With the affordability crisis making it increasingly tougher for people to have two separate cars for work and fun, more buyers are turning towards vehicles that can “do it all,” in the sense that they can play the role of a daily driver and grocery getter as well as a weekend corner carver.
As a result, you see a lot more sporty SUV-coupes with AMG, M, and V badges around than you used to. But if you don’t have a family of four to lug around, I’d argue the best body style for a do-it-all car isn’t a crossover or even a sporty sedan: It’s a shooting brake.
Think about it. Shooting brakes are two-door coupes that happen to have a hatchback-style rear end, making them the perfect compromise between a truly fun, small car and something with a bit of practicality. The problem is, the shooting brake has always been a pretty niche body style, which means you don’t have many factory-built options.
Thankfully, the aftermarket exists. And in 2006, it gave us what is arguably the perfect car: A Pontiac Solstice converted into a shooting brake.
One Man’s Dream Comes To Life
Much has been written about the Pontiac Solstice on this website, but if you’ve never seen one before, let me enlighten you.
The Solstice was the result of a dream by the one and only Bob Lutz, the legendary long-time auto exec who worked at BMW, Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors. According to Hagerty, the original Solstice concept from 2002 was the first concept produced at Lutz’s request. He really, really wanted to get a small roadster to market:
The dream of bringing to market an affordable roadster was one Lutz had held for a long time. When he was at Ford, the idea he’d championed took shape in the form of the Ghia Barchetta concept, and later, after he went to Chrysler, it was manifest as the Dodge Copperhead roadster and then as the Plymouth Pronto Spyder. The Ghia Barchetta ended up morphing into the not-so-sporty, front-wheel-drive Mercury Capri convertible, while the Copperhead and the Pronto Spyder never got beyond the show-car stage. With the Solstice, Lutz was determined that his dream would be realized.
His dream would, of course, come true. GM didn’t have a small rear-drive platform for the Solstice to ride on, but that didn’t matter—he ordered engineers to develop something from scratch, and so the Kappa platform was born. Of course, the Kappa architecture wasn’t fully from scratch. Engineers borrowed parts from the Cadillac CTS, the Chevy Colorado, and even the Hummer H3, according to Hagerty. The Kappa platform’s biggest selling point was one of the few things it didn’t borrow from another car: Its own hydroformed frame rails, hydroformed driveshaft tunnel, and hydroformed body panels.
GM, being GM, put the availability of the new Kappa platform to good use. In addition to building a Solstice convertible, it also built a fixed-roof coupe version late into production. Additionally, the car was reskinned for Saturn as the Sky, with its own body panels. That car was further rebadged as the Opel GT for Europe and the Daewoo G2X in South Korea.
One Step Further
Not satisfied with the puny trunk space offered by the Solstice convertible, one German automotive supplier, EDAG, decided to create an aftermarket piece that would turn the car from a soft-top convertible to a fixed-roof, two-door hatchback.
Shown first as a concept at the Detroit Motor Show, it comes with its own glass-equipped hatchback piece, which swings up as if it were totally OEM. There’s even a lock for the hatch and a defroster element for the glass. It’s installed by removing the rear trunk decklid, using existing mounting points for the convertible top up front, and the hinge points at the rear.
According to CarBodyDesign.com, the entire setup weighs just 115 pounds. Subtract the 42 pounds of the factory decklid setup, and you’re left with 73 pounds of added weight. Not terrible considering all the extra space you get in return. Total cost for the conversion, without the price of installation, was $2,499 in December 2006 (around $4,000 in today’s money).
EDAG told the media the design was influenced by Pontiac’s safari wagons of the ’50s and ’60s, which were also two-door shooting brake wagons. While there isn’t really a direct resemblance design-wise, I can totally understand where it got the idea to bring back the two-door wagon body style, and I appreciate it.
These Pop Up For Sale From Time To Time
The reason I’m writing about EDAG’s long-dead shooting brake conversion is thanks to a late-night Facebook Marketplace find. The debut of the Solstice coupe in 2009 likely quelled demand for this kit, as it offered similar amounts of storage from a factory-designed and delivered setup. As a result, it’s rumored that fewer than 20 kits were produced, at least according to the Solstice forums.
As rare as these EDAG shooting brakes are purported to be, you do see them pop up for sale every so often. The one I found listed for sale on Facebook in Lavalette, West Virginia, feels pretty ideal for a few reasons. Aside from the hardtop conversion, it’s totally unmodified. Plus, it has a manual transmission. And with less than 20,000 miles on the clock, it’s barely been broken in.
The seller even includes a photo of the hatch open so we can get an idea of the space inside. We also get a look at the weather seals, the hinges, and the wiring for the defroster element. While I don’t think it’s quite at the level of what the factory would do, it’s not half-assed, either. EDAG did a pretty good job here.
Most attractive of all is the price. Despite the shooting brake conversion’s rarity, the seller is asking just $12,500 for this car. Even without the conversion piece, $12,500 for a basically-new Solstice isn’t a terrible deal; it’s rare to see these cars with so few miles on the clock.
If anything, this feels like an incredibly easy way to get into a truly weird, unique vehicle that’ll check all the boxes for your daily life, fun back road needs, AND get you all the attention you’d desire at your local Cars & Coffee. You’re unlikely to ever run into another one on the road, after all.
Top graphic image: EDAG, Facebook Marketplace
This would look 10x better if the windshield frame / A pillars were the same color as the rest of the car. Even without the conversion, that would be true
Dr my eyes! At least you can fit an overnight bag or two. Looked at a solstice when they where new. Liked everything except the Kindle and a soft pack tissue trunk. What were they thinking?
Sorry. I like the before better than the after. But that is a great deal.
In a way, it makes me think of a George Barris custom from the ’60s; just add groovy graphics.
I still think GM goofed when they killed off the Solstice/Sky along with Pontiac and Saturn. They should have sent them over to Buick and Chevrolet respectively.
Well, it’s a red Pontiac, and that roofline is giving Monkeemobile vibes.
I’m a believer.
I wonder if Adrian Clarke has anything to say on that subject?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvYEj0F8bas
Saturns were the only gms to interest me for years.
This looks like it fits the lines of the Solstice quite well, turning it into something reminiscent of the Volvo P1800ES.
It’s not a destructive change, so you can undo it if you want to go back to breezy driving. NP for a $4k conversion.
Yeah, shooting brkes are basically my fetish but… this looks pretty dopey in the back. Gimme the 2009 coupe.
I saw one of these in the flesh at a car show at our local library back in 2017 or so. It was sort of amusing seeing it sandwiched between a big block Chevelle and a Chevy Nomad, but it actually looked pretty good and sort of fit in with the overall Nomad vibe. It got a lot more attention than I think the Solstice owner expected, and I personally think one of these shooting brake conversions would be my top pick if I were interested in a Solstice.
I want it I want it I want I want it
Well, duh! Lol
If I had more disposable income and a bigger garage, I’d own one of these because it’s just so unique. You show up at a meet in this and there will be so many people with soooo many questions. Mostly “why”, but still.
That looks so hilarious it’s almost cool.
I remember seeing one of these prototypes in person at one of the vendor booths at the Detroit auto show. It looked even more stupid in person.
Clown shoe, meet clown glove.