Hoping that the love people have for their cars in real life can follow them into Second Life, GM has bought an island in the online world and hopes to build a community of car aficionados around it.

Pontiac will set up Motorati Island, a 96-acre section in Second Life, in late November AdWeek reports. Pontiac will sell virtual versions of the Pontiac Solstice GXP, host virtual concerts at the Pontiac Garage music stage in Times Square and stage car races.

Pontiac also plans to invite the entire Second Life population to submit proposals for how they would create a "car culture" on the island. Pontiac is assuming that as Second Life grows a culture of car lovers will develop there, and the automaker wants to be at the forefront of the movement. The proposals will officially be submitted next month in Second Life, and online at MotoratiLife.com

"What we're trying to do is go far beyond a press release saying we're on Second Life," Tor Myhren, executive creative director at Leo Burnett in Detroit, Pontiac's ad agency, says. "We want to connect with the people there." Pontiac's intent is to give the Second Life community a sense of involvement and ownership in the creation of Motorati Island, he said.