Pontiac introduced the Solstice at the 2004 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Amazingly, the production car’s styling was similar to the Solstice concept, which debuted in 2002. While having unique styling cues like the split grille akin to other Pontiacs, the car shared its GM Kappa chassis with the Saturn Sky, Opel GT, and Daewoo G2X. Franz van Holzhausen, Vicki Vlachakis, and Wayne Cherry are credited with the car’s design. An aluminum-block 177-hp, 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine with dual overhead cams and variable valve timing and Aisin AR5 five-speed manual transmission provide motivation. Suspension is by independent control arms at all four wheels with four-wheel ABS brakes.

The Solstice was nominated for the North American Car of the Year Award and Design of the Year Award from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) for 2006. After receiving rave reviews and substantial public interest, GM decided to fast-track the car and enter production quite quickly. Cars were built in GM’s Wilmington, Delaware, plant and initial deliveries were delayed to the final quarter of 2005. Production ended with a smattering of 2010 models by July 2009 and the discontinuance of the Pontiac brand.

This tidy example from the first year of production is finished in Aggressive (Red) over black leather and a black convertible top. It has traveled just 1,900 miles from new and is fully equipped, including all power accessories and air conditioning. Underhood it appears as new and is nicely detailed, showing evidence of little use commensurate with the mileage.

With the discontinuance of Pontiac and the marque’s final convertible, the Solstice will arguably become a future collectible. Whether or not one is a Pontiac collector, this low-mileage example in great colors is the perfect opportunity to find out.