Photo: Gateway Classic Cars
Stretching things a bit, one could say the Chevrolet El Camino is on its way to becoming a sort of a collectible. Sure, it’s not there yet, but the increasing number of such vehicles changing hands is a good indication of that. But can the SSR say the same thing?
Technically, both are utility machines, the former designed as a coupe, and the latter as a roadster. But whereas the El Camino had a reason for coming into this world – fighting Ford’s Ranchero – there’s no excuse for Chevy having made the SSR.
The nameplate came to be in 2003, and, as usual, Chevy made a big fuss about it, even deploying the thing to pace the 2003 Indianapolis 500. Despite its quirkiness (or because of it) and the marketing efforts made by Chevy, the SSR failed miserably and was pulled after just three years, and some 24,000 of them made.
These things are still around, trying to sell on the pre-owned market in various shapes and sizes. We dug up the one we have here on Gateway Classic Cars, looking all custom fancy and selling for more than double the price the bowtie was asking for it when new.
Why is that so? Because it seems, this SSR “has been made as a tribute car to the 2004 Championship season of the Detroit Pistons."
The truck wears all sorts of basketball-themed elements, from the basketball seats inside to a miniature replica of The Palace arena included in the covered bed. The tangerine pearl body is airbrushed with the logo of the team on the hood and a view of the city of Detroit on the tailgate. The SSR runs the stock 5.3-liter and the automatic transmission, as far as we can tell, with no changes.
The asking price for this 18,000-mile (29,000-km) vehicle is $87,000, which is a hell of a lot more than the roughly $40K MSRP ($57,000 adjusted for inflation) of the SSR back in its day.
We’re not sure if all of the above justifies that, but there is one other thing we should mention. It boasts the autographs of some of the Piston’s greatest, including play-by-play voice George Blaha, and players Carlos Delfino and Lindsey Hunter, right on the miniature court in the back.
Check the gallery for this and more incredible details of this build.
The nameplate came to be in 2003, and, as usual, Chevy made a big fuss about it, even deploying the thing to pace the 2003 Indianapolis 500. Despite its quirkiness (or because of it) and the marketing efforts made by Chevy, the SSR failed miserably and was pulled after just three years, and some 24,000 of them made.
These things are still around, trying to sell on the pre-owned market in various shapes and sizes. We dug up the one we have here on Gateway Classic Cars, looking all custom fancy and selling for more than double the price the bowtie was asking for it when new.
Why is that so? Because it seems, this SSR “has been made as a tribute car to the 2004 Championship season of the Detroit Pistons."
The truck wears all sorts of basketball-themed elements, from the basketball seats inside to a miniature replica of The Palace arena included in the covered bed. The tangerine pearl body is airbrushed with the logo of the team on the hood and a view of the city of Detroit on the tailgate. The SSR runs the stock 5.3-liter and the automatic transmission, as far as we can tell, with no changes.
The asking price for this 18,000-mile (29,000-km) vehicle is $87,000, which is a hell of a lot more than the roughly $40K MSRP ($57,000 adjusted for inflation) of the SSR back in its day.
We’re not sure if all of the above justifies that, but there is one other thing we should mention. It boasts the autographs of some of the Piston’s greatest, including play-by-play voice George Blaha, and players Carlos Delfino and Lindsey Hunter, right on the miniature court in the back.
Check the gallery for this and more incredible details of this build.
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