[brentil]

Here's the images I took from the auto show. You'll notice that about the first half are darker then the other half. This is because the camera was on outdoor mode and I didn't realize this till then. I went back and re-shot some of the images after I figured this out. You'll notice most are 600k in size, these are all the 1MP shots. The ~2mb images are 5MP, I've added the suffix "5MP-" to the front of those.

The videos are pretty big in size. The first one is me panning the car. The second is some closer up views. The last video that is 86meg is the blonde Solstice woman giving her full speel about the car. Some good info in there.

http://solstice.inner-ninja.com/

Wanted to point out one oddity. The exauhst system travels down the center then veers off to the drivers side. Apparently the muffler is parallel to the back bumper instead of perpendicular.

Also the woman mentioned something about an extra guage package. I had a hard time hearing what she said, so if someone can make it out better on the video that would be great.

And yes, she did say a Fall release.

 

[tcl]

Thanks for capturing all that. It will help fill the information void until Detroit. What were your impressions after seeing the car in person? Better or worse than how it looks on film?

 

[2KWK4U]

Here are my random musings:

Awesome! I've only looked at the first one, and it is already providing me with things I haven't noticed before. For instance, there's some sort of button on the top of the dash up by the windshield. I think it may be a sensor, either for auto climate control, or (more likely) auto headlamps. It's kind of blurry. Maybe I should look at the rest of the images before I comment.


In the image: /5MP-DSC01616.JPG I spy what appears to be a braided stainless steel hose running probably to the differential. Think there may be a dedicated differential fluid cooler? If that's the case, they've got to be serious about performance!... so it must be a fuel line instead.

Bah! Nevermind... looks like it runs on past, and up the tunnel, as seen in DSC01617.

Hey! No crease running down the center of the hood. Thank God!

Looks like there's room to go bigger with the front brakes, or betteryet smaller with the wheels... maybe both!

Clearly a cigar lighter.

Ain't no way the rear window is independant of the top.

Thanks for all the detailed chasis pics!

Ref: DSC01570.JPG. That's an adjustable spring perch (AKA "coilover")!!!! Too good to be true. FACTORY coilovers!

The dead pedal looks like it could be better. I'll have to sit in it to see tho.

Well, that's that... just a fuel level gauge. Also can make out the dummy lights in the speedometer panel. ABS, low fuel, and ?brake?. There's also a plethora of dummy lights in the panel between the speedo and tach. So the tach side must include the odometer? That's peculiar.

As for the gauge spiel: "Now the 2006 Solstices functional and surprisingly spacious driver-oriented interior uses a straight-forward 3-gauge cluster - and for other critical driver information, you can opt for the vacuum flourescent(sp?) screen."

^That's news to all of us, no? The concept had a "driver information center," similar to other Pontiacs (my GTP had one). I'm not sure where they plan on putting it, or if that's even what she's alluding to. The one in my GTP had 4 modes, none of which were particularly useful.

 

[brentil]

You can definatly tell this is a classy roadster, it's got a cigar lighter j/k 2KWK4U, I couldn't help it. :thumbs

 

[cdb]

nice job with the pix and movies.

 

[pajarito69]

Great Photos

Thanks for taking the time to shoot and load them.

I noticed that the headlamp assembly on the Proto Type was a lot "busier" it seemed to hold more signal lamps and in some way just looked kooler? And what were the cutouts up near the passenger seat headrest. The one that looked as if it were cut by a hack-saw in a hurry? It looked so unfinished comapred to the rest of the car.

Maybe support Brackets for the top?
I have not looked at all the photos but will in the next couple of days, thanks :leaving again

 

[2KWK4U]

I think maybe those cutouts have to do with the trunk release.

 

[SolNut]

Got to love this car---
Tail lights work when the battery is disconnected!!!

Steve

 

[brentil]

Got to love this car---
Tail lights work when the battery is disconnected!!!

Steve

Actually that was the flash of my camera being reflected back at my camera. Every car at the car show has it's battery removed for safety purposes, and a lot of them have other parts removed as well. Almost all the cars with magnetic latches have had the actual latches removed so the doors can open and close. We talked to the Buick guys about it for a bit.

Those cut-outs behind the seat are where the top come through. More then likely they fold inward as the roof is raised to make room for it to pass through.

As I stood around the Solstice for about an hour, pretty much 95% of the comments I heard from people were shock and awe. Everyone seemed to love it. Except for some boy-ricer who laughed at the engine. It was awesome, because besides the show girls there, I knew the most about it compared to everyone else who saw it. So I had fun listening to people possing questions to each other, and I'd answer them for them

I was kinda shocked, about 75% of the people thought this was a concept, and not a car going into production.

Oh that reminds me, the woman called this a post-prototype/pre-production model. Kinda like one of the build versions refrenced in another thread. A production mock-up that is pretty much 99% of what the car will be.

 

[pajarito69]

Release

I think maybe those cutouts have to do with the trunk release.

Thanks, I'msure I'm just critical of my next car. LOL, Ifhat is the only thing I don't like I had better just loosen up and relish don't you think? Thanks, :leaving again

 

[cdb]

i think also the on-camera flash catches the edges of some body components so they are more visible than under normal light. i am quite pleased with the look of the solstice, and think it looks great shot in real world conditions....some of these shots give me a better sense of the proportions of the body than the studio pictures. thanks again for posting.

 

[dls6774]

Nice job, brentil.
I'm not seeing sun visors...
Do you remember if you saw any?

 

[XLER8ER]

Here are my random musings:

For instance, there's some sort of button on the top of the dash up by the windshield. I think it may be a sensor, either for auto climate control, or (more likely) auto headlamps. It's kind of blurry. Maybe I should look at the rest of the images before I comment.

If you look at DSC01626.JPG, you'll see manual climate control, I can't find a good pic of the headlamp switch to determine if it has auto headlamps. It is definetaly a sensor and could be for DRL.
Thanks for the pics, unfortunately we have to wait till January/February for our showim Baltimore. I find it intersting that from the pics we have had from 2 different shows, we got to see 2 different option packages.

 

[2KWK4U]

Here are my random musings:


If you look at DSC01626.JPG, you'll see manual climate control, I can't find a good pic of the headlamp switch to determine if it has auto headlamps. It is definetaly a sensor and could be for DRL.
Thanks for the pics, unfortunately we have to wait till January/February for our showim Baltimore. I find it intersting that from the pics we have had from 2 different shows, we got to see 2 different option packages.

Yeah, I saw that our show is 10-13 February. Maybe by then they'll actually be letting people sit in them, tho... or even put the top up and poke around in the trunk and under the hood. Maybe.

If it has auto headlights, you won't be able to tell by the switch. My GTP had 'em, but you could program them out so the normal switch had to be there as well. The sensors for the climate control system and the auto headlights were clustered together with the factory alarm LED in the top of the dash against the windshield. The headlamp sensor was just an electric eye under an open hole, and the climate control sensor was under a little dome (there was also a temperature sensor near the ignition switch).

HEY! Maybe it's a tiny projector for an advanced generation HUD! :glol :glol :cheers :lol :leaving

Probably just a button that popped off one of the hostesses' suits or something.

 

[2KWK4U]

Well, looky here!

So my curiosity got to me. I checked out the high res pics on the press kit CD. (guess it was worth 20 bucks after all). I cropped out this pic. You can clearly see the word "AUTO" on the signals/lights stalk.

 

[AztekzRpurty]

Good job as usual Brentil, but you sure made me wade through a lot of stuff to find the redhead!

 

[brentil]

Good job as usual Brentil, but you sure made me wade through a lot of stuff to find the redhead!

I don't think I actually have a pic of the red head

The red head had short hair, the blonde is the one with the long hair.

 

[waiting]

notice there is no glop of rubber noted by Dreamer Dave on the windshield on this car like the other one with the grey interior.

 

[Fformula88]

Awesome pictures! Thanks for taking the time to get them and upload them! Those are some really good shots!

 

[SolNut]

Thanks again for the fotos, I enjoyed getting my local dealer interested earlier this year. He had just bought the dealership and didn't have a clue what was in the Pontiac (GM) pipeline.

Too bad that you couldn't get paid telling everyone about the car. Maybe next time?

I sure wish there was something for me to go see that was closer to home. Detroit is a long journey.

Take care-Steve