February 19th Is the Last Day You Can Order a New Chevrolet SS
We live in a glorious era for performance cars, but that doesn't mean it's all good news all the time. Last week, order books for the Dodge Viper closed for good, and the Chevrolet SS will also end production this year. A Chevy spokesperson just told us that all orders for the 2017 SS need to be in dealers by this weekend. Afterwards, order banks will be closed for good.
This rear-wheel-drive sleeper sedan was always a slow seller, but its demise is a consequence of GM ending Holden production in Australia, where the SS was built. Since the SS didn't catch on in the marketplace, don't expect a replacement for it either. If you want affordable, rear-drive muscle with a bowtie badge on the grille, you'll have to buy a Camaro SS.
The SS' demise leaves the Dodge Charger as the only affordable, V8-powered, rear-drive sedan sold in the U.S. The only other V8-powered four-door from GM is the 640-hp Cadillac CTS-V, which carries a base price that's nearly $40,000 higher than the SS.
Besides the Charger, the closest car to the SS that's still on sale today is, shockingly, the Lexus GS F. Both have similarly-powerful naturally aspirated V8s, and similar curb weights, though the Lexus is much more expensive and isn't offered with a manual transmission.
All of this is to say that the SS will be sorely missed by the few that recognized its charms. It's so good, we deemed it worthy of comparison to the all-time benchmark sports sedan, the E39-chassis BMW M5.
Adding to the sadness, it doesn't seem Chevy has any intention of creating any end-of-run, high-horsepower special editions of the SS either. This comes in spite of a previous rumor of the SS getting a 580-hp supercharged V8, and Holden's 636-hp send off for this platform.
GM Authority says there's a decent chance we'll see deals on the SS if they end up sitting on dealer lots, but if you want to customize your own, time is running out. Here. We built one out for you, so you don't have to do any work. Some day, when collectors decide that the SS is cool and valuable, you'll thank us for doing this.
Updated 2/16/17 at 11:20 a.m. to reflect comment from a Chevrolet spokesperson.
You Might Also Like
