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SS HERITAGE PROVIDES CHEVROLET A FOUNDATION...


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SS HERITAGE PROVIDES CHEVROLET A FOUNDATION OF SPEED, POWER AND PERFORMANCE

 

It's among the most storied designations in automotive history - SS. It represents the utmost in Chevrolet performance. And it came about quite simply.

 

Zora Arkus-Duntov, father 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."

 

And so the Chevy SS (Super Sport) badge was born, making its production debut on the 1961 Impala Super Sport. The two-letter combination has been raising the pulse rates of auto enthusiasts ever since.

 

"Chevrolet has sold more than 1 million SS models in its history," says Chevrolet general manager Kurt Ritter. "The vast majority of those have gone to enthusiastic customers who want 'more go than show' in their vehicles. It's that kind of enthusiast who is going to help us build on this great heritage and take the SS badge to new heights."

 

Long history of top performance at Chevy

By the time the 1961 Impala SS and its legendary 409 V8 debuted, Chevrolet had already established itself as a name synonymous with great performance.

 

The introduction of the Chevy small-block V8 in 1955 helped see to that. The '61 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.

 

In addition to V8 engines, all of the 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 all 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.

 

As market conditions evolved in the '90s, the SS badge inevitably found itself in 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.

 

SS to lead a new performance revolution

With a new century underway, there is a renewed emphasis on performance at all of General Motors, and SS is poised for rebirth to fly the performance flag again at Chevrolet.

 

The 2003 Silverado SS will officially begin the SS revival. Additional cars and trucks bearing the SS name will follow, as Chevrolet moves to reclaim its rightful place in the automotive performance pantheon.

 

"Although SS models had virtually disappeared, enthusiasts have not," says Ritter. "The automotive market is awash in emotionless commodity cars. In SS, we have the perfect name with which to re-ignite the flames of passion and performance in the marketplace for Chevrolet. We intend to do just that."

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