Pick of the Day: 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe

Imagine you’re Pontiac 20 years ago, give or take. It’s been a rough couple of years, with the Aztek being the butt of jokes and the discontinuation of the Firebird. There was a new GTO, its G8 brother, and the spectacularly styled Solstice roadster. Then, a global recession hit, just as Pontiac was getting its mojo back. When General Motors introduced our Pick of the Day, a 2009 Pontiac Solstice coupe, GM then decided to kill the brand. This vehicle is listed on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Milford City, Connecticut. (Click the link to view the listing)

Pontiac folks love to groan. They’ll groan about Pontiac losing its V8s and being forced to use “corporate Chevy small-blocks. They’ll groan about the Aussie-built GTO falling short in the styling department. And they’ll groan about Pontiac being killed while Buick being given a lifeline. Pontiac was on a roll, and then this.

The Pontiac Solstice roadster, a production version of the 2002 show car, was introduced for the 2006 model year. A 177-horsepower Ecotec 2.4-liter inline-four drove the rear wheels via a five-speed manual or automatic transmission. For the 2007 model year, the Solstice GXP was introduced, powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter offering 260 horsepower. This turbo four-cylinder Ecotec was GM’s first direct-injection gas engine in the U.S. and its highest specific-output engine ever. The Solstice was a looker, and now it was a performer to the tune of 14.2 ETs.

For 2009, Pontiac introduced a Solstice coupe. Available in base and GXP configurations, the coupe featured a removable roof and an available cloth top. As neat as the roadster way, the coupe had a racy look with curves in the right places, especially when seen from the rear. And, then, in April 2009, it was announced that Pontiac would be discontinued. By the end of the model year, 1,254 Solstice coupes were built, plus another 12 pre-production 2010s for a total of 1,266 coupes.

This 52,600-mile 2009 Pontiac Solstice coupe is a base model featuring the 2.4-liter four backed by an automatic transmission. It carries number 968 of the 1,266 built, and is one of 221 built in Wicked, a metallic ruby red. Features include power steering, power four-wheel disc brakes, air conditioning, power windows and door locks, and AM-FM radio. “It is a 2-owner car with a clean CARFAX. The car is in excellent condition.”

The Solstice coupe pretty much immediately became an instant collectible the moment it was built. Seen mainly at shows, here’s one that has been enjoyed and is ready to be enjoyed some more by another enthusiast. They’ve never been cheap, new or used, as can be attested by the $28,000 price, but you’ll have one of the neatest American cars of the past 20 years.

Click here for this ClassicCars.com Pick of the Day.