This article needs additional citations for verification .(July 2008) |
Chevrolet SSR | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Chevrolet |
Production | 2003–2006 |
Model years | 2003–2006 |
Assembly | United States: Lansing, Michigan (Lansing Craft Center) |
Designer | Brian Baker, Bill Davis, Glen Durmisevich, Doug Ungemach |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Pickup truck |
Body style |
|
Layout | FR layout |
Platform | GM GMT368 platform |
Related | |
Powertrain | |
Engine | |
Transmission | |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 116.0 in (2,946 mm) [1] |
Length |
|
Width | 78.6 in (1,996 mm) |
Height |
|
The Chevrolet SSR (Super Sport Roadster) is a retro-styled retractable hardtop convertible pickup truck manufactured by Chevrolet between 2003 and 2006.
The 2003 and 2004 model years used General Motors' 5.3 L 300 hp Vortec 5300 V8. [2] Performance was 7.7 seconds for 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) with a 15.9 second 1⁄4 mile (402.3 m) run at 86.4 mph (139.0 km/h).
For the 2005 model year, the SSR used the 390 hp (291 kW) LS2 V8 also found in the C6 Corvette, Trailblazer SS, and Pontiac GTO, and also offered 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 0–60 mph (97 km/h) time of 5.29 seconds. In addition, GM badges were added to the vehicle.
For 2006, output of the LS2 increased to 395 hp (295 kW).
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. [3] [4] 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. [4] An early-production SSR was the pace car for the 2003 Indianapolis 500 auto race.
The SSR was introduced as a 2003 model on New Year's Eve 2002 (December 31). [5] In spite of marketing efforts which included the SSR being used as the pace car for the 2003 Indianapolis 500, [6] it sold below expectations with under 9,000 sales at US$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. [7] Analysts estimate that 24,150 SSRs were produced in total. Of the total production, 24,112 were available for sale to the public.
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 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 a 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 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.
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 pickup for "time only" but the pickup proved unstable at speeds approaching 200 mph (320 km/h). 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 10 mph (16 km/h) faster than the previous record.[ citation needed ]
The Chevrolet Corvette is a line of American two-door, two-seater sports cars manufactured and marketed by General Motors under the Chevrolet marque since 1953.
The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro shared its platform and major components with the Firebird, produced by General Motors' Pontiac division that was also introduced for the 1967 model year.
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size car that was built by Chevrolet for model years 1958 to 1985, 1994 to 1996, and 2000 to 2020. The Impala was Chevrolet's popular flagship passenger car and was among the better-selling American-made automobiles in the United States.
The Chevrolet Avalanche is a four-door, five- or six-passenger pickup truck that was manufactured by General Motors. The Avalanche was a hybrid between the Chevrolet Suburban SUV and the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, sharing the chassis with the Suburban. Unlike a typical pickup truck where the bed is mounted separately from the cab on the frame, the bed of the Avalanche was integrated with the cab body.
The Chevrolet Chevelle is a mid-sized automobile that was produced by Chevrolet in three generations for the 1964 through 1977 model years. Part of the General Motors (GM) A-body platform, the Chevelle was one of Chevrolet's most successful nameplates. Body styles included coupes, sedans, convertibles, and station wagons. The "Super Sport" versions were produced through the 1973 model year and Lagunas from 1973 through to 1976.
The Chevrolet Corvair is a rear-engined, air-cooled compact car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet over two generations between 1960 and 1969. A response to the Volkswagen Beetle, it was offered in 4-door sedan, 2-door coupe, convertible, 4-door station wagon, passenger van, commercial van, and pickup truck body styles in its first generation (1960–1964), and as a 2-door coupe, convertible or 4-door hardtop in its second (1965–1969). Total production was approximately 1.8 million vehicles from 1960 until 1969.
The Chevrolet Bel Air is a full-size car produced by Chevrolet for the 1950–1981 model years. Initially, only the two-door hardtops in the Chevrolet model range were designated with the Bel Air name from 1950 to 1952. With the 1953 model year, the Bel Air name was changed from a designation for a unique body shape to a premium level of trim applied across a number of body styles. The Bel Air continued with various other trim level designations, and it had gone from a mid-level trim car to a budget fleet sedan when U.S. production ceased in 1975. Production continued in Canada, for its home market only, through the 1981 model year.
The Pontiac G6 is a mid-size car that was produced by General Motors under the Pontiac brand. It was introduced in 2004 for the 2005 model year to replace the Grand Am.
The Chevrolet Silverado is a range of trucks manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand. Introduced for the 1999 model year, the Silverado is the successor to the long-running Chevrolet C/K model line. Taking its name from the top trim level from the Chevrolet C/K series, the Silverado is offered as a series of full-size pickup trucks, chassis cab trucks, and medium-duty trucks. The fourth generation of the model line was introduced for the 2019 model year.
The Cadillac XLR is a two-passenger roadster manufactured and marketed by Cadillac from 2003 to 2009 across a single generation — and noted for its power retractable hardtop, Bulgari designed interior instruments, head-up display, adaptive suspension, rear-mounted transmission and near 50/50 front-to-rear weight distribution. As Cadillac's flagship model, the XLR was introduced at the 2003 North American International Auto Show and began production for the 2004 model year — foreshadowed by the 1999 Evoq concept.
The Chevrolet Colorado, is a series of compact pickup trucks marketed by American automaker General Motors. They were introduced in 2004 to replace the Chevrolet S-10 and GMC S-15/Sonoma compact pickups. The Colorado is named after the U.S. state of Colorado, while the Canyon took its name from the deep chasm between cliffs.
The Chevrolet Malibu is a mid-size car that was manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet from 1964 to 1983 and from 1997 to 2024. The Malibu began as a trim-level of the Chevrolet Chevelle, becoming its own model line in 1978. Originally a rear-wheel drive intermediate, GM revived the Malibu nameplate as a front-wheel-drive car in 1997.
The Chevrolet Chevy II/Nova is a small automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, and produced in five generations for the 1962 through 1979, and 1985 through 1988 model years. Built on the X-body platform, the Nova was the top selling model in the Chevy II lineup through 1968. The Chevy II nameplate was dropped after 1968, with Nova becoming the nameplate for all of the 1969 through 1979 models. It was replaced by the 1980 Chevrolet Citation introduced in the spring of 1979. The Nova nameplate returned in 1985, produced through 1988 as a S-car based, NUMMI manufactured, subcompact based on the front wheel drive, Japan home-based Toyota Sprinter.
The Chevrolet K5 Blazer is a full-size sport-utility vehicle that was built by General Motors. Being GM's smallest full-size SUV, the K5 Blazer is part of the C/K truck series. Introduced to the Chevrolet line for the 1969 model year, the K5 Blazer was replaced for 1995 by the Chevrolet Tahoe. In 1970, GMC introduced its own model of the truck, called the Jimmy, which was discontinued in 1991 and replaced by the Yukon. The "Jimmy" name was chosen to reflect how GM may sound in a similar manner to how Jeep was thought to be a pronunciation of GP in the competing market. Both were short-wheelbase trucks and available with either rear- or four-wheel drive. Despite all Chevrolet versions from 1969 to 1988 having the "K5" badge, GM never internally referred to the model as the K5 Blazer/K5 Jimmy. Officially, the vehicles have always been referred to as the Blazer/Jimmy, without the K5 prefix. After the release of the S-Series Blazer/Jimmy in 1983, the models were officially renamed "Chevrolet Full-Size Blazer" and "GMC K-Jimmy", though they are often unofficially still addressed as "K5" to avoid confusion.
The Chevrolet Corvette (C6) is the sixth generation of the Corvette sports car that was produced by Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 2005 to 2013 model years. It is the first Corvette with exposed headlamps since the 1962 model. Production variants include the Z06, ZR1, Grand Sport, and 427 Convertible. Racing variants include the C6.R, an American Le Mans Series GT1 championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans GTE-Pro winner.
The Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC TopKick are a range of medium-duty trucks that were produced by the Chevrolet and GMC divisions of General Motors from 1980 to 2009. Introduced as a variant of the medium-duty C/K truck line, three generations were produced. Slotted between the C/K trucks and the GMC Brigadier Class 8 conventional, the Kodiak/TopKick were developed as a basis for vocationally oriented trucks, including cargo haulers, dump trucks, and similar vehicles; on later generations, both cutaway and cowled-chassis variants were produced for bus use.
The Holden Commodore (VZ) is a full-size car that was produced by Holden from 2004 to 2006 as a sedan and to 2007 as a wagon and Ute sold alongside the new VE series. It was the fourth and final iteration of the third generation of the Commodore and the last to spawn a coupé variant. Its range continued to include the luxury variants, Holden Berlina (VZ) and Holden Calais (VZ).
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 its GMT330 predecessor in the United States, GMT360 vehicles based on the platform were sold with their predecessor in Canada and export markets through 2005.
The sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro is an American pony car. Produced by automobile manufacturer Chevrolet, it was first introduced to the public on May 16, 2015. Sales started in 2015 for the 2016 model year. The Camaro now utilizes the GM Alpha platform shared with the Cadillac ATS and CTS and features MacPherson struts in front, rather than the former multi-link setup. General Motors claims that 70 percent of architectural components in the new Camaro are unique to the car.
The Chevrolet Corvette (C8) is the eighth generation of the Corvette sports car manufactured by American automobile manufacturer Chevrolet. It is the first rear mid-engine Corvette since the model's introduction in 1953, differing from the traditional front mid-engine design started in 1963. The C8 was announced in April 2019, and the coupe made its official debut on July 18, 2019, in Tustin, California. The convertible made its debut in October 2019 during a media event at the Kennedy Space Center to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. Production officially began on February 3, 2020, delayed by the 2019 General Motors strike.
But the coolest SSR on-screen moment came in the form of a 2003 Chevy roundup of sorts, a commercial showcasing the year's ten new Chevrolets, directed by Michael Bay of big-budget action film acclaim, like Transformers. How appropriate. Airing on New Year's Eve, this sixty-second spot introduced the SSR to the world. A new car…uh…truck…or convertible…for the new year.