stumpjumper

a co-worker has a Sky, and I've got a 2002 S, I've been in the Sky a lot and we go back and forth making fun of each others cars in jest but there are a few huge differences

he has to get out of his car to use the roof, and unlike a manual Miata roof you can't do this while moving because of the way the rear opens... think massive air brake and trunk being ripped off

he has no storage space, nothing behind the seats, the only "glove box" like compartment is behind you in the center about shoulder height... not good to access while driving (an Elise has more storage)

he can fit 3 golf clubs and his shoes in the trunk, while I can fit 2 sets (in ping carry bags) in my rear trunk with only taking the woods out... and still have an empty front trunk

the interior of his car screams of cheap plastic and it is more cramped with the huge center console and leg tubes

it sounds like a 4 banger... because it is

it is uncomfortable at speed with the top down because of the mirror placement, the mirrors force air into your shoulder and face, this design element seems stupid because it basically forces you to put the windows up or wear glasses... fine during the day but at night that sucks (I don't want to put the windows up)

the sky/solstice is a nice enough car, they look pretty good and handle pretty well, but having bought my car used I didn't pay much more than a Sky Redline goes for, and the creature comforts in 987/986 are worlds better than the Kappa cars

First986NJ

Lol....yeaa.....but it just rubs ya the wrong way doesn't it ? Kinda like some dweeby little pinhead walking up and slapping your wife when you can't deck his ***.

986Jim

The Pontiac can say or be whatever it wants. In the end it's still a Pontiac which is a POS American car. Know what American cars are? 11,000 parts all to the lowest bidder. SUPER!

Pzkw993

Dave,

There's nothing wrong with your numbers, but if you take a look at the 2006 National SCCA Solo Championship Results, you will see that the base Solstice won C Stock with a 101.xxx. The fastest Stock-class Porsche without "GT3" on the rear decklid was the Paul Kozlak A Stock 993 with a low 103.xxx and there was a 986S about four-tenths of a second behind it. Incidentally, the Solstice also beat about half of the GT3s entered. Keep in mind there were weather and surface variations between classes, but the Solstice placing was no fluke.

So take that car, stiffen the suspension, and put an extra ninety horsepower behind it, and what do you think will happen? Some of the Solo regulars think the Solstice GXP will be forced up into Super Stock where it can compete directly with the GT3, Elise, and Corvette Z06.

Again, I'm not gonna buy one and I don't envy the people who have 'em - but they cannot be dismissed as "junk cars". They are serious cars designed and built by people who love to drive. I'm personally happy to see General Motors come out with strong product like this.

Vampyre

That makes the Porsche more exclusive since less people will buy them now. hehehe

it's a TV commerical made to fool the m(asses)

All in all the price for those two roadster isn't too bad for a new car. Would I own one? Nope for the 25K I would get a nice Used Porsche!

Doug&Julie

Have you guys heard this song...called "U.G.L.Y." by Daphne and Celeste...it just played on my iPod...and reminded me of the Solstace / Sky...he he...

(When you see U.G.L.Y., it's sung like "You...Gee...Elle...Why")

Ugly
Daphne And Celeste
(We Didn't Say That)


U.G.L.Y.
You ain't got no alibi
You ugly
Hey! Hey! You ugly [x4]

I saw you walking down the street just the other day
I didn't see your damage from that far away
I should have got a clue when the kids started screaming
You walked up to me with your buck teeth a-gleaming
You hair was all frizzy and your face was a mess
I thought it was a sack but it's your favourite dress
You hurt the trees feelings and the birds all flew
I don't mean to insult you - Oh yes I do!

Your teeth are yellow they're covered in mould
You're only fourteen you look a hundred years old
When looks were handed out you were last in line
You face looks like where the sun don't shine
Did you fall off a building and land on your head
Or did a truck run over your face instead
There ain't no pill cos you ain't ill
You ugly!

U.G.L.Y.
You ain't got no alibi
You ugly
Hey! Hey! You ugly [x2]

What you really need is to wear a mask
And book that plastic surgeon fast, girl
You're scary you're hairy I heard about you
You're the main attraction at the city zoo
You're so ugly with a belly full of flab
When you wear a yellow coat people shout out cab! (So funny)
You got eyes like a pig and your nose is big
And with hari like that you should be wearing a wig
Uncle Fester remember him
I never knew that you had a twin
You can't disguise your googly eyes
In the Miss Ugly pageant you win first prize
Your mama says you ugly, you ugly

U.G.L.Y.
You ain't got no alibi
You ugly
Hey! Hey! You ugly [x2]

Get busy [x15]
Your mama says you ugly [x3]
You ugly

U-U-U-U

U.G.L.Y.
You ain't got no alibi
You ugly
Hey! Hey! You ugly [x2]

Quasimodo
Camelbreath
Squarehead
Ugly~
Chicken legs
Pigface
Chin like bubba
Ugly!
Fish lips
Toad licker
Poindexter
Ugly!
Spaghetti arms
Limp butt
Freakshow
Ugly!

U.G.L.Y.
You ain't got no alibi
You ugly
Hey! Hey! You ugly

U.G.L.Y. you could make an onion cry
U.G.L.Y. like an alien chased by the F.B.I

U.G.L.Y. [x6]

U.G.L.Y.
You ain't got no alibi
You ugly

perfectlap

I think you may be giving the car too much credit. What car was the Solstice driver with the 101 time using before the Solstice in previous events and how was he placing? Was the course suited for the GT3 and the GT3 stock tires?
also, when it comes to Solo there are soooo many variables. Actually last week at my local venue a guy in a 20 year basically stock MR2 comes within a tenth of a second of a far more powerful Subaru STI also piloted by an experienced driver.
Would the result be the same at an open track event? definitely not.

Pzkw993

True enough... but we aren't talking about local events. This was the Solo National Championship. For that reason, you can safely assume that the top thirty or forty drivers in each class are masters of their art. You can find the results at the SCCA site - you can also see a couple more Solstices behind the winning car but ahead of the fastest non-GT3 Porsche. Paul Kozlak, the 103.xxx car which was the closest Porsche, was the 2005 National A Stock champion in that same car. This is very different from an experienced driver showing up a newbie at a local club event - this is a case where National-caliber drivers are consistently faster in the Solstice than they are in any Porsche save for the GT3, with some National-caliber drivers not being as fast in the GT3 as the top ten or so Solstice drivers.

I'm a little concerned by the dismissive attitude held by some Rennlisters about these cars. I'd expect that from the S2000 owners or from the younger BMWCCA kids - but as Porsche owners we should understand that successful competition breeds credibility. There were plenty of people who dismissed the 550 Spyder in competition even after it showed its ability to be a giant-killer. We shouldn't be guilty of the same mistake forty years later. This is a car which, in normally aspirated form, is a Solo National Champion and a Showroom Stock National Champion. And as a turbocharged car, it's as strong as any Boxster save for the 2007 3.4S. Let's respect it, even if we aren't fond of the hard plastics or the "Kurtis Roadster" look.

Doug&Julie

Aw, come on now...I'm just pokin' fun...

perfectlap

pzkw993,
I agree that you can't knock the Solstice for not being a true sports car. It's competitiveness speaks for itself. I was actually very surprised to see the glowing reviews in Road & Track etc. when it first appeared and when they compared it to the benchmark Boxster, well that speaks volumes as well.

p.s. 100+ seconds is pretty long for an autocross course, but its Natioanls (Kansas?) I have noticed that when a course tends to be this long (nearly two minutes) power becomes much less of an advantage and tires/grip becomes a bigger factor.
So in that respect, autocross is a bit peculiar. You aren't getting the full portrait of the car if you will because I don't think sports cars where meant to be only going in a straight line or only turning.
I'd be curious to see how the Solstice would stack up against most Pcars on equal tires in an open track event.

JohnVitamvas

Whoa boy.

First of all, Nats is held over two days, and the two (different) courses times' are summed together. So it wasn't one 100 second course, it was two seperate 50 second courses.

Second, autocross (particularly at Nats) can reward some very strange strengths in an automobile as compared to racetrack use. For instance, the Boxster is at a unique disadvantage due to its long gearing. This isn't a problem at the track, but a 72MPH second gear doesn't help when you never cross 64 MPH. Conversely, the Solstice GXP's 52MPH top speed in second gear is a serious detriment to its competitiveness. The "vanilla" Solstice doesn't have this problem (I believe it has a higher redline which lets it reach nearly 60MPH in second).

Third, stock-class autocross rewards cars with factory-adjustable suspensions. The Boxster has very little adjustment capability from the factory - the Solstice has a bunch of it. It also has a proper suspension geometry from the factory - it isn't held back by having struts on all four corners.

The Solstice is a great autocross car and it's a fantastic success for GM. Do I want one? Nope. Am I threatened that other people think it is better than a Boxster? Nope.

SDDave

Hell, I'd like to see the Solstice tackle the great Gatekeeper of Sportscar-dom...

What's its Nordschleife time!!??


Dave
San Diego

First986NJ

These are autocross results where you never get out of second or third gear though. Not meaning to insult AXers in any way, shape or form, but let me see the bone stock Solstice stay with a bone stock 986 or 987 with optional ROW M030 at Limerock, the Glenn,Tunder Hill, or MidOhio for 20 or 30 laps. Then I'll be impressed.

I just get cranked up when they gear the thing down, make sure the 0-60 is like 0.1 quicker than a base 987, then start comparing it to a Boxster. Let's see what happens when the Boxster starts tapping it's 18 mph better top end, or carrying enought speed through every corner to tap it's additional .2 to .4 Gs (Insite has registered 1.2 with the ROW M030 on a few occasions already) of adhesion.

I know it's just marketing, but c'mon.

Then again, you buy the champ, I guess you have to expect them to want a shot at the title.

blinkwatt

He isn't even running on a full on RoW 030 kit and he can pull 1.2G w/ that rear stress bar. He only run the RoW spec springs and bars,not shocks.

insite

setup has a lot to do with it. so does balance. in my opinion, a good autocross car doesn't necessarily make a good road race car (or vice versa). try to autocross an F430 (extreme example). you will probably get beat by far lesser cars. now go to the race track. the F430 will make the same lesser cars look stupid.

as for setup, try to autocross a stock C5 'vette. you will suck. now have someone align it properly and fine tune the sways. TOTALLY different car.
same thing for the boxster. from the factory, a base 986 supposedly pulls like .90 g's. change the tires and set the camber. now you pull well over 1g.

i haven't driven a solctice; i'm not going to knock it. the chassis may be well engineered. it's obviously an auto-x contender. it even looks good to me. and it's CHEAP (tell me it really costs that much more to build a boxster).

at the race track, my money's on the boxster.

(and john's right above; it's ridiculous for as much money as a boxster or 997 costs that the front suspension is cheap a$$ mcpherson struts. score one to the solctice)