Thread: Want A Sting-Ray?

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Well it looks like GM is gonna get us or should I say bring us something?

Scoop! Return of the Chevrolet Sting Ray!
Chevrolet considers a V-6 Kappa and its name might be Sting Ray


By Todd Lassa
Art By Mark Stehrenberger
GM is seriously considering building a V-6 version of its Kappa sports car (aka Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky). But the scuttlebutt around Motown is that this version would get an all-new body, a Chevy badge, and one of the most iconic names in the GM sports-car pantheon--Sting Ray. It would be positioned as a muscular, entry-level Chevy sports car priced under the current Corvette range, but above the higher-end Pontiac and Saturn models. Given the enduring success of the Corvette, the Sting Ray plan seems plausible--and profitable.

Insiders report V-6-powered Kappa mules wearing Pontiac Solstice sheetmetal are already running around GM test facilities, even though the Sting Ray program has yet to be given official approval from GM brass. The V-6s Chevy is playing with are the 3.9-liter pushrod motor used in the Malibu SS and the high-feature 3.6-liter in the Cadillac CTS. The 3.9 is rated at 240 horses, a number that equals the expected horsepower under the hoods of the coming 2.2-liter turbo 2007 Solstice and Sky, but with much better low-end torque. The 3.6 is rated at 255 horses in the CTS and would seem the right engine to beat the BMW Z4's 225-horse inline-six. The twin overhead cams in the high-feature engine would require a bulge in the Sting Ray's hood.

Compete with BMW? Yes, like the Corvette, the Sting Ray would transcend GM's old divisional order. If it gets the green light, it'll be a well-equipped, high-spec model, priced far above the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. Both those cars will remain four-cylinder only, although the 2008 Pontiac Solstice coupe also will come with a V-6, which helps the Chevy's business case, as it means some development and certification costs can be shared.

The Sting Ray mule comes along just as GM has confirmed a third sports car off the Kappa, a 2007 Opel/Vauxhall GT to be imported from the U.S. to Europe. That car launches only after the debut of the Saturn Sky late this spring and shares its styling. The Opel GT will probably get just one of the two engines to be offered in Solstice/ Sky--either the 170-horse, 2.4-liter Ecotec four or the 240-horse, 2.2-liter turbo, but not both.

The Sting Ray makes sense. Adding a division (or changing divisions) for a platform certainly is more novel than offering special-edition packages with leather-covered shift knobs.

The unique Sting Ray styling, a V-6 engine, and high content also could come along just as everyone who wants a Solstice or Sky has already bought one. Throw in 1950s-1960s Corvette styling cues and an attitude that doesn't try to hide the fact that this is an American-style sports car, and it could be a winner. One other factor in the Sting Ray's favor: GM's new Corvette chief, Tom Wallace, also is in charge of the Kappa cars.