Once upon a time, General Motors relied on the Zeta platform for rear-wheel-drive automobiles. Introduced with the Holden VE-generation Commodore, the Global RWD Architecture went the way of the dodo in 2017, together with the Chevy SS.
Even though it’s been marketed as an enthusiast car for North America, the SS wasn’t more than a VF II Commodore with Chevrolet badges and Magnetic Ride Control. On the other hand, the SS was the perfect link between the front-wheel-drive Malibu and Impala, an average-looking sedan packing 6.2 liters of LS3 V8.
As Mr. Regular puts it in his review of the SS, the Australian-turned-American-sports-sedan could be considered the spiritual successor of the Pontiac G8. But on the other hand, Chevrolet didn’t put too much effort into marketing the SS to the public, which is why under 13,000 units were sold over four years of production.
First released in 2013 for the 2014 model year, the SS used to retail at $44,470 including the $995 destination charge. The affordable pricing led many to call the SS an alternative to the BMW M5, but who were they kidding? It’s better to think of the SS as a roomy sedan with the small-block V8 engine from the C6 Corvette.
At the end of the day, the novelty appeal of the SS is what makes the car great, as well as the reason for its downfall. The production numbers also make it rarer than other Chevrolet models from this era, adding to the bragging rights of the SS. But then again, the SS came to be as a means to an end. And that end was General Motors’ promise to Holden according to which the Elizabeth production plant in Australia would keep churning out Zeta-based automobiles by the end of 2017.
Now that Holden is nothing but an importer of General Motors vehicles manufactured in all four corners of the world, Chevrolet can no longer make a case for the SS. And now that the Zeta is gone, the Camaro transitioned to the Alpha platform and full-size sedans such as the Cadillac CT6 ride on the Omega platform.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News