This subject was touched upon quite a while ago and I can't find the thread. After looking for hours and hours at various photos of the Solstice, I counted the number of Pontiac badges I was seeing. ELEVEN. Isn't that excessive? :rolleyes
I agree 100%. Perosnally I hate non functional facia. All the fake scoops on Mustangs have allways driven me crazy. If you're going to spend the time to develope those scoop, spend some extra time and make it functional. Which I really hope those giant scoops behind the VX Lightning are functional. They make it look kinda C6 Corvette-ish (just a little to me).solsticeman said:I guess I don't think it's excessive. I've seen worse, most vehicles have 4 wheels, one front exterior, one back exterior, one on the steering wheel, and one somewhere else interior. The only extra ones are the two side indent-thingy artsy-fartsy fake scoops. The design could easily lose these and never miss a beat.
I agree with you about model specific badges to a degree, they can be nice and really help to build a cult feeling around a car. As long as the car is strong and successful it can be a plus. The one thing that I am overwhelmingly grateful for is that Pontiac has actually given the Solstice a name and not just a series of numbers and letters. The foreign trend of giveing their cars number/letter designations just raises confusion in the consumer and tests their memory skills. I personaly hate this practice because it deminishes the sole and spirit of a car and makes me feel like the manufacturers who use this system are just lazy. It's as though they have a program code and just say "That's good enough." who cares what it's called! Pretty lame.:rolleyessimmonsmb said:That makes me think about something else. Why don't the new cars have emblems of their own?? The Camaro has it's own emblem, the Vette has it's, the Mustang of course is probably the most recognizable of the three, then you have the "reborn" cars, the Monte Carlo, Impala, Malibu. These cars all have their own emblems but they also have years of history behind them. It seems that trend has gone by the wayside. Personally I like the cars having their own emblem alongside of the company emblem. I would rather see the individual car's emblem more prominently than I would the company's. Ideally, externally it should just have the company name somewhere and then the only badges should be the car's badges. Place the company logo somewhere on the inside. That's just my opinion.
Interesting question, I couldn't remember that so I looked it up. The metal stripping on Pontiacs was called "Silver Streak" styling. (That much I could remember.) It debuted in 1935 and was intended soley for brand identification. It made Pontiacs easily recognizable. My understanding is that the Pontiac brand had gotton a reputation for making bigger better cars than Chevrolet, but being that it was the depression, Pontiac wanted into the low cost market. They added the "Silver Streak" styling feature to identify Pontiac, so they could then slip in cheaper I6 engines and lesser appointments in lower models without compromising the brand identity. Because the 6cyl looked pretty much the same as the 8cyl car, the brand didn't get associated with down grading, just more options for folks.2091351 said:History BUFFS--Was there different sized (width) trunk badging on the early Pontiacs??
I saw a early 1950's unit the other day and it reminded me that maybe the width of the trunk stripe (metal) was a clue to the model. Chief, Chieftain, Super Chief? Steve
OHNOTHIMAGEN said:Regarding those "indent-thingy, artsy-fartsy fake scoops," is there any possibility that on the finished models those would be somehow connected to the hood release system? They do look a little silly, unless they are somehow intended to be functional.
I 100% agree with you. I like the fender badging. I think it adds a little texture and interest in an otherwise flat, plain fender. The car would look fine without them, but I like it better with them. As to functionality, what would anyone want them to do? I guess they could be hood releases, but that would require you to go to both sides of the car to get the hood up. People have suggested they could be vents or scoops, but for what purpose? I don't share the obsession with poking holes in the fenders. Just because a fender has a real hole in it doesn't mean it does any good or is needed. It's just a styling feature, that's all. Artsy fartsy? Automotive styling is art, or it should be.2KWK4U said:I'm going to go out on a limb and against the grain here. I actually like the scoops. Functional or not. They kind of evoke the fender treatment on the earlier Trans Ams. I agree that they could be functional, and I also think they could stand to be a little larger. Another nice touch would be to backlight the Pontiac logo, but to be legal, they would have to backlight it amber.
Yeah, you could get a black Solstice and put silver stripes on it in the "Silver Streak" fashion, and really make a historical tie-in. A little photoshop could easily give you an idea what that'd look like. Could be cool, Dunno. Maybe Pontiac should look into it?2091351 said:Dave -Thanks for the great information. I wasn't sure if they meant anything, I just could remember there were different ones. Now that you have identified the differences were associated with model years, I have it straight.
Might make some interesting ideas with striping on my Solstice.
Steve
Since I am the originator of the "artsy-fartsy" designation of the side emblems (from now on known as the AFSS, for Artsy-Fartsy-Side-Scoop), I'll add my two cents.AeroDave said:I...It's just a styling feature, that's all. Artsy fartsy? Automotive styling is art, or it should be.
I know it's a difference of opinion, there's the school of thought that form should strictly follow function, that if it doesn't serve the puprose of enhancing the performance of the car, it should be ommited. ...