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Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky 'Return' as 2022 C7 Corvette Sisters

The Corvette is the one true American sports car, surviving recessions and the withering storm of powerful muscle cars. However, it's not the only one of its kind, as GM's stable also welcomed modern sports cars such as the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky.
Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky Return as 2022 C7 Corvette Sisters 4 photos
Photo: Kleber Silva
Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky Return as 2022 C7 Corvette SistersPontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky Return as 2022 C7 Corvette SistersPontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky Return as 2022 C7 Corvette Sisters
Because they didn't survive to this day, it's only natural to assume that they weren't good or didn't sell well, but you'd be wrong on both accounts.

The Pontiac Solstice entered production in 2005, about a year after being previewed as a concept. You probably remember one of these cars as a lame Autobot in the Transformers movies, but it was pretty cool.

Not only did the motoring press love this slim European-style roadster, but so did the customers. Within 10 days of the reveal, Pontiac had 7,000 orders, which was supposed to be their total yearly production number. Safe to say even Pontiac surprised by the result.

The normal model was equipped with 2.4-liter making 177 horsepower and cost about $28,000. But the definitive version came out a year layer. The Solstice GXP had a 2-liter turbo making 260 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque.

This model claimed a 0 to 60 mph (97 kph) in 5.5 seconds or less (7 seconds for the 2.4L) and is probably still the most power-dense engine ever offered by GM in America at about 2.1 hp per cubic inch. You could also buy an engine tune right from the dealer to get 290 hp, and for the last two model years, the Solstice was also available as a Targa-style coupe.

However, in 2009, GM announced it would kill the Pontiac and Saturn brands. The newly re-established DeLorean brand wanted to buy the Wilmington Assembly plant and even showed sketches of the re-branded DeLorean Solstice. However, it eventually went to Fisker.

We think the Solstice GXP is a particularly sexy-looking roadster that might have out-gunned the BMW Z4 if given the chance. Its designer, Franz von Holzhausen, is now working at Tesla and is responsible for the sexy new Roadster II.

These revival renderings by Kleber Silva honestly don't do the original any justice. But the idea is an interesting one - to take the C7 Corvette that just went out of production and turn it into a sports car with the engine over the front. Maybe Cadillac wants some of those.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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