We here at Tunerzine are always looking for up and coming builders, designers, shops and manufactures that are ready to make serious impact within the automotive scene. Over the winter and early months in 2008 we kept hearing about this “top secret” project that was being designed by Neil Tjin and was built in SoCal by Unique Fabrication in conjunction with Pontiac, Mobil 1 and One Lug Wheels.
In 2007 Neil Tjin from Tjin Edition (www.TjinEditionTour.com) and Unique Fabrication were responsible for some of the hottest, cleanest, and most unique rides to hit our scene. Throughout 2007 Pontiac also made a conscious effort to promote the Pontiac Solstice throughout the tuner community. The other two brands that collaborated on this unique Solstice project come from to completely opposite sides of the spectrum. Mobil 1 has been supplying the automotive world with top-notch oil for as long as we can remember, while One Lug Wheels is just releasing their latest style of one-lug wheels to the market.
What makes this Mobil 1 Solstice project even more special is that it is the first car to be released to the public featuring the highly anticipated One Lug Wheels. The One Lug wheel set-up that you see on this Pontiac Solstice is not some custom set-up but it is a application that is now readily available to the automotive market. The gorgeous 5-spoke design wheels that are featured on the Mobil 1 Solstice are 19×8.5″ in the front and 19×11.5″ in the rear. They are matched up with 245/40-19″ and 275/35-19″ Falken tires. The 5-spoke centers of the One Lug Wheels were powder coated gloss black, while the lips are painted green to match the cars body. The One Lug center hub, lug nuts, and bolts were finished in their signature gold finish to add a fresh and aggressive look of these One Lug Wheels.
As we stated earlier Unique was responsible for most of the build-up of the Mobil 1 Solstice. They started things off with the exterior by customizing the front bumper, side skirts, front fenders, and rear bumper. The front bumper and fenders feature custom black powder coated mesh grilles, while the rear bumper now accommodates a single triangular shaped exhaust tip. Other customized fabrication work includes the all-metal doors, window trim, a-pillar surroundings and the removal of the stock mirrors. These modifications were so well executed that most people don’t even notice the subtle changes, but we did and we wanted to make sure that we pointed them out to our readers. Unique was also responsible for the one-off rear deck lid and metal wing that the Mobil 1 Solstice now sports. If you are wondering why they had to customize the rear deck lid, look no further then the insane tubes that make up the signature Unique roll cage. Unique completely gutted the interior of the Mobil 1 Solstice, including the door panels, lower section of the dash and carpet. Once those stock parts were removed it was time for them to fabricate a one-off 6pt roll cage that flows nicely throughout the cockpit and rear section of the Solstice. The entire plastic rear section of the Solstice was completely cut out and replaced with 18-gauge metal. After the roll cage was completely welded in Unique then tackled the suspension of the Mobil 1 Solstice. They didn’t want to go the traditional route of adjustable coilovers, so instead they opted to raise the front and rear shock towers. The front shock towers were raised approximately 2.5″ and the rears 2″. Going this route was not only unheard of in the import scene, but it also allowed the Solstice to look slammed, but yet retains its drivability.
Once all the metal fabrication was completed the Mobil 1 Solstice was dropped of at Autobody and Paint by Dlight. Before the three different colors of paint were sprayed onto the Solstice Dlight made sure that all the bodywork was up to par. The interior of the car is covered in a custom PPG gunmetal, the Unique roll cage is covered in a PPG champagne finish, and the body of the Solstice was covered in several layers of PPG Ninja Green paint. Before the car was cleared, world-renowned pin stripped Jeff Styles did his thing and laid down an insane black pin strip which covered the sides, hood, and deck lid of the Solstice.
After the paint and body were completed the Solstice was brought back to Unique for final installation. First up was the installation of the Eibach sport springs, ID-Tuning control arms, and the massive front and rear SSBC big brakes. The SSBC brakes for the Solstice come with upgraded rotors and calipers and they bring the Solstice to a stop on a dime. Next on the agenda was the installation of the D2 Racing air jacks, steel braided lines, valves, regulator and bottle.
With the suspension and brakes installed, it was time to bolt on the HAHN turbo kit. The Mobil 1 Solstice came equipped with a 177hp stock 2.4L ECOTECH motor. Even though the car was decently quick, the guys wanted some more bang for the buck, and that is where HANH Racecraft came in. The HAHN turbo kit came with all the goodies, and the installation was straight forward and to the point (check out page xxx for a complete guide to installing a HAHN turbo kit on your Solstice). The HAHN turbo kit is matched up with a Magnaflow exhaust, and together they brought the Mobil 1 horsepower numbers up from 177 to 284. Before they tested the car on the dyno and took it out for a spin the guys from Unique swapped out the old oil in favor of new Mobil 1 synthetic oil. These guys were adamant on telling us that Mobil 1 technology maximizes performance and gives advanced protection against heat and stress, and that is why they use nothing but Mobil 1 in all their projects. Rounding off the performance goodies is a custom fuel-set featuring a Walbro 255 fuel pump, and 10-gallon fuel cell.
The inside of the Mobil 1 Solstice is highlighted by a set of custom wrapped Kevlar Status Racing seats, and harnesses. The Status seats flow perfectly with the Unique roll cage. Unique was also responsible for making the seat brackets that bolt the Status seats into place. Located in the dash area are a plethora of Glow shift gauges. Unique installed the Glow Shift boost, air / fuel and EGT gauges, and they work perfectly with the HAHN turbo kit. Without the Glow Shift gauges it would be hard to monitor the boost levels and to keep track of the 2.4L vitals. Finishing off the interior of the Mobil 1 Solstice is a trick tilt ID-Tuning steering wheel adapter and a Nardi steering wheel.
Before the car left the shop the guys swapped out the stock headlight bulbs in a favor of a set of Ignited 8000K HID headlight bulbs. These new bulbs brighten up the road like you wouldn’t believe, and this is actually the goal that the guys were trying to accomplish.
Tunerzine.com is known for showcasing a variety of makes and models and even though we have featured our fair share of Chevy Cobalt’s and other domestic rides, this is the first time that we have ever featured or put a Pontiac Solstice on our cover. This collaboration project speaks volumes in terms of teamwork, creativity, and overall design. This Mobil 1 Solstice speedster has a bit of something for everyone and the engineering behind this project is quite mind blowing. If you want to see how this Mobil 1 Solstice was built, just scroll through the photos below and check out the in-depth behind the scene photos.
Rumors having been floating around the industry that Dave Lightner (Yep, the same guy who painted the Solstice and Tjin Edition Tour driver) will be taking this Solstice beast out on the drifting track next year as part of the Tjin Edition Drift Program. Stay tuned to Tunerzine as we will be the first to break this story in the upcoming months.
Gallery
