Woo Hoo!!! T-minus 30 days and counting till the 4th annual North American Solstice & SKY Meet! GMR had the opportunity to attend an all hands meeting with the event organizers this past weekend at the Omni Resort In Denver, CO and I will tell you that this event is going to really set the bar!
All GM Roadster Club Members in good standing will be receiving a goodie bag upon arrival!
If you need more information on this years 4th annual North American Solstice & SKY Meet please visit there web site at NASSM2009.
If you are planning on attending this years event and have not yet registered please hurry, we are 30days away from the start of the event and the event organizers had to release all the un-booked rooms in the block, so all rooms book under the NASSM '09 event will still be given the discounted contract rate but they will be issued on a first come first booking basis....So hurry! You can book directly through the Omni Resort at 303-438-6600 and be sure to tell them you are part of this group to get the discounted room rates.
This years Event is being supported by many of our communities finest aftermarket parts companies. They are donating a variety of products that can be purchased onsite or even won in the silent auction!
A special thank you to the Rocky Mountain Solstice & SKY Club and John & Carol White for putting an uncountable amount of hours into the planning and execution of this great event!
GM Roadster has been very involved with the Tuning of these awesome roadsters from the very beginning. Steve, GMR's official tuner, has worked with over 300 club members over the past few years to get their roadsters tuned to perfection! One of the biggest challenges we have had is the way the industry is able to tune your car. To this point the only way to get your Kappa performance tuned is to either have it done locally, send your ECM in for tuning, or to purchase a second ECM entirely.
GM Roadster is excited to announce the release of our new "Virtual Tuner" Kit. You no longer need to pull the ECM out of your car and mail it half way across the country or purchase a second ECM to get that added Horsepower. Now you can have the convenience of your own personal tuner in the comfort of your own home. That is how the "V-Tuner" works: you place your order online via the GM Roadster Member Store and we then send you the V-tuner in the mail. It's simple, you plug the V-tuner into the OBDII port on your car and the other end into a Broadband internet connection. Press the power button and the unit will automatically connect to our server here in Arizona. We are now able to performance tune your Kappa as if we were standing right next to you! You can get a truly individual tuning experience without ever leaving your home! Gains vary based on other modifications and fuel but we typically see cars reach 312Hp and 361Lbs of Torque! Pricing for the Virtual tuner kit is still much lower than other tuning shops and they still require you to mail your ECM all over the country.
2006-07 Base 2.4L Solstice & SKY $350
2007-09 Turbo 2.0L Solstice & SKY $400
*Note: Any modifications made to your vehicle may void your factory warranty.
As many of you may know, with GM losing money at the rate of more than a billion dollars a month, the future of the Saturn brand remains uncertain. Once a crown jewel for GM, many fear that the Saturn brand is now on the chopping block, and that under pressure from Congress to make MAJOR cuts before any additional loans are given, GM may throw the baby out with the bathwater and completely eliminate the Saturn brand.
In response to her concerns about the future of Saturn, Barbara Collins, a Saturn customer and enthusiast, has created a video which shares the reasons behind her passion for the Saturn Brand, and at www.ForeverSaturn.com, her dealer helped her post the video and created an online petition that hundreds of people have already signed.
For many SKY owners, this may be the FIRST Saturn you have ever owned. If your purchase and ownership experience was one that turned you into a Saturn enthusiast, we encourage you to take a look at the video and sign the petition at www.ForeverSaturn.com.
Last January, we created our first "Limited Edition" club t-shirt, which listed all of the clubs then in existance. We produced only in a limited quantity of this shirt, and it has become sort of a collector's item as many people have asked how they can get them.
So, we are doing this again for 2009, and just like last year, you need to pre-order this shirt to guarantee that you will get a copy.
The beautifully designed artwork features the "2009 Limited Edition" logo on the front and a map of North America with the websites of all the GM Roadster Clubs proudly displayed on the back.
We are producing these in a Men's charcoal grey for $20 including shipping and a sleek Woman's v-neck for $23.
Please hurry, because once these go to print, we will not re-produce them (hence the Limited Edition status).
UPDATE: The good news is that we just heard that Saturn 360 magizine is back in print, as of Spring 2009!
The bad news is that Saturn 360 subscribers were recently informed that Saturn 360 magazine will no longer be published as a print magazine in order to "save some trees."
The good news is that trees will be saved, and the decision to publish the magazine online also makes it freely available to everyone, not just paid subscribers.
Saturn 360 magazine is an incredibly well produced lifestyles magazine targeted at the profile of typical Saturn owners, a little older and upscale, concerned about the environment, etc. Each issue is a beautiful piece, a coffee-table magazine that will, of course no longer be available on your coffee table.
In this quarter's issue, there are only a few mentions of the Saturn SKY, including:
Page 11 - Project Runway Designers get "Creative Impuse" from SKY
Page 17 - SKY offers Best-in-Class Fuel Economy
Back Page Reviews - Automedia calls the SKY “ …a Hawaiian shirt in a closet of grey flannel suits.”
While some people are disappointed that we won't be seeing this magazine in the mail anymore, we are hoping that it's availability to EVERYONE online will allow more people to enjoy it. If you would like to be automatically notified of new issues, go to www.saturn360online.com and click on SIGN ME UP to register to receive email notifications.
We just had a chance to read the detailed plan that GM submitted to Congress yesterday regarding their restructuring efforts. There has been a great deal of media buzz about this the past week, and specifically a lot of speculation and misinterpretation regarding GM's plans for Saturn, Pontiac and Opel, the three GM brands that our car club is all about.
Rather than try to second guess based upon media speculation, we decided to wait till we could see the actual plan, and we suggest the same for you. A PDF of the detailed plan can be found on our site at the link below:
Regarding the Saturn SKY / Opel GT, GM made a point of highlighting that the Saturn and Opel Insignia earned "car of the year awards," and indicated that "as part of the plan, the company also will accelerate discussions with
the Saturn retailers, consistent with their unique relationship, to
explore alternatives for the Saturn brand."
In recent months, Saturn has indeed been meeting with their FOT group (the dozen or so dealers that represent the franchisees) to develop a new "go to market" strategy for 2009, possibly including plans for returning to the company's small car roots. If anything, the GM statement appears to be a corporate blessing for Saturn to accelerate redefining their brand and operations, possibly returning to the core values and original vision put forth when the company was created. If anything, we believe that the new partnership with Opel has resulted in refocusing on smaller more economical vehicles at Saturn, which was created to be a stand-alone quality and customer service oriented automaker, giving the leadership the control and freedom needed to compete with Japanese imports.
Regarding the Pontiac Solstice, the plan indicated that they would continue to merge Pontiac with GMC and Buick brands to create a single BPG-branded dealership network "with Pontiac serving as a specialty/niche brand with reduced product offerings solely intended to complement Buick and GMC models and reinforce the channel as a whole." Therefore, Pontiac would be parred down to fewer models and the Solstice could very well survive if GM determines that it is both profitable and desirable within the new "niche" it defines for Pontiac.
There is a lot of speculation out there about the future of the kappa platform due to the reduced focus on Pontiac and Saturn within GM. However, we do not see the brand issues as the biggest threat to this platform. Additionally, the plan calls for a workforce reduction, laying off 20,000 to 30,000 manufacturing employees by 2012. Therefore, the biggest threat that we see to the kappa platform is that if the platform is not profitable, it could be that the Delaware plant could be shut down completely, and without a replacement platform in sight, it could be the end of the Sky and Solstice.
We wish GM and all the automakers the best as they work this difficult economic time, and we hope and fully expect that Congress will act in time to avoid further chaos in the market. Even Toyota sales were down 30-40% month-to-month right now, so this downturn is affecting the entire industry. GM, however, has developed one heck of a vehicle in the Solstice/SKY/OpelGT, and we hope that this vehicle remains one of the bright spots of GM's leaner more efficient future.
The video below was created by GM to illustrate some of their contribution to the US economy, some very interesting numbers.
The GM Roadster Club is delighted to announce that we have reached our 1000 member milestone, and to celebrate, we want to make a special offer to new and renewing members.
Give the GIFT of Membership
and receive a FREE PREMIUM HAT
If you would like to give the gift of membership to a spouse or friend who owns one of our fine roadsters, we will immediately email you a printable gift certificate that you can put under the tree. Also, if you pre-pay for two years, in addition to the 20% discount, we will send you a $15 GM Roadster Hat with your membership card and new member kit. This is a very special low profile twill hat, with a blue trimmed bill, and "www.GMRoadster.com" on the back. If you want a second matching hat, this very special low-profile twill trimmed hat is also available in our online store.
TWO YEAR RENEWALS RECEIVE A HAT TOO: If you are an existing member of GM Roadster, and you renew for two years or upgrade to a lifetime supporting membership, you too will receive one of our holiday baseball hats as a gift for your early renewal.
If you want this membership to be a Christmas surprise, use your own email address when you register rather than the recipient's. When you give them the account info and password, they will be albe to change the email address later. Your name and any special instructions should be placed in the MEMBER NOTES field.
Many thanks to all of
those who joined as Charter Members of the GM Roadster club. As we approach the end of our first full year as a club, we are very happy with some of the progress we have made, and excited about some of the new ideas and oppotunities we have to grow the club into the future.
Originally planned to expire at the end of 2008, we have decided that as soon
as our registered user base reaches 1000 members, we will no longer be offering charter memberships. Based upon the current rate of enrollments, we expect that the Charter member program will be filled up before the end of of the year.
During this month's Ticket to Telluride Tour, as we approached the 11,000 foot Red Mountain Pass, one of the locals pointed out that our route crossed six of the twenty highest mountain passes in North America, and we did it all in one day.
The day could not have been more beautiful, not too hot in the lowlands, and at the highest elevations, only the slightest bit of snow in the shadows. The rarified cool Rocky Mountain air can only be experienced, and never adequately described.
At the start of the ride, looking at more than 40 cars in the Jolly Rogers parking lot in Oceanside, Rich announced, "Against everyone's better judgement, we have decided to attempt this as one group instead of breaking up into smaller groups." Some cheered and others just shook their head. Some reminded nay-sayers that the Spruce Goose actually did fly, while others mumbled something about the "Flight of the Phoenix."
The three-hour ride down the California seacoast from Oceanside to San Diego was officially day one of a two day regional meet in San Diego. Day zero had gone well, with 35 or so people arriving for dinner at the Gas Lamp Strip Club, a steakhouse in the trendy new downtown area of San Diego. On Friday night, we met in "Champaign Room" and ate family style at four tables cooking our food at a couple of open grills in our room. Afterward, our San Diego hosts, Tim and Laurie (both from multi-generational San Diego families), took us on a walking tour of the Gas Lamp district, pointing out the historical buildings and meandering over to Ghirardelli's for some after-dinner treats.
As it turned out, the weather on Saturday monring was perfect... that is, perfect unless you are arranging a car club drive. When we arrived for breakfast at 8:00 AM, the morning overcast was already gone, and we knew we were in trouble. Last year, the cool sea mists and overcast kept us shaded and refreshed for our entire drive, and more importantly, it kept the locals indoors, but today, the streets and the beaches were absolutely packed! Although we were able to all pull to the along the Oceanside strand for a quick beach/pier photo, we knew that unless we made some other adjustments, this might be the only stop along the way, because beach parking areas that are often totally empty in the morning with overcast conditions are overflowing if the sun is out. The first adjustment was suggested by Jim and Ellen from San Diego, and that was a stop by the Torey Pines Glider port, which may have been the only place along the coast where we could have lined up our cars in one row. The one-hour drive to the glider port through Oceanside, Carlsbad, Leucadia, Encinitas, and Del Mar went pretty much as planned and we arrived as one group and lined up in one long line.
SKY Meet
GM Roadster is excited to announce the release of our new "Virtual Tuner" Kit. You no longer need to pull the ECM out of your car and mail it half way across the country or purchase a second ECM to get that added Horsepower. Now you can have the convenience of your own personal tuner in the comfort of your own home. That is how the "V-Tuner" works: you place your order online via the GM Roadster Member Store and we then send you the V-tuner in the mail. It's simple, you plug the V-tuner into the OBDII port on your car and the other end into a Broadband internet connection. Press the power button and the unit will automatically connect to our server here in Arizona. We are now able to performance tune your Kappa as if we were standing right next to you! You can get a truly individual tuning experience without ever leaving your home! Gains vary based on other modifications and fuel but we typically see cars reach 312Hp and 361Lbs of Torque! Pricing for the Virtual tuner kit is still much lower than other tuning shops and they still require you to mail your ECM all over the country.
As many of you may know, with GM losing money at the rate of more than a billion dollars a month, the future of the Saturn brand remains uncertain. Once a crown jewel for GM, many fear that the Saturn brand is now on the chopping block, and that under pressure from Congress to make MAJOR cuts before any additional loans are given, GM may throw the baby out with the bathwater and completely eliminate the Saturn brand.
Last January, we created our first "Limited Edition" club t-shirt, which listed all of the clubs then in existance. We produced only in a limited quantity of this shirt, and it has become sort of a collector's item as many people have asked how they can get them.
We just had a chance to read the detailed plan that GM submitted to Congress yesterday regarding their restructuring efforts. There has been a great deal of media buzz about this the past week, and specifically a lot of speculation and misinterpretation regarding GM's plans for Saturn, Pontiac and Opel, the three GM brands that our car club is all about.
GM Plan for Congress
Many thanks to all of
those who joined as Charter Members of the GM Roadster club. As we approach the end of our first full year as a club, we are very happy with some of the progress we have made, and excited about some of the new ideas and oppotunities we have to grow the club into the future.
During this month's Ticket to Telluride Tour, as we approached the 11,000 foot Red Mountain Pass, one of the locals pointed out that our route crossed six of the twenty highest mountain passes in North America, and we did it all in one day.
The three-hour ride down the California seacoast from Oceanside to San Diego was officially day one of a two day regional meet in San Diego. Day zero had gone well, with 35 or so people arriving for dinner at the Gas Lamp Strip Club, a steakhouse in the trendy new downtown area of San Diego. On Friday night, we met in "Champaign Room" and ate family style at four tables cooking our food at a couple of open grills in our room. Afterward, our San Diego hosts, Tim and Laurie (both from multi-generational San Diego families), took us on a walking tour of the Gas Lamp district, pointing out the historical buildings and meandering over to Ghirardelli's for some after-dinner treats.
As it turned out, the weather on Saturday monring was perfect... that is, perfect unless you are arranging a car club drive. When we arrived for breakfast at 8:00 AM, the morning overcast was already gone, and we knew we were in trouble. Last year, the cool sea mists and overcast kept us shaded and refreshed for our entire drive, and more importantly, it kept the locals indoors, but today, the streets and the beaches were absolutely packed! Although we were able to all pull to the along the Oceanside strand for a quick beach/pier photo, we knew that unless we made some other adjustments, this might be the only stop along the way, because beach parking areas that are often totally empty in the morning with overcast conditions are overflowing if the sun is out. The first adjustment was suggested by Jim and Ellen from San Diego, and that was a stop by the Torey Pines Glider port, which may have been the only place along the coast where we could have lined up our cars in one row. The one-hour drive to the glider port through Oceanside, Carlsbad, Leucadia, Encinitas, and Del Mar went pretty much as planned and we arrived as one group and lined up in one long line.
HAPPY Holidays! For a limited time, new two-year memberships and renewals will receive a FREE HAT. 
