The Chevrolet SSR ( Super Sport Roadster) is a retro-styled and retractable hardtop convertible pickup truck manufactured by Chevrolet between 2003 and 2006.
During the 2003 and 2004 model years, the SSR used General Motors' 5.3 L Vortec 5300 V8.
For the 2005 model year, the SSR used the LS2 V8 engine also used in the C6 Corvette, Trailblazer SS, and Pontiac GTO, now offering a manual transmission option, the six-speed Tremec, for the first time. Performance improved dramatically with the LS2; the 6-speed manual version had an advertised 0– acceleration time of 5.29 seconds. In addition, GM badges were added to the vehicle.
For 2006, output of the LS2 increased to .
Design
The SSR's styled design was inspired by Chevrolet's late-1940s Advance Design trucks, in particular the 1947–1955 pickups. The vehicle rode on a GMT368 platform specific to it, a version of the period's highly adaptable GMT360, and featured a steel body retractable hardtop designed by
Karmann and built by ASC.
The body of the pickup, namely the front fenders, was made with deep draw stampings, a forming technique that had not been used in automotive stampings in decades, and required a "relearning" of the forming technique. The production model was based on the
SuperSport Roadster concept car shown at the 2000 Detroit Auto Show. In contrast to the production vehicle, this concept car used the chassis from the Chevrolet S-10 pickup.
An early-production SSR was the
pace car for the 2003 Indianapolis 500
auto racing.
Sales
The SSR was introduced as a 2003 model on New Year's Eve 2002 (December 31).
In spite of marketing efforts which included the SSR being used as the pace car for the 2003 Indianapolis 500,
it sold below expectations with under 9,000 sales at
USD$42,000 each. Citing a 301-day supply of SSRs,
General Motors in December of that year announced five weeks of layoffs at Lansing Craft Center, the factory that made the SSR. On November 21, 2005, GM announced that it would close the Craft Center in mid-2006, implying the production ending for the SSR. The final SSR, a unique black-on-silver model (Highest VIN 1GCES14H06B126138), was built on March 17, 2006.
Analysts estimate that 24,150 SSRs were produced in total. Of the total production, 24,112 were available for sale to the public.
Features
The Chevrolet SSR offered many luxury amenities as standard equipment. Standard equipment on all SSRs included power windows and door locks, keyless entry, luxury leather-trimmed bucket seats, front side SRS
airbags, an AM/FM stereo radio with cassette and CD players and a four-speaker audio system, carpeted floor mats, 19-inch front and 20-inch rear tires and cast-aluminum wheels, a body-colored rear tonneau cover, a power-retractable hardtop convertible roof, carpeted flooring for the interior and rear cargo compartment area, a driver information center, dual-zone manual air conditioning, a power-adjustable driver's seat, dual front SRS
airbags, a leather-wrapped, tilt-adjustable steering wheel, and cruise control, among other features. Options were few, but included the
General Motors (GM)
OnStar in-vehicle
telematics system, polished cast-aluminum wheels,
Teak decking and metal strakes for the rear cargo compartment area, rear onboard storage
saddle bags, SSR-embroidered carpeted floor mats, dual power-adjustable bucket seats with driver's seat memory, an AM/FM stereo radio with a six-disc, in-dash CD changer, XM
Satellite Radio, and a
Bose Corporation six-speaker premium audio system with an amplifier, steering wheel-mounted audio system and
OnStar controls, color-keyed interior accent trim, dual-zone automatic air conditioning, and an auxiliary center gauge package. Many of these options were part of the
1SB Equipment Package, which replaced the standard
1SA Equipment Package.
Motorsports
An attempt was made at a land speed record using a highly modified version of an SSR during the Bonneville Speed Week in August 2011. In spite of the team's efforts, the SSR in question was deemed ineligible to race in the class that they intended to compete in due to an air dam that did not conform to the class rules. They were permitted to race the pickup for "time only" but the pickup proved unstable at speeds approaching . The pickup never reached speeds anywhere near close enough to take the record. That same year, a 1996
GMC Sonoma put the class record even further out of reach by running nearly faster than the previous record.
See also
-
Chevrolet HHR
-
Chevrolet Advance Design, the 1947–1955 Chevrolet pickup
External links
