Chevy SS's Into Windy City
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2004 Impala SS, Monte Carlo Supercharged SS Add To Chevy's Growing SS Family of Performance Vehicles
CHICAGO - Whether it was a "Super Sport" script on the fenders or a simple "SS" badge in the grille, performance enthusiasts in the ’60s and early ’70s knew a Chevrolet with the SS insignia meant performance. Synonymous with performance, power and prestige, the SS moniker is an enduring part of the Chevy legacy and among the most storied designations in automotive history. Now, SS is coming back.
The growing SS family will include 2004 Impala SS and 2004 Monte Carlo Supercharged SS, both announced at the 2003 Chicago Auto Show. Appropriate to the SS line, each packs more muscle and tighter handling, with a supercharged V-6 engine and enhancements to chassis and suspension along with unique styling cues.
The latest series of SS vehicles also includes the 2003 Silverado SS. Based on a 1500 extended cab short bed, the Silverado SS features a standard high output version of the Vortec 6000 V-8, with 345 horsepower and 380 lb.-ft. of torque. Additional cars and trucks bearing the SS name will follow, as Chevrolet moves to reclaim its rightful place in the automotive performance pantheon.
"In the ’60s, SS often meant brute horsepower. Today it means a balance of all aspects of a vehicle’s performance," said Kurt Ritter, Chevrolet general manager. "But just as in the ’60s, we want SS models to be attainable to many enthusiasts, young or old. SS models will ultimately be available on many Chevrolet cars and trucks, thereby bringing contemporary, affordable performance to a diverse range of customers."
At the Chicago Auto Show, Chevrolet is displaying the 2004 Impala SS, 2004 Monte Carlo Supercharged SS, 2003 Silverado SS, the 2003 SSR and several concept vehicles – SS sedan, Tahoe SS and TrailBlazer SS – to showcase varied interpretations of the new family of SS performance vehicles.
The SSR (Super Sport Roadster) seamlessly combines the function and utility of a pickup with the performance and open-air excitement of a sports roadster powered by the 5.3-liter small-block V-8 engine. It goes into retail production in the summer of 2003.
The Chevy SS concept is a contemporary four-door family sedan that packs rear-wheel drive with a high-technology version of the legendary small-block V-8, and high-performance suspension and brakes to match. The brawny Tahoe SS concept demonstrates the performance capability of a full-size SUV, while the TrailBlazer SS concept, with its 345-hp 6.0-liter V-8 engine, harkens back to a long line of powerful mid-size SS cars that captured checkered flags on the track and bragging rights on the street.
Although unique in purpose and performance, each of the vehicles shares traits that make it instantly identifiable as a Chevy SS, including:
- Increased horsepower and torque
- Large, SS-specific wheels and high-performance tires
- Performance-tuned suspension
- Bright exhaust tips
- Subtle spoilers
- SS badging
- Unique interior appointments
These styling and performance cues will be seen in future SS production models. Each new SS represents the highest-output model of the nameplate, employing horsepower and torque increases that are noticeable in almost every driving condition.
SS history
The SS story began rather simply. Zora Arkus-Duntov, godfather of the Chevy Corvette and its chief engineer from 1953-73, was once asked if a special racing Corvette with an SS moniker was a sports car, and he replied, "No, it’s a Super Sports car."
Thus, the Chevy SS (Super Sport) badge was born, making its production debut on the 1961 Impala Super Sport. The Impala SS ushered in a new era of Chevy performance. The 360-horsepower 409 was one of five engine choices, and the car featured extra enhancements like power brakes and steering, sintered metallic brake linings, heavy duty shocks and springs, a 7000-rpm tachometer and special SS trim and badging. Chevy sold 450 SS versions that model year, and the race was on.
From there, the SS badge worked its way across Chevy’s lineup. The Nova SS debuted a year later, followed by the Chevelle SS and Malibu SS in 1964. The legendary Camaro SS arrived in 1967, and was followed a few years later by the equally formidable Monte Carlo SS.
These and other SS models shared performance enhancements such as beefed-up suspensions and speed-rated tires, special exhaust tips, unique wheels and grilles, tachometers and other special instrumentation as well as unique interior and exterior trim.
The oil crises, recessions, emissions requirements and a more energy-conscious public contributed to the SS models’ slow demise in the 1970s. The Monte Carlo SS was briefly resurrected in the mid-1980s, and then appeared again with the newest iteration of Monte Carlo in 2000. The Impala SS of the mid-1990s, based on the Caprice, was extremely popular with SS enthusiasts. Also, the Camaro SS was reborn in 1996 and stayed in the family through the 2002 model year.
As market conditions evolved in the ‘90s, the SS badge inevitably found itself emblazoned on new territory: trucks. The SS 454 Pickup, based on the CK Series, sold well for Chevy Trucks from 1990 to 1994, and, later that decade, the S-10 SS redefined performance in the compact pickup segment.
What makes an SS an SS?
Since the 1961 Impala Super Sport debuted four decades ago, SS models have come in all shapes and sizes, but they’ve been true to the bloodline by incorporating certain elements that are the essence of SS. These characteristics have included:
- Performance. First and foremost, the SS moniker has denoted performance. Over the years, Chevrolet has been able to provide SS performance along with improved fuel efficiency and dramatically lowered exhaust emissions.
- Suspension. The suspension of SS models has traditionally been beefed up and lowered, sometimes by as much as 2 inches, to provide the handling performance implied by the Super Sport name.
- Tires. Tires befitting SS models have typically been wider, lower-profile performance tires for maximum road grip. Original early 1960s SS vehicles featured wide tires with a narrower white stripe than usual. Later in the '60s, they wore "red line" tires, and then white-lettered tires into the ‘70s. Speed-rated performance radials are the tire of choice for modern SS cars and trucks.
- Wheels. Although SS models have featured different wheels over the years, nearly all have had special, unique designs with the SS badge.
- Engine ID. Nearly every SS displayed the cid (cubic inch displacement) on the front fenders, grille, or hood. On the 454 SS Pickups, it was part of a decal on the rear quarter panels.
- Instrumentation. A unique instrument panel with a tachometer has often been part of the deal when a customer bought an SS.
- Interior trim.The usual SS interior package consists of sport bucket seats with thick side bolsters.
- Black-out trim. Many SS models had "black-out" grilles replacing the chrome, anodized or silver paint treatments typically found in the 1960s and ’70s. Many of the rear filler panels between taillamps were also "blacked out."
