The Chevrolet SS, although a beautiful and powerful car, wasn’t exactly a succes for Holden.
It was produced in Australia and imported to the US, a rather rare thing among other car companies. The SS was sold in Australia under the nameplate of Holden Commodore.

The SS’s design was rather subtle, not necessarily indicating that it is a fast one. Surprisingly, the SS was equipped with a 6.2-liter V8 engine delivering no less than 415 hp. At first, it was only available with a 6-speed automatic tranmission and later offered with a 6-speed manual.

The vehicle could reach 100 kph in 4.7 seconds. If looked closer, it was easy to notice that the air vents present on the hood and fender were fake. In contrast with the car’s simple design, a heads up for what was under the hood would be the huge 19-inch alloys and the brembo calipers.

The driving modes could be switched between the tour, sport and performance options by twsiting the dial. The steering and throttle sensitivity changed according to the selected mode. The suspension also changed, the SS being equipped with the best available from GM, the GM magnetic ride control suspension system. A rather “secret” mode could be activated if pressing the “traction control off” button twice, namely the Competitive mode - traction control and stability control deactivated.

Really interesting was that this Chevrolet had no SS signature on the engine cover. Most probably because Holden would’ve had to produce a new spare part with the logo, instead of keeping it simple. The SS signature was only visible on the passenger side, on the dashboard.

Although the car offered great features and perks, only 3000 were sold per year, during 4 years. Some say that it was way too expensive and offered too much for someone who looked to buy a fast car with less options, as no base option was ever offered. Others say that the name was way too common for Chevys, as they’ve used the “SS” for many of their models.

Sadly, The SS’ production was canceled after 4 years only.

As expected, Chevy’s “rear-wheel-drive performance sedan” comes with a 6.2-liter V8 LS3 engine, which outputs 415 HP and 415 lb-ft of torque, mounted to a 6-speed automatic transmission with TAPshift paddles.

Though it has 35 hp less than the 2014 Corvette Stingray, the combo allows the Bowtie’s first rear-wheel-drive performance car in 17 years to accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in five seconds.

The Chevy SS sits on 19x8.5 inch front wheels and 19x9 inch rear rollers wrapped in 245/40 ZR19 and 275/35 ZR19 respectively Bridgestone tires, while breaking is supplied by four-piston Brembo calipers up front and a single sliding piston at the back.

The interior is said to provide enough room for five adults and arrives with standard leather upholstery, eight-way power adjustable front bucket seats and soft-touch dashboard, along with a Bose sound system and several head-up display and safety features.

The Automatic Parking Assist, which can be used for parallel and righ-angle parking, is a first for Chevrolet and it can be ordered as an option.

“The Chevrolet brand was largely built on the strength of rear-drive performance sedans, yet it’s been 17 years since we’ve offered one,” said Mark Reuss, president of General Motors North America. “The all-new Chevrolet SS fills that void and fills it better than any other vehicle in the brand’s rich history. The comfort, convenience, spaciousness and V-8 power make the SS a total performance package unlike any other on the road today.”