The Chevy SSR is simply a retractable hardtop convertible pickup truck, that’s not all that it is. As TopSpeed said, it’s also a roadster, and while it’s a convertible, it’s also a retro-styled convertible to be precise. Chevy developed the SSR in 2003 as a way to set its trucks apart from others.
The SSR (Super Sport Roadster) was powered by a 5.3-liter V8 engine that generated over 300-hp and 335 lb-ft of torque. This engine was one of the most powerful engines of that era although Chevy introduced a bigger and more powerful 6.0-liter V8 that generated 390-hp and 405 lb-ft of torque in its last model year of production.
Chevy SSR – These engines gave rise to the SSR accelerating from 0 to 60 MPH in 7.7 seconds with the 5.3-liter V8 and 5.3 seconds with the 6.0-liter V8. Despite these powerful engines, TruckTrend says the SSR could only tow about 2,500 lb of cargo and haul about 1,300 lb of goods in its truck bed.
The truck comes with a very small 4-foot long truck bed with a semi-permanent tonneau cover over its truck bed. This cover may be good at keeping the SSR aerodynamic and speedy, but it also makes it a hassle to use as a proper work truck according to TopSpeed. The Chevrolet SSR offered many luxury amenities as standard equipment. Standard equipment on all SSR’s included power windows, door locks, and keyless entry among others. Let take a brief look at some of its features.
The styling of the SSR
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The SSR’s “retro” styled design was inspired by Chevrolet’s late 1940s Advance Design trucks, in particular the 1947–1955 pickups. The vehicle rode on a GM368 platform-specific to it, a version of the period’s highly adaptable GMT360, and featured a steel body retractable hardtop designed by Karmann and built by ASC. The front fenders were made with deep draw stampings, a forming technique that had not been used in automotive stampings in decades, and required a “relearning” of the forming technique. The production model was based on the SuperSport Roadster concept car shown at the 2000 Detroit Auto Show. An early-production SSR was the pace car for the 2003 Indianapolis 500 auto race.
The interior Design
The truck comes with luxury leather-trimmed bucket seats, front side SRS airbags, A/M-F/M stereo radio with cassette and CD players and a four-speaker audio system, carpeted floor mats, other features include a driver information center, dual-zone manual air conditioning, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, dual front SRS airbags, a leather-wrapped, tilt-adjustable steering wheel, and cruise control, among other features.
The Exterior Design
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The exterior of the retractable hardtop convertible pickup truck features a nineteen-inch (19″) front and twenty-inch (20″) tires and cast-aluminum wheels, a body-colored rear tonneau cover, a power-retractable hardtop convertible roof, carpeted flooring for the interior and rear cargo compartment area,
Options that came with the truck
Chevy made available options that will certainly keep the truck functional irrespective of the competitive nature of the market. Among them were the General Motors (GM) OnStar in-vehicle telematics system, polished cast-aluminum wheels, Teak decking and metal strakes for the rear cargo compartment area, rear onboard storage saddlebags, SSR-embroidered carpeted floor mats, dual power-adjustable bucket seats with driver’s seat memory, A/M-F/M stereo radio with a six-disc, in-dash CD changer, XM Satellite Radio, and a Bose six-speaker premium audio system with an amplifier, steering wheel-mounted audio system and OnStar controls, color-keyed interior accent trim, dual-zone automatic air conditioning, and an auxiliary center gauge package. Many of these options were part of the 1SB Equipment Package, which replaced the standard 1SA Equipment Package.
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