Pick of the Day: 2008 Saturn Sky, a different kind of roadster

Fifteen years ago at the North American International Auto Show, the world was introduced to a concept roadster from Saturn Corporation that packaged sporty styling, competent performance and exclusivity into a two-seat sports car called the Sky. 

The Pick of the Day is a 2008 Saturn Sky, a Red Line edition with only 41,000 miles on it.  The Sky is said to be in solid condition thanks to having spent its life initially in California before moving to Franklin, Minnesota, from where the private seller is advertising it on ClassicCars.com. 

Power comes from a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder which produces 260 horsepower, an upgrade from the base model’s 177-horsepower naturally aspirated engine.  A 5-speed automatic transmission puts that power to the ground. 

The Saturn Sky was assembled in Delaware alongside its badge-engineered sibling, the Pontiac Solstice.  Whereas Pontiac had a much longer history under General Motors, dating back to 1926, the Saturn brand lasted just 25 years, from 1985 through 2010. 

Saturn was originally intended to be just a model underneath the existing GM lineup of cars, but it ended up being a standalone brand of automobiles.  Both Pontiac and Saturn were put to rest on the same date:  October 31, 2010.  It’s hard to believe we’ve been without both for nearly 10 years.

Even though Saturn set out initially to offer a diverse lineup of vehicles including a sedan, a coupe, a convertible, a wagon and an SUV, it took a while for that goal to materialize.  The Vue sport utility vehicle came out in 2002 and the Sky did not debut until 2006, just a few years before the brand’s demise.  Sales of the Sky topped 32,000 units, which was about half of the Solstice sales volume.  No wonder these are so uncommon on the roads today. 

The seller of this Sky indicates that the car is equipped with new tires, and it will include some replacement parts for the convertible top and the interior door handles, since those items are showing wear after 12 years of use.  The interior presents nicely with its two-tone black-and-red color scheme. 

If the open road and sunny skies are beckoning for a summer road trip, this Saturn Sky Red Line looks to be perfect for the experience.  The seller is asking $14,995.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.