I don't remember if it is actually coming out, or if it's still just a concept. Just wondering, because it's one 4 banger I wouldn't mind buying for the girl

 

They are working on it as we speak. Seems the hold up is how to go about getting a chassis for it and still make money on it.

 

Apparently things are really close on it coming to production. Here's some notable info from a recent AutoWeek story. A turbo/sc 4 would be nice, but if a V6 or V8 version is availble here, this will be one kick-*** car.


GM is "within spitting distance" of deciding whether to produce the Solstice, which was a star of January's Detroit auto show, said Mark Hogan, GM group vice president for advanced vehicle development.

To succeed with the Solstice, Vice Chairman Robert Lutz said the project needs several attributes:

Sales volume for the car or at least the car's "architecture" from GM's Opel subsidiary in Europe.

A four-cylinder engine with rear-wheel drive, which would require a new or substantially altered vehicle architecture.

Manually operated convertible roof and windows, to contain cost.

A price below the rival Mazda MX-5. Entry-level versions of the MX-5 cost about E23,000 (roughly $22,400 U.S. dollars) in Europe.

Forster also said he wants any European version of the Solstice to be capable of eventually adding a larger engine - a six-cylinder or even a V-8.


Full story

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-JERRY-
'02 Impreza WRX
'88 Fiero Formula
Formerly owned: '93 Firebird Formula

 

Yah, from what I had heard it was a supercharged ecotec 2.2 putting out about 240hp and 240fp torque, in a car that weighed about 2900 lbs, and cost around 20,000, and I said "Hell yah the girl can have one if they come out". Then she has her "cute" car, and I have one that I don't mind driving every once in a while Heck, I might drive it a lot

[This message has been edited by newby (edited August 30, 2002).]

 

I'd consider the coupe. The convertible didn't do much for me.

 

This is what the us version should be also. This european version sounds as if it would replace the speedster (which is built in low volumes and supposedly for only a few years). This makes me wonder if the Solstice wont be mid-engine after all like speedster. Now if we could only get GM to fix that ugly front end on the solstice.

Honestly instead of scrambling to find a platform,GM should just bring back the 88 fiero gt and give it the engine it deserves. If you have to call it Trans-am, Banshee or Predator. This car isnt outdated, in fact Saturn uses the same type of space frame on their plain jane cars (what a waste of a perfect light weight sports car structure!) The style of the fastback model still looks current today. Solstice cant come close in matching its looks.

Its absolutely amazing that GM doesnt have even one affordable sports car for 2003. Nissan brought back the z, bmw has the z4, toyota happily sells only 6000 mr2's annually in the us. Even the popular miata only sells 20k units yearly in us. GM had a high volume affordable sports car in fiero (averaged 74,000 units yearly, was profitable but cancelled since it became a corvette competitor. (outsold it every year produced)

I think the reason the Solstice is being pushed is that it wouldnt be another Corvette competitor with its 4 cyl. Sadly it looks like even with all the changes at GM, the Corvette rule is still alive and well.

GM needs to resurrect models like grand national, chevelle, belair, stingray and fiero gt.



[This message has been edited by gtjeff (edited August 31, 2002).]

 

Under $22K, RWD, stripped down?

Sounds sexy. Like that Dodge Razor concept that kind of disappeared.

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Jason

<A HREF="http://camaroz28.cardomain.com/id/munche" TARGET=_blank>1997 A4 Z28 "Mongoose"
</A>

<A HREF="http://www.iz-us.com/images/cars/cougar/" TARGET=_blank>New Project: 1969 Mercury Cougar 351W
</A>

 

Like I replied to you a while back. Don't call any car on a Fiero chassis a Trans Am.

I don't remember all the reasons why the Fiero was cancelled, but the Fiero was NEVER a competitor to the Corvette. Just because both cars had 2 seats? The similarities ended there! And, I'm not surprised the Fiero sold more than Corvette. Fiero was priced, what, 25-30 thousand less?

------------------
Mark

94 Z28, Red, A4, 3:23
Lone Mods--LPE CAI, !Lapeer Dragway.

Best time: 14.658 @ 95.1
with SES light on and Driver off! (First and only time at track)

The F-body will NEVER die.

 

Mark,
A trans-am model built on a fiero chassis would outhandle any f-body, what would be wrong with that? Also would have 5 star crash rating (instead of current 4)and irs.
Pontiac has no plans for the name suprisingly.

Your kidding yourself when you say the fiero wasnt a corvette competitor. Ask anyone at Chevrolet why the twin turbo v6 model fiero proposed for 1985 and 1989 mysteriously never made it to market. It totally dominated the vette on the track. Wonder what happened to the v8 fiero's gm had on their proving grounds in the mid 80's?

In stock form a typical 2.8L gt was only 1.5 seconds slower in 0-60 than the 5.7L vette.
You are way off on the price comparison. A loaded 88 gt was 16-18,000. A 88 vette was 28-30.

[This message has been edited by gtjeff (edited August 31, 2002).]

 

I really don't want to get into this discussion again. But if I must re-hash, I will. A Trans Am is not a tiny 2 seater with a 4 or 6 cylinder engine. Agreed? You wanna bring back a Fiero-like car, call it the Fiero again. But ask yourself this, as I said before, if the Fiero chassis was so gosh darn wonderful why is GM not looking at it as a Solstice platform? Something doesn't add up there, does it?

Again, I think most would agree with me, Fiero and Corvette were never direct competitors. Two different markets! Fiero was a small sporty car that appealed to the less sophisticated young buyer. Corvette, just as it is today, was the car with more power, more gizmos and more creature-comforts. Corvette buyers never considered Fiero and vice-versa. I just don't see how you can argue that point. Can you see Joe Snob with big money to spend walking into a Pontiac dealer and buying a Solstice over a C6 in 5 years? Doubtful!

------------------
Mark

94 Z28, Red, A4, 3:23
Lone Mods--LPE CAI, !Lapeer Dragway.

Best time: 14.658 @ 95.1
with SES light on and Driver off! (First and only time at track)

The F-body will NEVER die.

 

Just as Jeff said, the Fiero could well have developed into a world-class Corvette competitor. Its performance was not far off and certainly very respectable given the era it was introduced in. Unfortunately, GM decided to not step on the Corvette's toes and marketed it as a commuter car.

And this misguided judgement and line of thinking is part of the reason we probably won't see the Fiero name return. Everyone has these misinformed opinions of the car to the point that the name still holds a negative connotation. Needless to say, this is a car GM could use in their lineup as a competitor to the Miata and MR2 in the sports car for low $20k niche. And though I am happy with the Solstice concept, a mid-engined car with modern Italian styling would be much more exciting. Perhaps if GM displayed a concept in this form, maybe the press would start calling it the Fiero and we'd have a guage for how well it's return would be received.

------------------
-JERRY-
'02 Impreza WRX
'88 Fiero Formula
Formerly owned: '93 Firebird Formula

 

I'm sorry, but I just don't agree with any of this stuff...

You guys holding on to that old Fiero (Chevette) chassis idea just blows my mind.

How do you 'know' it'd have a 5-star crash rating by today's standard?!

Corvette and Fiero were (because you can't compare today because that car doesn't exist) NEVER even close to being in the same catagory. The Fiero is a mid-engine small two seater. Never particularly fast... ti wasn't really ever meant to be.

A $10-15000 difference back in 84-88 is like a $20-25000 difference today.

The whole 'Bring back the Fiero (Chevette!!!) ' chassis campaign is actually quite funny.

 

The trans-am name would be worthy of a mid-engine v8. Part of the problem with the current f-body's is that they compete for sales with each other. This would be a way to differentiate the trans-am from the camaro. After all Ford doesnt have 2 distinct models in this category.

Jerry is absolutely correct about misconceptions about the fiero. The car would have passed the 1992 or 96 side impact standards even though it was built in the 80's. As far as the crash rating, Saturn receives a 5 star rating using a similar space frame and even TODAY uses equipment that came from the fiero plant.
Why isnt p-body being considered for solstice-even if the car was given the new inline 6 engine with 270 hp it would be close in performance to the much heavier base Corvette with 350 hp. Now put a v8 in there instead. 450 pounds less is a big difference in a sports car. Like I said the vette rule still is around.

The 84-87 models did have parts from chevette and citation suspensions. The chassis has nothing to do with Chevette. The 88 model used a lotus design susp. which allows the car to handle as well as a brand new base corvette. To those skeptics, find someone with a 88 formula or gt and ask for a ride. Dont assume that because its not a expensive corvette that it is junk. Even one of GM's vice presidents- Mark Hogan owns a 88 gt.



[This message has been edited by gtjeff (edited September 01, 2002).]

 

Uh, the Solstice won't have the truck I6 or V8. If it did, yeah its performance might be similar to Corvette BUT they'd also have to charge a lot more. The point of Solstice, like the philosophy behind Fiero in the 80's, was a cheap, fun to drive 2 seater. This all goes back to Corvette and any other 2 seater in GM's lineup not being direct competitors. Perspective Corvette buyers aren't going to consider Solstice! I can guarantee you that no Fiero-derived Solstice would hold a candle to the C6...I think it's laughable to suggest that GM is "afraid" to pull the Fiero chassis out of mothballs because it's "too good." You have to come up with a more plausible reason why they aren't considering the Fiero platform than that.

------------------
Mark

94 Z28, Red, A4, 3:23
Lone Mods--LPE CAI, !Lapeer Dragway.

Best time: 14.658 @ 95.1
with SES light on and Driver off! (First and only time at track)

The F-body will NEVER die.

 

Hey, the Fiero was an interesting car with trend setting construction techniques that have been applied to many new cars that are in production today.

Did you know that the Fiero had incredibly close tolerances on door and panel fittings? It also used new plastics in the body. The rolling chassis was put into a jig and then milled/drilled/tapped for body panels. Amazing fit and finish, and some say that those tolerances have never been repeated by any manufacturer today. A lot of fresh ideas went into the car.

It also had some problems. Engine fires, poor 4 cylinder engine castings that actually were porous and leaked oil... cooling problems and more. After so many years of working out the bugs, GM came close to getting it right and then dumped the car. This is not uncommon for GM, as we all have witnessed. Reputation and market recognition are important, and GM knows this. (Kill AZTEK now please)

It was not, ever, a competitor for the Vette. It was NOT built on a Chevette chassis, either. It had a rolling space frame chassis all of its own, with no other cars sharing the frame work. It borrowed Chevette front suspension pieces and X car (Citation, etc.) engine/transaxle pieces set up in the rear as a MID ENGINE car. They did this to keep production costs down. (Bean counters at work) Pontiac intitally sold the idea to the execs at GM as a commuter car. Four cylinder. A year or so later they dropped in the 2.8 V6 with fuel injection. True, Pontiac tried to slip more power into the little car, and GM would not allow a lesser car to out perform the Vette. I remember reading about the all aluminum twin turbo V6 with 290 net horsepower. GM should have let Pontiac go ahead with the program. The Corvette team would have had more to think about than digital dash boards and plush rides. For those who are interested in the Solstice, do some research and see where the GM engineers got the chassis parts to assemble the prototype. The parts are from all over GM and even some from Subaru.

GM has always let the bean counters and lawyers run the show. They killed off all of the internal competetion between their ranks and centralized their design and engineering. Cadillac is the only marque at GM that actually has its very own engineers. That was a huge mistake. Thank God they got Bob Lutz in there to shake it up. If GM ever hopes to develop brand loyalty and market share again it will need to revitalize the market and develop brand loyalty. How, you ask? I say this-go racing-use your in house engineers to build the race cars-and develop the hell out of what you learn. Put new concepts and performance into affordable production cars. The competetion does. They kick sand in the face of GM. And, they sell a lot of cars and trucks while doing it.


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Blue '86 IROC, 305 TPI
Ported Plenum, gutted air boxes, SuperChip, KN filters, TB Airfoil, transmission cooler... more to come. Not raced yet. 70,000 original miles. Owned since 1992.