Photo: jlord8/Instagram
If anyone thinks automakers have been ducking it out on the performance truck front for a short while, let’s remember the days of the Ford F-150 SVT Lightning, GMC Syclone, and Chevy C1500 454 SS. With a CGI twist, or perhaps even two.
Right now, a lot of experts say that Chevrolet’s 454 SS might have been overshadowed back in the day by the Syclone and Lightning, but it’s entirely worth rediscovering. The muscle truck wasn’t something groundbreaking, with Chevrolet honoring the traditional recipe of dropping a massive engine inside a (relatively) small architecture.
Sure, the 454 SS remained a full-size pickup truck, but the automaker did select the lightest configuration possible. That meant a single-cab C1500 with a short bed and 2WD, mated to a beefy performance setup (brakes, suspension, steering) as well as the 454ci V8 engine. That one was good for 230 hp (255 hp for later model years) and a massive 385 lb-ft (522 Nm).
Today, it’s not odd for people to remember the 454 SS with love and praise. But, of course, the automotive world’s pixel masters need to do everything with a twist... or more. So, here’s Jim – the virtual artist behind the jlord8 account on social media – going on a rediscovery journey that seeks to “454 SS all the things.”
For starters, he treated us with a modern fifth-generation Chevrolet Tahoe that remembered the glory days of the K5 Blazer. So, it dropped a couple of doors to better impersonate its illustrious predecessor and also adopted the 454 SS looks – but hopefully not the powertrain. That SUV really needs something even bigger...
Unlike the latest entries in the 454 SS series. The CGI expert decided that both the early 1990s Lumina APV minivan and the late 2000s HHR crossover deserve the same big-block Chevy treatment. Interestingly, the larger people hauler gets a subtly restrained treatment – it turns black, has the mandatory graphics, as well as a new set of wheels that doesn’t stray too far away from the APV’s period.
Meanwhile, the HHR is a bit more extreme, as it also drops a pair of doors just like the Tahoe 454 SS. Additionally, the black paint is probably of a matte variety and the wheel choice adds even more depth to the Heritage High Roof’s vintage-inspired styling.
Sure, the 454 SS remained a full-size pickup truck, but the automaker did select the lightest configuration possible. That meant a single-cab C1500 with a short bed and 2WD, mated to a beefy performance setup (brakes, suspension, steering) as well as the 454ci V8 engine. That one was good for 230 hp (255 hp for later model years) and a massive 385 lb-ft (522 Nm).
Today, it’s not odd for people to remember the 454 SS with love and praise. But, of course, the automotive world’s pixel masters need to do everything with a twist... or more. So, here’s Jim – the virtual artist behind the jlord8 account on social media – going on a rediscovery journey that seeks to “454 SS all the things.”
For starters, he treated us with a modern fifth-generation Chevrolet Tahoe that remembered the glory days of the K5 Blazer. So, it dropped a couple of doors to better impersonate its illustrious predecessor and also adopted the 454 SS looks – but hopefully not the powertrain. That SUV really needs something even bigger...
Unlike the latest entries in the 454 SS series. The CGI expert decided that both the early 1990s Lumina APV minivan and the late 2000s HHR crossover deserve the same big-block Chevy treatment. Interestingly, the larger people hauler gets a subtly restrained treatment – it turns black, has the mandatory graphics, as well as a new set of wheels that doesn’t stray too far away from the APV’s period.
Meanwhile, the HHR is a bit more extreme, as it also drops a pair of doors just like the Tahoe 454 SS. Additionally, the black paint is probably of a matte variety and the wheel choice adds even more depth to the Heritage High Roof’s vintage-inspired styling.
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