Straightline

It makes sense that Pontiac should produce a coupe version of the Solstice. It was a sketch of a coupe that designer Franz von Holzhausen sent to Bob Lutz when the then-new product honcho solicited design ideas for a Pontiac two-seater.

The coupe looked better back then and it still looks better now as the company works toward getting it into Pontiac dealers early next year. Much of the character of the original coupe concept has been retained, including the odd but interestingly shaped backlight. The company has added a more prominent ducktail-style rear spoiler, which gives the Solstice Coupe just a faint resemblance to the BMW Z4 coupe. And all coupes come with a removable roof section, making the car more of a targa than a coupe, we suppose.

The mechanical bits are identical to those of the convertible. The price should be pretty much the same as the convertible as well, although we'll have to wait awhile to get real pricing.

Pontiac expects to sell about 10,000-12,000 coupes per year. There are a limited number of people willing to drive such an impractical vehicle without the ability to take the top down. But we would be among them. It looks great. We really wish GM would get over its fascination with mounting chrome wheels to performance cars, though. -- Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit