Location: Yuba City, California .... The BIG Cowpie!
Discussing a recent topic, I recalled this list of accolades I posted on the Miata Forum, long ago, in response to declarations the Solstice was ugly.
Sure, it is only gratuitious, but with all of the new members, and for all of you who have forgotten all of the reviews we posted in those early months you spent waiting for the 1st 1000 cars to be built, to be shipped, to be returned, delayed, repaired, reworked, reshipped and delievered, without further ado, here is a list of accolades I found relating to the Solstice's fine looks.
This is just for fun and nothing more, but it just makes me feel good to remember the warm embrace the Solstice got upon introduction to the world after so many of us wondered if it could be done, or rather, if they would butcher the looks from show car to showroom.
Read them and enjoy...
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimbogxp
No doubt many people don't think the Solstice is very attractive, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say they are in the minority. Why would I think such a possibility might exist...
These articles lead me to believe that most people think the Solstice is gorgeous:
The looks of the Solstice has been praised in just about every review I have ever read.
From Automobile Magazine, January 2005
"Design of the Year", Pontiac Solstice
"No need to beat around the bush: the best attribute of the Pontiac Solstice is its brilliant Franz von Holzhausen styling. Even if its appealing appearance were all the Solstice had going for it, the car still would have been a strong contender for this award, because it possesses all the visceral appeal that made the original 2002 concept so desirable. It's cool, it's smooth, it's exciting, and, thanks to some clever engineering under its skin, it's a good drive too."
From Road & Track, October 2005
"When it was introduced as a concept car at the January 2002 auto show, the Pontiac Solstice grabbed a lot of attention because of its tidy size, fetching styling, and jaunty, muscular stance.
Car & Driver...
"Park the Mazda next to the Pontiac, and the show-car like American two-seater is the one that will draw a crowd. The Solstice has the advantage of a brand new shape, wheels at the corners, and bulges in all the right places.
From Motorweek's website...
(Named "Best Convertible" for 2006)
"Its glamorous styling stands out in a car market packed with generic designs, while its excellent balance of creature comforts and reasonable performance makes it a perfect country road cruiser."
From Autoweek...
"If we judged a car by its looks, the Solstice would win hands down. The Miata is cute in a British sort of way, but the Solstice with it's rounded curves and bulging fender flares, is just plain sexy. Plus it doesn't look like anything on the road."
From MPH magazine...
"The 2006 Pontiac Solstice attracts gawkers the eway that one friend of yours attracts psycho girlfriends. Heads turn, fingers point, families want to pose with it, and even amidst the awe-inspiring landscape of Denali National Forrest, people turn away from the scenery and take pictures of the car.
"It's the kind of rubber-necking you'd expect if you were driving an Italian sports car, or a $240,000 Bentley, not the kind you'd expect to get in a $20,000 Pontiac."
From Forbes.Autos website...
"The Solstice is one of the most stylish convertibles on the road at any price. Its clean design rivals that of the twice-as-expensive Porsche Boxster and is more imaginative than the Mercedes-Benz SLK. The Solstice summarily trumps the familiar and conservative look of its only direct rival, the new-for-2006 MX-5 Miata."
From About.com
"The Solstice is a solid contender for most beautiful new car of the year, if not the decade. Women especially seem to love its looks. And what’s not to like? Its proportions are nigh on perfect. It’s one of those exceptionally rare automobiles that look simply terrific from every angle."
From Edmunds.com
"The first thing people notice about the Pontiac Solstice is its shapely body. Hyrdroformed body panels give it seductive compound curves and flowing lines."
From Wards Auto
"Exterior styling is engagingly curvaceous. The front bumper rolls from the GMC Envoy-swiped fog lamps to the two kidney-shaped grilles to the clamshell hood. Small sheet-metal scoops are set beside the Pontiac badge on the front quarter panels.
Taillamps are perched high on the corners, and the rear deck features drumlin-shaped ripples behind the headrests (Pontiac stylists call them "aero fairings"), adding to the Solstice’s aerodynamic appearance. It looks muscular, unlike the Matchbox-sized Miata."
From the St. Louis Post Dispatch
"Even side-by-side, the concept and the production car are hard to tell apart. And this one’s a home run. I can tell you after a week with Solstice, nobody doesn’t like the look.
"Nobody.
"It starts up front with a bumper-less snout that looks as mean and righteous as a fist. Plugged aggressively with Pontiac’s twin-kidney grille, it snuffles asphalt like a bloodhound tracking a bad guy.
"In profile, Solstice exhibits a swoopy, gently rising belt line that shows wheelwells stuffed with 18-inch rims and rubber, and back-of-the-seats fairings that stand proud top up or top down.
"In back is a rump that sits high, wide and handsome below the aforementioned fairings and taillights that peel back in a handsome mimic of the headlights.
"The look of this car is cooler than the other side of the pillow, I’m here to tell ya."
__________________ Solstice GXP Coupe You still don't need a trunk to haul ass...
even at Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas!
Location: Yuba City, California .... The BIG Cowpie!
Sorry, ran out of room for all the articles noting the Solstice's great looks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimbogxp
From AJAC (Automobile Journalists Association of Canada)...
TORONTO, Feb. 15 /CNW/ - The Pontiac Solstice won the "Best New Design" award for 2006 as presented by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). The award was handed out as part of the 2006 Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY) awards that opened the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.
The Solstice was chosen the overall winner from amongst 62 eligible vehicles representing all entries in the 2006 Canadian Car of the Year awards.
"Trends come and go, but good design endures. It's what sets a vehicle apart from the hundreds of models, thousands of variations and millions vehicles on the road," commented Paul Williams, chair of the 2006 CCOTY awards.
Williams continued: "The intent of the AJAC design award is to identify and reward the vehicle that we collectively judge to exhibit the most esthetically pleasing combination of appearance and function.
"Judging is based on exterior and interior appearance, but in a real world context."
The The LA Times...
"This is a beautiful car, with a harmony of shapes and lines that is almost musical. Carmakers like to talk about tension in the sheet metal, but that's often an exercise in the power of suggestion. Not with Solstice.
"The fuselage between the wheel wells looks like a band of stretched latex, ready to snap forward. Its stubby roadster proportions are perfect, with the compact aggression of a Japanese short sword. The twin headrest humps on the rear deck look like they were borrowed from a Zagato-bodied Aston Martin.
"Even with the curiously oversized fog lights and backing lights — ferreted from the Chevy Equinox parts bin — you have to give the car's aesthetic an A+. With the top down, it looks simply terrific."
The NY Times...
"So I think the Solstice will do just fine. It might sell even if it cornered like a Rambler Classic, simply because it looks so good. Athletic and organic, with more bulges and curves than RuPaul, the design is both muscular and feminine, but not truly cute and not retro in the least. The 18-inch wheels are pushed to the corners. Details, down to tiny scoops behind the front wheels, look right."
From USA Today...
Tagline: Va-va-voom style with a surprisingly low price tag
"•Style. Just too cool, evoking mighty machines of then and now, including racing Jaguars of the 1950s and recent Lotuses.
From the Washington Post...
"The rear-wheel-drive Solstice has passion. People young and old of multiple hues and ethnicities crowded around the car everywhere I took it. Other motorists followed me on the highway, honking horns and giving me thumbs up in approbation.
"The Solstice was even a hit in the parking lot of a Starbucks meeting place in Northern Virginia, where some owners of million-dollar mini-mansions -- houses too big for the small lots that once held modest brick residences -- marveled that something so well designed, so exquisitely proportioned, could cost so little. Solstice prices start at $19,420. You can fully option the car at $25,000."
The Chicago Sun Times...
"The Solstice's styling is more rakish than the Miata's, with Pontiac's twin-honeycomb grille, sexy curves and two retro-style head fairings on the trunk lid that look as if from 1950s sports-racing cars.
"I tested a bright red Solstice, which drew more stares than any car I've driven in a long time. It especially drew reactions with its top lowered in downtown Chicago during a weekday lunch hour. One person asked if it were a Mercedes-Benz, but many mouthed the word 'Solstice' because the car has gotten lots of pre-sale publicity, including appearances on NBC's 'The Apprentice' and 'Las Vegas.' "
From USNews.com
"Pontiac finally has a car with knockout looks."
From MSN Autos...
"Its rakish styling features Pontiac's twin-honeycomb grille, sexy curves and two retro-style head fairings on the trunk lid that look as if from slinky 1950s sports-racing cars now considered works of art." -- MSN Autos
The Edmunton Journal...
"The Solstice is truly a looker: It's got that brawny, classic sports-car look -- interestingly the same design direction that Mazda has gone with the new more macho Miata. It also has an unmistakable Pontiac front-end and grille."
__________________ Solstice GXP Coupe You still don't need a trunk to haul ass...
even at Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas!
Location: Yuba City, California .... The BIG Cowpie!
So much praise for the Solstice's looks, I had to post it in 3 parts...
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimbogxp
From the Press-Enterprise, dated Saturday, March 4, 2006...
"From any angle, the Solstice body is a fetching design -- muscular, modern and emotionally moving. Whether on the streets of Palm Springs or the freeways of Orange County, the car drew stares and smiles. When bystanders offered opinions, they were universally approving. I was afraid one young woman would leave drool marks on the test car's silver paint before I could drive away."
From LASPLASH.com
"Perched on an outlook over the Pacific at dawn, the Pontiac lived up to its name on the shortest day of the year, 21 Dec., the Winter Solstice. And the sunrise over Catalina Island was not the only thing to dazzle this reviewer.
I lost count of the number of comments and stares the shapely front cone and the flared back-end of the Solstice attracted throughout the shortest day, which I spent safely ragging about coastal roads en route to Santa Monica, usually with a big smile on my face."
From the Orlando Sentinal...
"Lutz, GM and Pontiac delivered. The exterior styling can't be faulted, giving the car -- $24,200 as tested here -- the look of a much, much more expensive vehicle. A simple but handsome interior, leather-trimmed seats and a good stereo don't betray the car's premium appearance."
From the Detroit News...
"The young nurse was just getting off duty when I cruised past the entrance of Providence Hospital in Southfield. The top was still in place on my bright-red 2006 Pontiac Solstice, but I could still hear her squeal, even with the windows up.
"I need to be riding in that car with you!," she yelped, bending down and squinting to get a better look at the hot new roadster.
"Fortunately, my spouse was in the passenger seat, so any snappy response to the nurse was moot, if not downright dangerous. Besides, her interest clearly lay in the car, not the driver.
"She certainly wasn't alone. Everywhere we traveled in the new Solstice -- it didn't matter if the top was up or down -- people stopped, ogled, pointed, commented or just plain drooled. Few cars elicit this sort of universal positive response, one that cuts across age and gender lines.
"In the grocery store parking lot, a 10-year-boy stared, slack-jawed, as we drove by, while his thirtysomething father couldn't seem to wipe the goofy grin off his face. We drove past the local Blockbuster, and overheard a teenage girl observe to her mother, "Wow, sweet car!"
"...But the Solstice packs a visceral punch from almost any angle and exhibits the agility of a large cat...
"We'd venture to say, with little risk of contradiction, that the 2006 Pontiac Solstice is the sexiest car in America. And, judging from the initial consumer response, highly desirable.
__________________ Solstice GXP Coupe You still don't need a trunk to haul ass...
even at Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas!
Location: Yuba City, California .... The BIG Cowpie!
For those of you on the run, here is the Cliff's Notes version...
The Pontiac Solstice grabbed a lot of attention because of its tidy size, fetching styling, and jaunty, muscular stance.
Park the Mazda next to the Pontiac, and the show-car like American two-seater is the one that will draw a crowd.
Its glamorous styling stands out in a car market packed with generic designs...
The Miata is cute in a British sort of way, but the Solstice with it's rounded curves and bulging fender flares, is just plain sexy.
The 2006 Pontiac Solstice attracts gawkers the eway that one friend of yours attracts psycho girlfriends. Heads turn, fingers point, families want to pose with it...
It's the kind of rubber-necking you'd expect if you were driving an Italian sports car, or a $240,000 Bentley, not the kind you'd expect to get in a $20,000 Pontiac.
The Solstice is one of the most stylish convertibles on the road at any price.
The Solstice is a solid contender for most beautiful new car of the year, if not the decade.
It’s one of those exceptionally rare automobiles that look simply terrific from every angle.
Hyrdroformed body panels give it seductive compound curves and flowing lines.
This one’s a home run. I can tell you after a week with Solstice, nobody doesn’t like the look. Nobody.
...looks as mean and righteous as a fist.
...it snuffles asphalt like a bloodhound tracking a bad guy.
Trends come and go, but good design endures. It's what sets a vehicle apart from the hundreds of models, thousands of variations and millions vehicles on the road...
This is a beautiful car, with a harmony of shapes and lines that is almost musical.
...you have to give the car's aesthetic an A+.
Style. Just too cool, evoking mighty machines of then and now, including racing Jaguars of the 1950s and recent Lotuses.
I tested a bright red Solstice, which drew more stares than any car I've driven in a long time.
Pontiac finally has a car with knockout looks.
From any angle, the Solstice body is a fetching design -- muscular, modern and emotionally moving.
When bystanders offered opinions, they were universally approving.
I was afraid one young woman would leave drool marks on the test car's silver paint...
I lost count of the number of comments and stares the shapely front cone and the flared back-end of the Solstice attracted...
The exterior styling can't be faulted, giving the car -- $24,200 as tested here -- the look of a much, much more expensive vehicle.
Everywhere we traveled in the new Solstice -- it didn't matter if the top was up or down -- people stopped, ogled, pointed, commented or just plain drooled.
Few cars elicit this sort of universal positive response, one that cuts across age and gender lines.
The Solstice packs a visceral punch from almost any angle ...
We'd venture to say, with little risk of contradiction, that the 2006 Pontiac Solstice is the sexiest car in America!
__________________ Solstice GXP Coupe You still don't need a trunk to haul ass...
even at Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas!
Location: Yuba City, California .... The BIG Cowpie!
OK, this thread may be gratuitous, but I vote the Mods should lock it...
And make it a stickie!!!
Do I hear a second? All if favor, say "yea". The motion is carried.
Please mods... Sure it is just sugar sweet emptry calories for Solstice fans, but this thread is going to be buried in about 12 hours, never to be seen again. This collection of accolades in honor of Bob Lutz and Franz Von Holzhausen, Lori Queen and EVERYONE involved in the ultimate product deserve to have this praise posted as a tribute for doing the next to impossible.
Think back to 1999. If I told you this would happen without 10 years y'all would have had me for lunch and then some. Please stickie it... Please. I'll be good...
Thank you. :
__________________ Solstice GXP Coupe You still don't need a trunk to haul ass...
even at Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas!
Location: Yuba City, California .... The BIG Cowpie!
Quote:
"Trends come and go, but good design endures. It's what sets a vehicle apart from the hundreds of models, thousands of variations and millions vehicles on the road," commented Paul Williams, chair of the 2006 CCOTY awards.
This is easily my favorite quote of all. It not only says the Solstice is beautiful, but it is unique, and timeless. Looks can be subjective but when something is just right, like the Roman Pantheon, it is just right. It is timeless.
The Solstice is no Pantheon, but it is just right. It is timeless. That's what the above quote says to me.
__________________ Solstice GXP Coupe You still don't need a trunk to haul ass...
even at Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas!
OK, this thread may be gratuitous, but I vote the Mods should lock it...
And make it a stickie!!!
Do I hear a second? All if favor, say "yea". The motion is carried.
Please mods... Sure it is just sugar sweet emptry calories for Solstice fans, but this thread is going to be buried in about 12 hours, never to be seen again. This collection of accolades in honor of Bob Lutz and Franz Von Holzhausen, Lori Queen and EVERYONE involved in the ultimate product deserve to have this praise posted as a tribute for doing the next to impossible.
Think back to 1999. If I told you this would happen without 10 years y'all would have had me for lunch and then some. Please stickie it... Please. I'll be good...
I love my Solstice, and after reading this post, everyone else does too. thanks for the post and hard work. It makes me want to get in my car and just go driving.
__________________
Purchased 9/14/06 I picked her up on Sept. 23 VIN# 1G2MB35B07Y105015
Agressive/SandSteel interior. Tan top, Polished wheels, ABS, XM, sport metallic pedals, Monsoon, headliner, prem. pkg, pwr pkg, conv. pkg, LSD, her name is SEXY. need I say more?
He who does not learn from the past, is doomed to repeat it
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