DeLorean Motor Company considers building the Pontiac Solstice

[Doc Brown]

http://jalopnik.com/5375647/exclusive-delorean-motor-company-contemplating-building-pontiac-solstice?skyline=true&s=x


I found this fascinating not only because I own a Delorean, but also for the historical signifigance of saving a line from Pontiac, the GM division where John Delorean first made his mark on the automotive world, and incorporating it into the enduring Delorean brand of today.

I know the concept pictures show a convertible, but I am sold on the possiblity of a Solstice-esque car with lightweight gullwing doors being powered by a 260bhp Ecotec. :D

Interesting as this story is, my BS detector is on still on high alert, as this could just as easily be a fake story as much as a leaked secret.

[team beater]

that would be hot

[Firefighter Z]

That be nice but where would they put the flux capacitor?
I don't think reaching 88 mph would be a problem though. lol

[70 cutlass 442]

would they be packing kilo's of coke in the doors as a selling point?

[Exitspeed]

PLEASE Save the Kappa platform Delorean! Man that would be sweet.

They HAVE to do the coupe version.

[Karps TA]

No bearing on me. I'd care more if they brought back the Fiero. The Solstice was a complete failure in my eyes.

The dealerships are struggling to get rid of the Solstices they still have on their lots.

[07ROUSHSTG3]

i don't see this happening, but would be neat.

[That_Guy]

No bearing on me. I'd care more if they brought back the Fiero. The Solstice was a complete failure in my eyes.

The dealerships are struggling to get rid of the Solstices they still have on their lots.

i wasnt a fan of the solstice but i was a huge fan of the sky redline..

[Karps TA]

#1 the Sky looked more like a Pontiac then the Solstice did. It had the edgy look that all the Pontiacs have.

#2 it was essentially useless. With the top down you could only fit like a case of soda in the trunk. So being that the majority of people who would buy a car like that are retirees it made no sense. They couldn't take it to the country club without putting the clubs in the passenger seat. You couldn't say drive up to Door Country for the weekend with the top down AND have any luggage.

#3 it's not designed for anybody over 5'8". I'm 6' and was having a heck of a time using the clutch cause my legs didn't fit, plus with the seat all the way back, it becomes then perfectly upright, making it uncomfortable to drive. Then they put the fucking cupholder in the waterfall between the 2 seats. Making it near impossible to reach, and your elbow slams into it when you try to shift. For whatever reason though the passenger side had like twice the amount of room.

#4 it didn't do anything great. It's not fast. It doesn't handle as well as a Miata. What the hell was the point? How GM decided to go after the Miata market and not actually do a single thing better then Mazda had done for the previous 20 years is remarkable. It's too bad cause I had a ton of hope for the car. And my dad was ready to buy one cause he thought it be a great retirement gift to himself. Until he saw it and drove it.

It's amazing how within a year you found alot of them on used car lots already cause people bought them, found out they don't fit in anyone's lifestyle and traded them in.

[07ROUSHSTG3]

i drove a solstice once. thought i was going to have to call the fire dept to get out of it, LOL!

[That_Guy]

i have a dream... this is what it should have come with..

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

[Exitspeed]

#1 the Sky looked more like a Pontiac then the Solstice did. It had the edgy look that all the Pontiacs have.

#2 it was essentially useless. With the top down you could only fit like a case of soda in the trunk. So being that the majority of people who would buy a car like that are retirees it made no sense. They couldn't take it to the country club without putting the clubs in the passenger seat. You couldn't say drive up to Door Country for the weekend with the top down AND have any luggage.

#3 it's not designed for anybody over 5'8". I'm 6' and was having a heck of a time using the clutch cause my legs didn't fit, plus with the seat all the way back, it becomes then perfectly upright, making it uncomfortable to drive. Then they put the fucking cupholder in the waterfall between the 2 seats. Making it near impossible to reach, and your elbow slams into it when you try to shift. For whatever reason though the passenger side had like twice the amount of room.

#4 it didn't do anything great. It's not fast. It doesn't handle as well as a Miata. What the hell was the point? How GM decided to go after the Miata market and not actually do a single thing better then Mazda had done for the previous 20 years is remarkable. It's too bad cause I had a ton of hope for the car. And my dad was ready to buy one cause he thought it be a great retirement gift to himself. Until he saw it and drove it.

It's amazing how within a year you found alot of them on used car lots already cause people bought them, found out they don't fit in anyone's lifestyle and traded them in.

Did you really expect them to build a better Miata their first time out? I sure didn't. Their first attempt wasn't that bad though. What they did do better though is make a better looking Miata. The curretn gen Miata isn't all that good looking. And the GXP/Redline versions where pretty fast actually.

[That_Guy]

Did you really expect them to build a better Miata their first time out? I sure didn't. Their first attempt wasn't that bad though. What they did do better though is make a better looking Miata. The curretn gen Miata isn't all that good looking. And the GXP/Redline versions where pretty fast actually.

with stage kits and, or tuning and stock turbo guys seam to get around 320 hp with a matching torque curve

[ND4SPD]

They need to put the motor in the trunk where it belongs in a car that size... then us 6+ footers will have all the leg/head room we need. BTW: I like the DMC styling MUCH better than Pontiac's. I also agree with the statement that the Sky looks more like a Pontiac than the Solstice.

[Exitspeed]

with stage kits and, and or tuning and stock turbo guy seam to get around 320 hp with a matching torque curve

There's a factory kit you can get too installed right at the dealer that bumps the Ecotec Turbo from 260hp to 290 for only $650. That's not that bad for a warrantied upgrade.

[Karps TA]

Yes I did expect them to. It's called market research, and learning from other's mistakes.

Adding more power to the Solstice/Sky isn't the problem even. It doesn't even handle as well as a Miata. Every comparison I've seen the Miata still ends up ahead. There's a reason why it's the choice of SCCA racers. I see them whooping ass on cars with 2 to 3 times the hp.

Even then, who was the car direct at? What was it's target audience? Not alot of 20 something's can afford a car that is nothing more then a toy. Seems to me the car was aimed at an audience that had disposable income, but then didn't really fulfill the needs of those people.

It might just be me. I didn't see the point of the car GM ended up delivering. I saw what they were aiming for, they just missed it by quite a bit.

[Exitspeed]

Yes I did expect them to. It's called market research, and learning from other's mistakes.

Gee, and I thought I was an optimist.

Honestly, it's not a coincidence that no one has been able to make a better Miata after all these years. It's obviously not an easy formula to perfect. I do give GM credit for their effort though.

[Karps TA]

Why bother spending lots of money and time to come out with a very niche product that isn't as good if not better then the product already dominating that niche? It's not like Mazda was selling 200K Miatas a year to begin with and GM could look at it and want a piece of that huge pie. It's a perfect example of GM's previous issues. If you're going to go after a Niche, take it.

They did a much, much better job doing that with the Camaro. Being last to the party, but making an overall better product.

[Exitspeed]

Like I said the Miata formula isn't easy to mimic. Hence why NO ONE else has been able to.

[Karps TA]

I'm sure if any car mfg wanted to they could. But it's a very small niche that isn't worth the money. It's not like the Miata is a technical marvel. It's a pretty uncomplicated car. I've not seen any part of it made of Adamantium or something.

[Exitspeed]

I'm sure if any car mfg wanted to they could. But it's a very small niche that isn't worth the money. It's not like the Miata is a technical marvel. It's a pretty uncomplicated car. I've not seen any part of it made of Adamantium or something.

Sometimes the most simple things are also the most complex.

Toyota tried with the last gen MR2 and they failed too.