It was a Tuesday morning at the GM Boxwood Road assembly plant in Wilmington, Delaware, when the very last Pontiac Solstice rolled off the line. This video has recently been posted by Stan Kaminski to show the final moments of assembly. It’s a bit of sad nostalgia as we get an up close look at the employees saying goodbye to the car as an era comes to a close.
On July 28, 2009, the last Pontiac Solstice, a 2009 convertible, sat in the middle of production as employees signed The Pontiac Solstice Book like a senior class signing a yearbook. This book would be donated to the owner with the car. Many of the employees who had built it also signed components as they built it. A few are hidden, while the engine bay received the most signatures.
The Pontiac gets the last body pieces bolted into place, and headlights placed as a few laughs were shared amongst the employees. Once the crop of Solstices were finished off, a group of Solstice and Sky owners who were invited down for the Farewell Tour got to check them out. They were able to sit in the last Solstice and hangout with the workers. T-shirts were handed out, and Stan donated a Pontiac Solstice die-cast model with employees signatures on the box to go to the car’s owner. It was actually a GM employee who bought the car, making it a little more special for the GM family.
Stan got to ride shotgun in the car for its last ride at the plant, then it was taken to the shipping lot. It’s hard to believe that was seven years ago; it’s hard to even believe that the Pontiac brand has been gone for so long. We’re grateful for this touching inside look at the moments that the employees shared with the car.
Elizabeth is a hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
