SEMA Solstice "Weekend Club Racer"

  • Thread starter Thread starter skip0110
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niky
Much as I'd like to agree with you on Mazda reliability... the Miatas are relatively reliable, yes, but Mazda can't make an automatic tranny to save its life. Plus there are quite a number of electrical niggles in the last-gen Protege 1.6 engines (which the Yanks, lucky dogs, didn't get... all Yank Protes had 2.0s or 1.8 liter versions of the same engine).

Still, theses problems are nothing compared to the current GMs we have running around here... one guy on our local board complained that his Chevy Venture seemed to be made of Tofu and Vermicelli noodles. :lol:
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Well, I've never really heard anyone complaining about a Mazda that didn't have "RX" in the name... :p
 
To be fair, the only really crappy thing about FF Mazdas are the ATs and suspension bushings... everything else is pretty good. :lol:

And, yeah, before I had a Mazda, that's what I thought, too... as long as it doesn't have a Rotary... :lol:
 
The only review i've seen of the Solstice so far said it was a terrible car. I think comparing it to a used Elise or Boxster is really giving it more credit than its due.
 
So they were comparing different types of tires as well?

The Solstice does get credit for breaking away smoothly, but that is also after understeer, and with no oversteer in sight.

The Miata wins the fun to drive category in every test I've seen so far, apparently when given the choice, after driving both, the car magazine editors line up for the miata keys.
 
I like the Solstice, but I really wonder if whoever was in charge of this "Weekend Club Racer" program has ever actually built a car for club racing.

The hard top is fine, but where's the roll cage?

More important, real club racers are usually taking stuff off the car instead of putting stuff on. A/C delete. Radio delete. Sound deadening materials delete. Side window delete. Real club race cars don't even have interiors. Funny they don't mention any of that.

Instead, they put JUNK on the car like "custom chrome exaust tips" :lol: Whatever. What they should have done was to try and take 400 lbs. off the car. Aluminium or CFP body panels would be a good start.

If racers need to add stuff to the car. It's usually to upgrade the factory stuff to keep them from failing under track use, like oil/diffy/tranny coolers and chassis braces to keep the suspension parts from tearing off the car. That fact that this car doesn't have any of this kind of stuff tells me right away this program wasn't serious about adopting the Solstice for club racing.

THIS is a weekend club racer.

Pontiac engineers have built a good standard street car. But Pontiac marketing goons have built this fluff SEMA version for people who don't know any better. Race inspired indeed.

I'm not usually this harsh, but it annoys me that talanted engineers at GM are being held back by the oafs in charge of promoting the car.


M
 
imo that frotn grill would look better if they just cut out the middle pillar and took out those silver grill things. kinda like the rx-8 has. it would look much better.
 

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