WHAT MAKES AN SS AN SS?

[SilveradoSS.com]

WHAT MAKES AN SS AN SS?

 

Chevrolet has produced more than one million SS models since the 1961 Impala Super Sport debuted four decades ago. They've come in all shapes and sizes, cars and trucks, but they've all been true to the SS bloodline by incorporating certain elements that are the essence of SS.

 

Most enhancements have been to provide "go," more than "show," though there were also the expected exterior and interior upgrades. The shared characteristics of SS models over the years have included:

 

Performance

First and foremost, the SS moniker has denoted performance. V8 engines have provided the majority of the grunt that has made enthusiasts so passionate about the SS line since the beginning, when the 360-hp 409 V8-powered Impala SS appeared. As more sophisticated computer-controlled engines have been developed, Chevrolet has been able to provide SS performance along with improved fuel efficiency and dramatically lowered exhaust emissions. But no matter what the technology, no vehicle could earn the Super Sport badge without providing the boost in straight-ahead power that goes along with the name.

 

 

Suspension

The suspension of SS models has traditionally been beefed up and lowered, sometimes by as much as two 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. The 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 of them have had special, unique designs with the SS badge riding proudly along.

 

 

Stripes/Ground Effects

These have typically been sprinkled throughout the lineup. The legendary Chevelle SS featured stripes both sides of the car, or on the hood and trunk beginning in 1968. The Nova SS used similar treatments from 1968 to 1975. Impalas did not use stripes, but the SS emblem was prominent on the hood, front fenders, and trunk lid. Camaros in the first generation featured the "bumble bee" stripe on the nose, or the "hockey stripe" on the body side.

 

 

Engine ID

Nearly every SS ever built displayed the cid (cubic inch displacement) on the front fenders, grille, or hood. In the case of the 454 SS Pickups, it was displayed as part of a large decal on the rear quarter panels.

 

 

Instrumentation

A unique instrument panel with a tachometer has nearly always 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. In the glory days, a floor shifter was standard equipment, whether the car had an automatic or manual transmission.

 

 

Black-out trim

Many SS models had "black-out" grilles replacing the chrome typically found in the 1960s and '70s, or the anodized aluminum or silver paint used thereafter. Many of the rear filler panels between taillamps were also "blacked out." On the early Camaro SS and the Nova SS, the small-block V8 rear panels were color keyed and the big- block V8 rear panels were blacked out.

 

 

Engine-turned metal

In the early days, the 1962-65 Impala SS, Chevelle SS and Nova SS used engine-turned metal trim in the inserts of the body side moldings, cove moldings around the taillamps and on the instrument panel trim. Later in the '60s, brushed aluminum was used.

 

 

Spoilers

Standard rear air spoilers began to appear briefly in the 1970s, and later in the 1980s and current Monte Carlo SS, Camaro SS and on the mid-1990s rebirth of the Impala SS. Camaro also sported a front airdam.