The Chevrolet SSR (Super Sport Roadster) is a retro-styled retractable hardtop convertible

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...

manufactured by

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ou ...

between 2003 and 2006. The 2003 and 2004 model years used General Motors' 5.3 L 300 hp '' Vortec 5300'' V8. Performance was 7.7 seconds for with a 15.9 second quarter mile run at 86.4 mph. The 2005 SSR used the '' LS2'' V8 also found in the C6 Corvette, Trailblazer SS, and Pontiac GTO, and also offered a

manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission (mechanics), transmission ...

option, the six-speed

Tremec TREMEC (Transmisiones y Equipos Mecánicos SA de CV, formerly Transmission Technology Corporation, TTC) is a manufacturer of automobile transmissions and drivetrain components based in Querétaro, Mexico. Company Torque transfer solutions fro ...

, for the first time. For the 2005 model year, the LS2 engine featured minor modifications that boosted its output to 390 hp (395-400 for 2006), respectively. Performance improved dramatically with the LS2; the 6-speed manual version had an advertised 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of 5.29 seconds. In addition, GM badges were added to the vehicle.

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 GM368 platform specific to it, a version of the period's highly adaptable

GMT360 GMT 360 is a vehicle platform that was manufactured by General Motors from the 2002 and 2009 model years. Designed primarily for SUVs, the GMT360 architecture served as the third generation of mid-size SUVs produced by GM. Directly succeeding i ...

, and featured a steel body

retractable hardtop A retractable hardtop — also known as "coupé convertible" or "coupé cabriolet" — is a car with an automatically operated, self-storing hardtop, as opposed to the folding textile-based roof used by traditional convertible cars. The benefits ...

Karmann Wilhelm Karmann GmbH, commonly known as simply Karmann, was a German automobile manufacturer and contract manufacturer based in Osnabrück. Founded by Wilhelm Karmann in 1901, the company specialized in a variety of automotive roles, includi ...

and built by

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. The body of the truck, namely the front fenders, were 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 A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...

shown at the 2000 Detroit Auto Show. An early-production SSR was the pace car for the 2003

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auto race Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

Sales

The SSR was introduced as a 2003 model on New Year's Eve 2002. In spite of marketing efforts which included the SSR being used as the pace car for the

2003 Indianapolis 500 The 87th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 25, 2003. Two-time defending champion Hélio Castroneves won the pole position and was trying to become the first driver in Indy history to ...

, it sold below expectations with under 9,000 sales at US$42,000 each. Citing a 301-day supply of SSRs,

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

in December of that year announced five weeks of layoffs at

Lansing Craft Center The Lansing Craft Center (LCC) was a specialized General Motors automobile assembly factory in Lansing Township, Michigan located at 2801 West Saginaw Street across from GM's Lansing Metal Center. History The facility was originally built by ...

, the factory that made the SSR. On November 21, 2005, GM announced that it would close the Craft Center in mid-2006, spelling the end 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 SSR's included power windows and door locks, keyless entry, luxury leather-trimmed bucket seats, front side SRS

airbags An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate extremely quickly, then quickly deflate during a collision. It consists of the airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. T ...

, an A/M-F/M stereo radio with cassette and CD players and a four-speaker audio system, carpeted floor mats, nineteen-inch (19") front and twenty-inch (20") 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

, a leather-wrapped, tilt-adjustable steering wheel, and a cruise control, among other features. Options were few, but included the

(GM)

OnStar OnStar Corporation is a subsidiary of General Motors that provides subscription-based communications, in-vehicle security, emergency services, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote diagnostics systems throughout the United States, Canada, China, ...

in-vehicle

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system, polished cast-aluminum wheels,

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decking and metal strakes for the rear cargo compartment area, rear onboard storage

saddle The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not kno ...

bags, SSR-embroidered carpeted floor mats, dual power-adjustable bucket seats with driver's seat memory, an A/M-F/M stereo radio with a six-disc, in-dash CD changer, XM

Satellite Radio Satellite radio is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s ITU Radio Regulations (RR) as a '' broadcasting-satellite service''. The satellite's signals are broadcast nationwide, across a much wider geographical area than t ...

, and a Bose six-speaker premium audio system with an amplifier, steering wheel-mounted audio system and

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 of 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 truck for "time only" but the truck proved unstable at speeds approaching 200mph. Unfortunately, the truck 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 10 mph faster than the previous record.

References

External links