Chevy to bring back the real SS...

[Brad Johnson]

Nice to see that Chevy is bringing back the hot-rod family grocery getter.  V8, real wheel drive, four doors (ins breaks, yay!), and under $40k. Tailor-made for use middle aged responsible types who like to get a little crazy(ish) now and then but can't afford an extra toy in the garage.

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/02/16/2014-chevrolet-ss-debuts-at-daytona/?intcmp=features

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1302_2014_chevrolet_ss_first_look/

Too bad it's a Chevy, though, what with the whole buyout thing.  (Hey Ford, ya listenin...?)

Brad

[dogmush]

Ford beat this car several years ago.

Taurus SHO. Turbo V6, AWD. Better performance in every category, better millage when not being crazy.

[zxcvbob]

I thought you meant a step-side pickup.

[charby]

I still have a hardtime with 4 Drs and SS badge.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/SS_396_logo.jpg

[Gewehr98]

V8, real wheel drive, four doors (ins breaks, yay!), and under $40k.

You mean like the 6.0L AWD Trailblazer SS I've been test driving at local dealerships lately?

[charby]

Honestly does 2 or 4 door really make a difference on insurance? I think this is some old wives tale from the 1980's.

[Gewehr98]

Insurance killed the 2-door muscle cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

I can only imagine what this latest generation of large-displacement Mustang/Camaro/Challenger will do to raise the eyebrows of the insurance folks...

I agree that the extra doors are probably Detroit's insurance alibi when stuffing big V8s in the recent Marauder, Charger, 300C, Malibu SS, Impala SS, Trailblazer SS, and this leftover Holden/G8 thingy.

Nobody's gonna wrap a 4-door around a tree or bridge abutment at high speed, they have children on board!   

[charby]

Insurance killed the 2-door muscle cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

I thought reasons steming from the early CAFE standards and the oil embargo of 1973 did those cars in.

[Tallpine]

I thought you meant a step-side pickup.

With a wood floor 

[Brad Johnson]

Ford beat this car several years ago.

Taurus SHO. Turbo V6, AWD. Better performance in every category, better millage when not being crazy.

Yeah, but sans that nice V8 rumble and ability to throttle-steer on demand.

Brad

[Brad Johnson]

I still have a hardtime with 4 Drs and SS badge.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/SS_396_logo.jpg

The Super Sport trim package was originally offered on the 1961 Impala.  It was available in both the two door and *gasp*  four door body styles.

Brad

[Tallpine]

I had a 1965 Impala 2dr SS with a 283 and Powerglide.

It was hardly a "muscle car" 

[Myself]

Without a manual trans. it's kind of a waste.

[Brad Johnson]

Without a manual trans. it's kind of a waste.

Yeah, that's a shame.  But, hey, I could force myself to live with a slushbox given the rest of the driveline goodness.  First thing I'd do, though, is ditch the 3.27 final drive for a 3.73 cinched to a TruTrac diff.  Minimal expense, maximum grin.

Brad

[charby]

Yeah, that's a shame.  But, hey, I could force myself to live with a slushbox given the rest of the driveline goodness.  First thing I'd do, though, is ditch the 3.27 final drive for a 3.73 cinched to a TruTrac diff.  Minimal expense, maximum grin.

Brad

Y'all keep talking about all AT's as slushboxes but the last couple of automatic trannys I have own have been pretty firm, not like the T-400, t-350, c-4 or 727's of the past. I've given up looking for a manual in vehicles that I want because they are rarer than functional teets on a boar.

[brimic]

Its sounds almost identical to the 2004-2006 Potiac GTO- RWD, 400hp 6.0 V8, meh styling. Same car, released 7 years later- not too impressive. They didn;'t sell many of those either...

GM is teh obama suxxors in my book anyway these days.

[dogmush]

I think this'll be dissapointing for Chevy.

The last time they tried to sell this very car with a classic mucsle car badge (gto) it didn't go that well for them. And the G8GT (same car, diffirent badge) only sold a little better.

I drove the GTO in '08 and while it was a good car, it had less grunty fun then my Cobra. Course it is probably easier to live with daily.

As a dude that daily drives a 550hp V8 rear drive car.......they're more fun in theory then actually getting groceries with.

[mtnbkr]

Y'all keep talking about all AT's as slushboxes but the last couple of automatic trannys I have own have been pretty firm, not like the T-400, t-350, c-4 or 727's of the past. I've given up looking for a manual in vehicles that I want because they are rarer than functional teets on a boar.

Automatic transmissions *have* improved a lot.  Some, at least the ones I've looked at, deliver better results in 0-60 and MPG than manuals.

As someone who has driven almost nothing but MTs since getting my first car in 1990 (4xMT, 1xAT), I'm perfectly content to get an AT for my next car.

Chris

[Brad Johnson]

Its sounds almost identical to the 2004-2006 Potiac GTO- RWD, 400hp 6.0 V8, meh styling. Same car, released 7 years later- not too impressive. They didn;'t sell many of those either...

GM is teh obama suxxors in my book anyway these days.

It didn't sell because it looked teh suk.  A generic jelly bean profile, no side character at all, and a butt like a hampshire hog.  IIRC they were also a little on the pricey side.  The only thing they had going for them was the drivetrain.

Brad

[Hawkmoon]

Yeah, but sans that nice V8 rumble and ability to throttle-steer on demand.

Perzacly.

NOTHING drives as nicely as a well-balanced, well-set-up rear wheel drive chassis. Neutral cornering when you want it, power-induced oversteer on demand.

Nirvana.

[dogmush]

Except that as power increases it's more and more impossible to set up that chassis, at least with a front engine/rear drive set up.  And I guarantee that Holden didn't manage to do it. 

[Gewehr98]

Well, yeah, but the price point difference between the Holden and a Bugatti Veyron pretty much means you can live with a little less finesse in the chassis tuning department.

[Brad Johnson]

Except that as power increases it's more and more impossible to set up that chassis, at least with a front engine/rear drive set up.  And I guarantee that Holden didn't manage to do it. 

You mean the Zeta platform?  It's been around a since 2006, plenty of time for Holden to figure out the bugaboos.  It underpins the current Camaro.  From the article it seems like they're trying to at least make the basic steps (50/50 weight distribution, etc).  The chassis is plenty stiff, if a bit on the pudgy side.  If the same team who set up the current Caddy CTSV had even the tiniest mote of influence on the SS's setup, it should be fine.

Brad

[erik the bold]

Well....Kiss my backside......


My '12 Mustang with the Pony Package 3.7L is 310HP and weighs 400 lbs less than the GT with more HP than the 2011 GT

0-60 under 5 seconds and 30 MPG at steady state 75 mph

PFFFGHAG..............

 

[mtnbkr]

Erik, that's the Mustang I want to get. 

Chris