the Solstice and dads, however even when new, these cars made me cringe a bit.
Daylight Saving Time doesn’t bother me much. For me, a bit of inconvenience with a twice-yearly time change is a worthwhile payoff for an extra hour of usable daylight. But those first few days of early sunsets can be pretty rough.
“TikTok Dad” – LOL. I think the Solstice did try, though in my mind, I don’t think it smacks of excess effort (which is the antidote to cool-factor). I think it needed to have unique qualities to differentiate it – to add something to the basic formula the Miata had (re-)introduced in the late 1980s.
To your point in the last paragraph, when I had written this essay three weeks ago, the early darkness was jarring, but three weeks later when this essay has run, I think I’m basically used to it.
The packaging was a disaster on these. The trunk was just not usable – the fuel tank rose high in the middle of it with a kind of “moat” around it which would accommodate only small, squashy items. The roof was also looked makeshift and didn’t seal against either wind or water properly. Even a sports car needs to be capable of fulfilling basic transport needs – like going away for a weekend with another person and some luggage. As has been said, the Miata and especially Boxster fulfill these needs, making them every day usable rather than short haul toys like the Solstice.
All in all, the looks say it all – GM built a cartoon car.
Even a sports car needs to be capable of fulfilling basic transport needs
These are facts. I do rather like the looks, though.
What’s really odd about Arizona time is the state doesn’t do daylight saving but the Indian reservations do, not sure if all reservations do. First time I experienced that was weird. I was running late(as usual) called the place I had booked for the week that I would be late. They asked where I was and said, Oh, no problem you’ll be here before we close. I’m thinking, I drive fast, but not that fast, I didn’t know I was about to gain an hour when I left the reservation.
As far as this car goes I thought the Pontiac was homely looking and trying to hard to look like a 50’s German roadster. The Sky would have been my choice as long as I could snag the turbo. The trunk space is nuts. I think my 86 Harley FXRT has more capacity.