2003-2006 Chevrolet SSR: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

When it arrived as a late 2003 model, Chevrolet called SSR the "world's first convertible sport pickup truck." Based on the chassis of the TrailBlazer sport-utility vehicle, this limited-edition two-seater was essentially a rear-wheel-drive regular-cab compact pickup, with a metal top that powered into a well behind the seats. The unabashedly retro styling of the body-on-frame SSR was patterned after Chevrolet's 1947-53 pickup trucks. A 300-horsepower V8 and four-speed automatic transmission comprised the sole powertrain. Antilock four-wheel disc brakes and traction control were standard. Wheels were 19-inch diameter in front, and 20-inch in back. Torso side airbags were standard, but curtain airbags were unavailable. A rigid tonneau covered a cargo bed of approximately 3 x 5 feet. Loosely speaking, Chevrolet competed against its own Corvette and Ford's Mustang and Thunderbird, and later the Chrysler Crossfire convertible, but the SSR was in a class by itself.