Montreal Show: $500K Pontiac Top Tuner Solstice Turns Heads

MONTREAL — The goal of the Canadian customizing team working on the neon green Pontiac Top Tuner Solstice was simple: Take a stock car to the "tuning extreme."

The result is a hardtop showstopper decked out in Vivacious Candy Green, with a red suede interior and a custom Pioneer audio/entertainment system. GM says the Top Tuner Solstice is projected to have a street value of $500,000.

Although the Detroit automaker doesn't specify the output on the tuned Solstice, which is equipped with a tuned 2.0-liter crate engine donated to the project by GM Performance Parts, the word on the street is that it's good for 500 horses.

The tuners added such goodies as LSJ connecting rods, a piston set for LSJ rods, adjustable cam gears, a high-performance cam set, an aluminum fabricated intake manifold and a CTS-V rear differential gearset.

Leading the project was Tajai Das from Elite Tuners of Canada, who is the brains behind the 1994 Acura Integra "Acurabot." Das turned to Chris Nankoo from Phat Custom Rides in Montreal to create the custom exterior body kit, which includes a custom fiberglass hardtop, a fiberglass hood and a wide-body ground effects kit. GM said more than 30 companies from around Canada participated in the project.

The Top Tuner Solstice is just now making the rounds of major auto shows, putting in an appearance at the 2007 Montreal International Auto Show, which runs until January 28.
The Top Tuner Solstice was unveiled at the 2006 Sport Compact Performance Show in Montreal last October and earned an armload of awards at the 2006 SEMA show.