Photo: Veit's Vettes
The SSR was one of the weirdest bets made by American carmaker Chevrolet in the early years of the 2000s. It was as if two of the bowtie’s darkest desires, a return to the design elegance of the 1940s, and the need to cover all possible niches of the pickup truck market, met and annihilated each other with a bang.
The SSR was born in 2003, a good number of years after the El Camino, the closest thing to it in the Chevrolet portfolio, was kicked out of production. Unlike the coupe/utility, however, this time the American company tried its hand at making a successful hardtop convertible pickup.
For all intents and purposes, it failed to do so, as for the limited years of production (it was discontinued in 2006), just close to 25,000 of them were made. But as things usually go in the auto industry, the model is slowly becoming a more successful collectible.
There’s quite a number of SSRs presently for sale, but the one we have here is advertised as a rare bird. Made in 2005, it is one of the about 1,600 equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission from the factory, and it also comes in “the lowest production color for the year, Ricochet Silver.”
As a more modern gem, the pickup comes with a host of comfort creatures, including a heated, adjustable driver’s seat, remote keyless entry, power heated exterior mirrors, and cruise control.
Riding on staggered 19- and 20-inch wheels (front and rear, respectively), the SSR moves along under the power of a 6.0-liter V8, the same engine deployed on the Chevrolet Corvette, and good in this application for 390 hp.
The engine has just 12,600 miles (20,200 km) on it, and this, coupled with the pickup’s condition and rarity, makes the dealer currently selling it confident it will have no problems in snatching $39,950 for it.
For all intents and purposes, it failed to do so, as for the limited years of production (it was discontinued in 2006), just close to 25,000 of them were made. But as things usually go in the auto industry, the model is slowly becoming a more successful collectible.
There’s quite a number of SSRs presently for sale, but the one we have here is advertised as a rare bird. Made in 2005, it is one of the about 1,600 equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission from the factory, and it also comes in “the lowest production color for the year, Ricochet Silver.”
As a more modern gem, the pickup comes with a host of comfort creatures, including a heated, adjustable driver’s seat, remote keyless entry, power heated exterior mirrors, and cruise control.
Riding on staggered 19- and 20-inch wheels (front and rear, respectively), the SSR moves along under the power of a 6.0-liter V8, the same engine deployed on the Chevrolet Corvette, and good in this application for 390 hp.
The engine has just 12,600 miles (20,200 km) on it, and this, coupled with the pickup’s condition and rarity, makes the dealer currently selling it confident it will have no problems in snatching $39,950 for it.
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