A V8-powered Solstice?
Count on the aftermarket to step up and offer what GM won't provide. Mallett Cars, home of some rather fierce Corvettes and a supercharged CTS-V that won the sedan class in Car & Driver's most-recent supercar shootout, recently announced they will be offering a V8 version of the upcoming Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. Given the relatively light weight of the 400 HP LS2 (perhaps 175 lbs or so heavier than the Ecotec I4 it replaces), it's unlikely that handling will suffer much; until the throttle meets the floorboards, that is. Pricing has yet to be announced, but it wouldn't be surprising if the cost of the conversion approaches that of the original sticker price for the car. Only 100 per year will be built, and for those people, the cost will likely not be a major factor. No word yet on what drivetrain modifications will be required, but it'd a bit unreasonable to expect the stock rear diff and Aisin transmission to be up to the task. How long until someone decides to drop a LS7 crate engine into one of these? More importantly, how long until GM decides to offer a V8 from the factory, preferably in a coupe wearing a historically-significant name?
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