The "Super Sport" badge is perhaps the most coveted in GM’s lineup and arguably one of the most recognizable markers of performance in the world. The "SS" badge has over six decades of rich history behind it and has adorned plenty of iconic Chevy models over the year and it become a sure-fire mark of performance in the American auto industry. Here’s a closer look at some of the most influential performance cars made by Chevy that showcase the true potential of the "SS" badge.
Though the 1957 Chevy Corvette SS was never intended as a production model, it’s the car that marks the Genesis of the SS badge. Originally intended as a show car to exhibit GM’s latest Rochester Ramjet fuel injection system, GM officials ordered the engineers to take a regular Corvette off the assembly line and furnish it with the new fuel injection system. But, the conversion process was not that simple, the engineers started by giving that ’57 Corvette a new VIN, and the red paint was replaced with a pearlescent white one accompanied by blue stripes down the middle. Many of the performance improvements that the Corvette SS received were derived from the Corvette SR-2 race cars which included a race-spec camshaft, upgraded exhaust, finned aluminum valve covers, and a one-piece louvered chrome air cleaner. This one-of-one example is now valued at around $2,000,000 and it’s undoubtedly the car responsible for starting the SS revolution over at GM.
The Chevy Impala is one of the longest-running nameplates in GM’s vibrant history and though its seen a lot of iterations and staggered production runs, the 1964 Impala SS is perhaps the most special version to go on sale. The ’64 Impala SS was a part of the third-generation model which debuted back in 1958 and has since been one of the best-selling models to date. The Impala SS capitalized on the success too and sold over 185,000 examples even in its last year of production. The 64 Impala SS was offered with a 140-horsepower Turbo-Thrift 230 straight-six or a range of small block V-8s. The entry-level V-8 made 195 horsepower while the range-topping 409 V-8 was the most powerful engine offered in the range with up to 425 horsepower thanks to improved hardware like solid lifters, dual Carter AFBs, and aluminum intake. This is why they are picking up steam in the used market with examples ranging anywhere between $13,000 and $62,000.
The first-generation Camaro was launched back in GM in 1967 to take on the likes of Ford’s newly introduced pony car, the Mustang. The idea was simple - to make a small and relatively affordable sports car that slots below full-sized GM models like the Impala. But unlike the Mustang, GM realized the potential of the Camaro’s all-new F-body platform that it shared with the Firebird was lighter than most performance models made by Chevy at the time yet big enough to accommodate some of their larger V-8s. This led to the genesis of the Camaro SS which was available with either a 5.7-liter or a 6.5-liter V-8, the latter making as much as 375 horsepower and 415 pounds-feet of torque. That was not all, the Camaro SS also got an upgraded chassis and visual improvements like a new hood, racing strips down the middle, and distinctive SS badging all around.
1968 was the year when GM introduced the third-generation of its popular compact car, the Chevy Nova which arrived on the scene with a whole host of engine and transmission options ranging from a humble Inline-four, all the way up to the SS version that came with a 6.5-liter V-8. Unlike the second-gen car, the 1968 Chevy Nova SS was now an official performance package and offered two V-8s, the first was a 5.7-liter unit making 295 horsepower while the more desirable 6.5-liter V-8 made an impressive 350 horsepower. Both versions were accompanied by heavy-duty suspension and other minor hardware improvements to cope with the added power. The ’68 Nova SS range was offered with two four-speed manual options as well as a three-speed auto and Chevy even offered disc brakes up front as an option, which is pretty rare at the time.
The 1970 Chevelle is part of the second generation version and is one of the most recognizable Chevy models to date. The second generation Chevelle introduced in 1967 was essentially a two-door coupe version of the Malibu. The Chevelle made the best of GM’s vast parts bin, as a result, it was offered with a wide range of engines ranging from the humble 3.8-liter turbo-thrift inline-six to the 7.4-liter big block V-8. But, the version that we are interested in is the rare and highly sought-after 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS 454 which was GM’s answer to Dodge’s Hemi-powered muscle cars like the Challenger. Powering the Chevelle SS 454 was a 6.2-liter LS6 V-8 making 450 horsepower. GM only sold 4,475 copies of the Chevelle SS 454 in 1970, including the El Camino which makes them a highly sought-after collector item.
Chevrolet’s S10 pickup truck, also known as GMC Sonoma and Isuzu Hombre was GM’s compact pick-up truck, intended to take on Ford’s Ranger. The second generation model was launched back in 1993 at a time when gas prices were on the rise and emission norms were getting stricter by the day. This is why GM furnished the S10 with a range of Inline-four and straight-six options to keep the environmentalists happy. To keep the performance enthusiasts happy, GM also introduced an S10 SS which used either a 4.3-liter V-6 with up to 200 horsepower but more importantly it was accompanied by a whole host of hardware improvements such as lowered suspension and a bespoke LSD along with cosmetic changes like body-colored bumpers, a new grill, and 16-inch wheels. These changes transformed the truck handling and balance, and 200-horsepower was more than enough to poke in a lightweight truck. During its four-year production run, fewer than 3000 examples were produced a year and it was replaced by the S10 Xtreme in 1999, so it’s safe to say that the S10 SS taught the world an invaluable lesson, that trucks don’t have to be boring.
The Chevy SSR deserves to be on this list because it’s one of GMs biggest sales disasters but at the same time, it’s one of the coolest cars made by GM in the 21st century. Chevy debuted the SSR concept back in 2000 as a neo-retro production car that was part pick-up truck, and part roadster and took styling cues from the Chevy Advanced pickup truck from the 50s. Though the SSR concept was showcased with a 6.0-liter V-8 borrowed from a Silverado, the production-spec SSR got a relatively modest 5.3-liter V-8 with 300 horsepower.
The power figures though sound sufficient, it was not enough for a vehicle that weights well over two tons. As a result, the SSR fell short of the performance people had come to expect from a GM product wearing an SSR badge. In 2005 GM finally gave the SSR a punchier 6.0-liter LS2 and even offered a Tremec six-speed manual to keep things interesting but it was already too late and after a two-year production run, GM pulled the plug on the SSR in 2006 due to poor sales. Only 24,150 copies have been reported to be produced which makes them a rare and quirky collectible.
The 2006 Chevrolet Intimidator SS not only has the coolest truck name ever but is also one of the finest trucks to spot the prestigious SS badge. This high-performance version of the Silverado 1500 pickup truck was released back in 2006 as a special edition truck in honor of Dale Earhardt. The production run was limited to 1,033 examples and featured distinctive all-black paint, a bespoke silver grill, massive 20-inch chrome wheels, and a tailgate spoiler. But, the Intimidator was more than just an aesthetics package, it was powered by a 6.0-liter Vortec V-8 from the Cadillac Escalade with 345 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque. The added power was accompanied by a lowered suspension with two-stage multi-leaf springs and a lacking differential sending power exclusively to the rear wheels. Though the Intimidator shares its hardware with the regular Silverado SS, its rarity and significance in GM’s history make it one of the most special SS models in GM’s history.
If you think JDM is the only way to go if you want tuner-grade performance from four-cylinder engines then let me clear this misconception by introducing you to the 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS. Based on a humble and affordable compact car, the Cobalt SS is hand down one of the best FWD cars ever to have come out of GM’s stable. At the time of launch, the Cobalt SS featured a 2.0-liter supercharged Inline-four making 205 horsepower and available exclusively as a five-speed manual coupe, the Cobalt stirred the American car seen with its affordable performance and immense tuning potential. In 2008, GM replaced the 2.0-liter supercharged mill with a 2.0-liter turbocharged mill packing a healthy 260 horsepower. Though production ended in 2009, the Cobalt SS continues to be an icon and a very good starting point for the enthusiast who wants a great performance car on a budget.
Let’s talk about what’s arguably the most underrated modern muscle car, the bland but bold Chevrolet SS from 2014. This Chevy was an Aussie Holden Commodore with its logo swapped out for the Chevy bow tie. This nearly full-size sedan was silently launched as a four-door performance sedan to replace the Pontiac G8. The SS was powered by a 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 making 415 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque, sending power to the rear wheels via a six-speed auto or the more interesting Tremec six-speed manual.
The ’Super Sport’ name was well suited to this car and it was a big improvement over its predecessor from Pontiac thanks to a stiffer chassis, improved suspension, and more. The SS was offered as a single fully-loaded trim with all the goodies and its sub $50,000 price made it a total bargain. But, GM never showed any interest in marketing this flagship performance sedan, which combined with its limited availability led to poor sales. The Chevrolet SS was discontinued in 2017 after a total production run of just 12,860 examples, making this one of the rarest modern-day muscle cars in America.