Why the Solstice GXP you ask? 'Cause it's the hot new compact convertible platform from Pontiac and it's a helluva lot lighter and much more agile than the GTO. "The car is some 650 pounds lighter than the GTO and we're running the same wheel and tire combination...the grip factor is huge compared to the GTO," explains Rhys. Wide 18x8 and 18x9.5 Racing Hart CPS-10 wheels wrapped in Bridgestone RE-01 stickies fill that grip factor, while grippier still are the Rotora micro 6-piston forged calipers up front, with a pair-as in dos-of 2-piston forged calipers in the rear.
Well, the wheelbase is shorter on the smaller GXP so handling's probably wack, right? Err, no, as Rhys points out, "where I have three feet of overhang behind me, the GTO had eight...the [Solstice] is very agile and it gives me the responsiveness from the steering that I require." Dramatically improved steering angle-courtesy of the engineers at Roush Industries, who custom fabricated A-arms, tie rod ends, toe links, and solid bushings-also allows the crew to fine-tune the Solstice's alignment. Eibach ERS coilovers paired with Penske dampeners were installed for enhanced responsiveness as well as a Z06-spec Tremec T56 transmission, Exedy clutch and GM CTS-V LSD for added bite during tight course turns.
But it's a four-banger compared to a high powered and much larger V-8 LS1 motor-there's no replacement for displacement, right? Wrong. While yes, the V-8 has twice the cylinders of the Ecotec motor, the replacement for displacement is the right turbo emplacement. And it silences the critics that whine like a compressor blade at full sing about Rhys' winning reliance on a large V-8. Remember fellas, this is the same Millen that competes in turbocharged four-cylinders on dirt rally courses. "I think that's what everyone's waiting to see...how I adapt from a big healthy V-8 to a little four-cylinder, but I think that they lose sight of ten years of rally experience and turbocharged four-cylinder cars," says Rhys.