Description
FOR SALE – 2005 CHEVROLET SSR 6. 0 LS2 V8 LHD
27, 000 Miles | Aqua Blur Metallic | 390 bhp LS2 | Automatic | New MOT
I’m looking to sell my Chevrolet SSR simply because I have too many projects on the go and realistically cannot give all of them the time they deserve.
Finished in Aqua Blur Metallic – Chevrolet option code 26U, it is a particularly striking colour on an SSR.
This is one of the much more desirable later 6. 0-litre LS2 V8 SSRs, producing approximately 390 bhp, finished in the superb Aqua Blur Metallic with black leather interior.
It was ordered new into the UK in 2005, has covered just under 27, 000 miles from new, and comes with a substantial history file including the original build sheet and import documentation.
2005 Chevrolet SSR
6. 0-litre LS2 V8
390 bhp
4-speed Hydra-Matic 4L65-E automatic transmission
Rear-wheel drive
Left-hand drive
Just under 27, 000 miles
Aqua Blur Metallic
Black heated leather interior
Current UK V5
New MOT
HPI clear
2 keys and remotes
Original build/ order sheet
Original UK import documentation
History file
Factory power-operated retractable hardtop
Integrated running boards
Lockable covered rear load area
Factory cargo trim and netting package
SSR floor mats
Spacious two-seat cabin
Black leather upholstery
Heated seats
Electrically adjustable seats
Driver's seat memory
Air conditioning
Cruise control
Electric windows
Central locking
Power-operated retractable hardtop
Leather-wrapped steering wheel
Bose premium audio
Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
Driver information centre
Electrically adjustable exterior mirrors
Lockable covered rear load area
Car cover
The black leather interior presents very well and is entirely in keeping with the car's exceptionally low mileage.
The private registration currently fitted does not form part of the sale and will be removed.
THE SSR STORY
The Chevrolet SSR began life as a concept vehicle unveiled at the 2000 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Its unmistakable retro styling drew heavily on Chevrolet's Advance Design pickups of the late 1940s and early 1950s, but combined those styling cues with a completely modern chassis and one of the most unusual roof mechanisms ever fitted to a production pickup.
Reaction to the concept was strong enough that Chevrolet took the unusual step of putting something remarkably close to the show car into production.
The SSR arrived for the 2003 model year with production ending in March 2006. Approximately 24, 000 production SSRs were built in total, making it an uncommon vehicle even in America and an exceptionally rare sight in the UK.
THE LATER LS2 SSR – THE BIG UPGRADE
The major transformation came for the 2005 model year.
Chevrolet replaced the earlier 5. 3-litre V8 with the substantially more powerful 6. 0-litre Gen IV LS2 V8.
Power in the 2005 automatic SSR increased to approximately 390 bhp with 405 lb-ft of torque – roughly a 30% increase in horsepower over the original SSR.
Just over 10, 000 2005–2006 LS2 model-year SSRs were produced, making the later drivetrain cars a considerably smaller part of total SSR production.
And this car is one of them.
THE 6. 0-LITRE LS2 V8
This isn't simply a large American truck engine.
The SSR uses GM's 6. 0-litre Gen IV LS2 small-block V8 – 364 cubic inches with an aluminium block and aluminium cylinder heads.
The LS2 became one of GM's important performance engines of the period and was also used in cars including the:
Chevrolet Corvette C6
Pontiac GTO
Cadillac CTS-V
Chevrolet TrailBlazer SS
Chevrolet SSR
In the 2005 SSR it produces approximately 390 bhp at 5, 400 rpm and 405 lb-ft at 4, 400 rpm.
So underneath the retro pickup bodywork is fundamentally a serious GM performance V8.
4L65-E AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
The LS2 in this car is paired with Chevrolet's Hydra-Matic 4L65-E four-speed automatic transmission.
The 4L65-E is the strengthened development of GM's well-known 4L60-E transmission family, engineered to cope with higher torque outputs.
It was used across a variety of higher-performance and higher-torque GM applications of the period, including versions of the Corvette, Pontiac GTO, Cadillac Escalade, Silverado/ Sierra performance applications and Hummer H2.
Chevrolet's own 2005 SSR documentation specifically identifies the automatic transmission as the Hydra-Matic 4L65-E.
WHAT MAKES AN SSR SO UNUSUAL?
There really isn't another production vehicle quite like it.
The SSR manages to combine several completely different types of vehicle in one package:
Classic American hot rod styling.
A proper rear load bed with lockable hard tonneau cover.
A 390 bhp naturally aspirated 6. 0-litre V8.
Rear-wheel drive.
And then, at the touch of a button, the roof disappears electrically and the whole thing turns into an open-top two-seat roadster.
Its folding hardtop is particularly clever, disappearing behind the seats beneath its own bodywork rather than leaving a fabric roof exposed.
It is part pickup, part hot rod, part muscle car and part convertible.
That combination is what makes the SSR so distinctive.
Despite looking like a retro American hot rod from the outside, the SSR is a surprisingly comfortable and well-equipped car.
