The Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe Is Rarer Than A Ferrari F40

Hundreds, if not thousands, of Pontiac’s little Fiero sports cars have been chopped up over the years in the hope of fooling people that they’re actually a rare, desirable and much faster Ferrari. But the Solstice GXP is one Ferrari that is fast and rare straight out of the box. Desirable? We’ll let you make your own mind up about that.

Pontiac launched its Mazda Miata rival, the Solstice, in early 2004, when the only model available was a roadster powered by a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four making 177 hp (180 PS). Things got more exciting in January 2006 when GM’s performance brand added a sportier GXP version that swapped the 2.4 for a turbocharged 2.0-liter.

The forced induction motor cranked out 260 hp (264 PS) and gave the little two-seater 260 lb-ft (353 Nm) of torque, up from the 166 lb-ft (225 Nm) of the atmo car, while an optional dealer-installed chip tune pushed those numbers to 290 hp (294 PS) and 340 lb-ft (461 Nm). So equipped the GXP was pretty quick, recording 5.6 seconds to 60 mph (97 km/h) in Car & Driver’s hands, compared with 6.7 seconds for the base car, pushing the Solstice upmarket and away from competing with the Mazda Miata to the Honda S2000 and, possibly even the Porsche Boxster. You know, theoretically.

Not content with out-muscling the Miata, Pontiac then went and built something else Mazda had teased us with in concept form but failed to deliver: a coupe. The Solstice Coupe was revealed in spring 2008 and in showrooms a year later, sporting the same drivetrain choices as the roadster, a fastback rear end with an opening glass hatch, and a removable roof panel that GM stupidly failed to provide storage room for in the car.

Related: For $27k, Would You Drop The Hammer On This V8-Swapped Mallett Performance Pontiac Solstice?

Hardly anyone got to discover firsthand what a colossal design balls-up that was though, because by April of 2009 a financially ruined GM had announced that it was killing off the Pontiac brand, and by July the Wilmington Assembly plant in Delaware where the Solstice and its Saturn Skye sister were built, was closed. Out of a total Solstice production run of almost 66,000 units, only 1,266 were coupes, meaning the Targa-top GXP is much less common than a Ferrari F40, some 1,311 of which left the supercar maker’s Maranello factory between 1987 and 1992.

That rarity has led to some sellers asking crazy money for GXP coupes. Last year we spotted one with only 192 miles (309 km) advertised at $86,500, though we’re guessing this 26,000-mile automatic on Bring-a-Trailer will go for somewhat less. Then again, this is Bring-a-Trailer we’re talking about…