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An Oakville Beaver Automotive Feature · To advertise in this section call 905-845-3824 or Fax 905-337-5568 \\1 I > \ l S I >.\Y M A Y J S . J<><) S · I V i k c D-I BEST WHEELS The 2003 SSR a testament to Chevrolet's vision and its direction Chevrolet sees its SSR as more than a vehicle that makes a statement - it sees SSR as a kind of a new jumping off point for the division. Saddled with an aging offering of passenger cars. Chevrolet served notice that things were about to change when it showed the SSR concept vehicle at the 2000 Detroit Auto Show. While it was a sensa tion, many pundits said it was too adventure some for G e n e r a l Motors. That was the straw that made Chevrolet put the SSR into Jim Robinson production. Less than three years later, race enthusiasts watched as the Chevrolet SSR served as the Official Pace Car of the 87th running o f the Indianapolis 500. The day after the race. 1 had a chance to drive the car on the track and later on the highways and byways of Indiana. My driving impressions are embargoed until Canada Day. but you can probably read my reaction between the lines. The first big question is just what is the SSR? Is it a roadster? Is it a truck? Is it a sports crossover? Frankly, even the people who developed the SSR from concept to production have a prob lem with that. "Some vehicles carry groceries, oth ers go to work. Then there's the Chevrolet SSR 6 the Chevy that loves to play." is what the SSR press kit says. The SSR is sort of a retro 1948 Chevy pickup with state-of-the-art engineering under the skin. But saying that does the vehicle a disservice because the marriage of old and new is a thing of beauty in the SSR. The SSR starts as a shortened Trailblazer ladder frame that is exten sively cross-braced with eight mem bers. The bulging wheal panels are formed with high tensile steel that has to be drawn and then rolled into those shapes. Power is a 5.3 litre version of the classic GM "small block" V8. but this time in aluminum to save weight. In the SSR it produces 300 hp and 331 Ib./ft. o f torque on regular fuel. Mileage is (US) 15 mpg, city, 19 mpg. highway. 17 mpg combined. The only transmission is a four-speed automatic driving the rear wheels where a Torsen Traction differential sends power to the rear wheel with the most grip. Price is $69,995. Only 12,000 a year will be produced in Lansing, Michigan, so they should be a fairly rare sight on Canadian roads. But when one is spotted, there will be no question that it is an SSR. W hat makes it so clever is its retractable hard top. Also called a "top stack", this is the first time such a top has been tried on a pickup truck. Touch a button on the console and the top rolls back and down behind the seats and then disappears below a panel in less than 30 seconds. Up or down, the top doesn't intrude on the cargo area which is a real working pickup bed. albeit, one that is upholstered. The box has a capacity of 1.130 litres (39.9 cu. ft). Besides the stunning looks, the SSR stands on 19-inch alloy wheels front and 20-inch alloys rear. With five stout spokes, there's lots of room to see the four, vented disc brakes. SSR is equipped with ABS. The cockpit is nicely done with a neat set of secondary gauges along the transmission tunnel for volts, transmis sion temperature and one called "gal lons per hour" which wasn't working in the vehicle I drove but I gather it's sup posed to be like the old vacuum gauges that anyone with a hot car had in the 1950s. Chevy officials at the Indy race were very, ,very "pumped" about the SSR. much more than they've been about other new vehicles. Maybe it was the whole, awe inspiring spectacle, or the heritage the Indianapolis M otor Speedway and Chevrolet share going back to the days before World War One when Louis Chevrolet raced there and later set up the Chevrolet car company with the legendary William Durant. "As we continue to build on Chevrolet's strong performance her itage, we couldn't image a more appro priate venue for us to showcase our new SSR as we near the start o f regular pro duction," said Janet Eckhoff, marketing director for SSR and Chevy's-mid-size trucks. In fact, it was the 14th time a Chevrolet has been the official pace car of the event. The cars we drove on the track at Indy were the same as you might have seen during the broadcast. These were the first 25 SSRs pro duced. All in a unique deep purple, each was called a "Signature Series". mu m Above: This shows the SSR DNA th at started with the 1948 C hevrolet pick up truck, top, SSR concept c a r at the 2000 D etroit In te rn a tio n a l A uto Show, centre, and the 2003 produc tion car, foreground. Right: The in terior is a mix of retro and state-of-the-art and very m uch a roadster. Twenty-five of the key people involved in the SSR were given the honour of putting their name on one of these. Production cars will be in red, yellow and black with purple a possible option in a year or two. 1 was thrilled to see one of those sig nature cars was signed by Ted Robertson, who for many years headed the engineering department at General Motors of Canada, and who. among credits too numerous to mention, helped develop 5W30 oil so car engines could run smoother and last longer in Canadian winters. Ted's parents still live in Oshawa by the way. Now as vice-chair or product devel opment of ASC, the Michigan-based specialty vehicle maker, Ted told us over dinner about the sense o f pride everyone involved with the SSR project was feeling. I experienced that pride and heritage after taking a few short laps around the Speedway where Chevrolet has figured so prominently in the past and why it is so important to them for the future. I only wish I could tell you about how the SSR drives and handles, but this will have to wait for a full road test. In the meantime, lineups for the SSR are probably already forming as it does offer the unique attributes of being a two-seat roadster that has a very useful cargo capacity or the towing ability of 2.500 lbs., which was pointed out to me that it is the same as trailering two cruis ing motorcycles or two snowmobiles. Besides being a knockout when it comes to looks, it also puts some real fun into the Chevrolet lineup that, with the death of Camaro and Firebird, was pretty well left up to Corvette. Chevrolet officials say they need a "halo" car. a vehicle that shows Chevrolet's vision and its direction. In the SSR. they've found it. H onda OAKVILLE 191 W YEC R O FT ROAD, OAKVILLE 905.844.9831 www.oakvillehonda.com Honda Odyssey _ ' ii t what m i t J Honda Odyssey LX Lease Rate $ f l Security U Deposit on any New 2003 Odyssey 5.8% $32,200 lease it for MSRP* $388 per month lor 48 months with 14.125 down. 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