Let us begin by saying that we love this car and would own it without hesitation and just sitting in the thing while it was running would give us perma-grin and probably cause a call to our doctor about a four hour condition of some sort. It looks 100% dead nuts bone stock from the outside. Factory wheels, tires, interior, paint, hood, all of it. Depending on how loud the exhaust system is, you can probably idle the thing around and not give anyone an idea that it is a beastly performance car. The second you crack the throttle and the little short wheelbase car slides and squirts sideways, the jig would be up but who the hell cares.
Maybe we’re the weird ones but one of the most compelling projects we saw come together in a magazine over the last 20 years was when Hot Rod teamed up with what was then called GM Performance to build the first LS-Solstice. The car was a beast, running 10-second quarter mile times and proving to be an epic handful in handling tests due to the power and light weight. The thing was such an animal, we’re not sure GM ever actually allowed it off of their proving grounds. There were rumors that the car was destroyed after the project was fully documented but guys in the know tell us that it is still alive in a very guarded environment, lest it fall into the wrong hands apparently.
This car is just like that original piece in spirit and it seems like in execution as well. The install looks professional level with nothing hanging out and looking bad. Like all awesome stuff there is one thing that we’re a little leery of and that is the transmission, which is the factory installed Aisin AR5 piece. Why are we creeped about that? The five speed is rated for 260 lb/ft of torque and an LS1 engine with a Z06 cam, headers, a Z06 clutch, and 2.5″ dual exhaust is making a heck of a lot more than that. But hey, you can blow that one up and put a decent Tremec in it when you are done, right?
This is a really neat car and we think that it is worth the $18,000 that the guy is asking. Not that we wouldn’t enter negotiations at half his price and end up where we’d end up but you get the idea. Nice car, good install, it has to be hellacious to drive in the best way and the pure joy of walking everything from classic muscle cars to modern supercars would be so, so good to revel in.
What do you think? Awesome or what?
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE PHOTOS AND THE CRAIGSLIST LINK….YOU KNOW YOU WANT THIS THING!
CraigsList find: This Ls1 powered Solstice Is A Sleeper To the max
They let the Hot Rod LS-Solstice off of the Proving Grounds. I watched it run a very squirrly drag strip pass at one of the 2007 Powertour stops in Georgia.
Someone needs to get ahold of one of the rare Solstice Coupes and do one of these swaps!
Always wanted to build one. Doesn’t the Soltice/Saturn Skye have the infamous ignition switch that is currently in the news?
There is one for sale near me as well and I think the ignition switch problem may be causing some owners to bail out.
There was a company that did the LS conversions called Mallet Cars with a full factory warranty. I believe they still can be found in Norh Carolina. The conversions used a Be Cool radiator for cooling.
Interesting Data:
1) The Hot Rod Solstice used the Aisin.
2) The craigslist add shows this car to be located less that 2 miles from GM’s proving grounds.
Sounds like CSI GM? Rhys Millen had a mean drift version too.
Rhys Millen’s was still EcoTec powered. I believe that car was handed down to Ryan Tuerck after Millen jumped to Hyundai. Darren McNamara’s Saturn Sky was V8 powered though
And the Hot Rod version actually used a T-56 out of a Chevy SSR, aircooled.
http://www.hotrod.com/projectbuild/hdrp_0605_pontiac_solstice_project_v8_engine_build/soltice_parts_list.html
Buckets of yes right there.
OMG.. I need one of those to run the f’n Beemers off the road.
What a blast that would be. Much better than a Miata. And yeah, make mine a coupe.
as the owner of a sbc powered MGB, I LOVE THIS CAR, with what I have in mine, the price looks reasonable
I loved Darren McNamara’s one-off Saturn Sky coupe that he competed in Formula Drift with, wearing Falken Livery
http://www.motormavens.com/emAlbum/albums/Contributors/Oliver%20Petalver/EVENTS/FD%20ATL%202011/_fullsize/D-MAC_MG_0157-OLIVER%20PETALVER%20MM%20.jpg
I’ll take this one & the 5.0 Ford powered Miata that Stacey David built on Gearz. The question then becomes which Mopar engine goes into what roadster in order to complete the set? 340 in a Fiat roadster, perhaps?
No maybe someone will build a V8 powered Crotchfire!
Reminds me of this one, almost identical Pontiac/7 liter 427 build:
http://www.carbuildindex.com/21140/pontiac-solstice-7-0l-427ci-build-by-hot-rod-magazine/
there was a hemi crochfire swap in mopar action a while back-it looked like a team of nazi rocket scientists were needed to figure that one out!