It's been said that the best part about looking forward is being able to look at your past. This is certainly the case with the upcoming new Chevy SSR.
Perhaps no other vehicle manufactured by GM in the past 30 years has utilized design elements from Chevrolet's past like SSR. By combining the styling of a roadster, the attitude and performance of a sports car and the functionality of a pickup truck, the SSR concept vehicle made quite an impression on the auto show circuit.
"The best part about SSR is its all-Chevy heritage ... rear-wheel drive with strong V-8 power," explained Rick Wagoner, GM president and chief executive officer.
Kurt Ritter, Chevrolet general manager, echoes Wagoner's enthusiasm. "No one has this much fun and function in one package," he said. "The SSR is an attention grabber that will act like a halo for Chevrolet by attracting further consumer attention to our impressive vehicle lineup." History Of Chevy SSR: The Chevy Advance Design Pickup
Technically speaking, the new SSR defies categorization. If there's one vehicle that has influenced its design, it's the legendary Chevy Advance Design pickup. To those who have never seen an Advance Design pickup, it's one of the pivotal vehicles in Chevrolet's 90-year history.
In 1947, GM introduced the Advance Design pickup to meet the needs of postwar America. Offered from May 1947 through mid-1955, the light-duty Advance Design pickup included new features. Its cab provided more interior room than many prewar models. The hood was rounded. The windshield glass was large in size and split in design (meaning two separate pieces of glass). The grille featured five horizontal chrome bars.
To give customers a choice, two cab styles were available - standard and deluxe. The standard version had a glass rear window, while the deluxe version featured curved windows in the cab corners for a wider rear view.
The trucks were designated 3100 (half-ton), 3600 (three-quarter-ton) and 3800 (one-ton). Several different configurations were available including the Panel Truck, Stake Bed, Canopy Express and Suburban.
Throughout its run, very little on the Advance Design changed (including the chassis), although there were some minor cosmetic alterations. From 1947 through 1950, the pickup did not include the vent windows that came with later models. From 1951 through 1953, chrome trim was eliminated, due to the Korean War. In 1952, push-button door handles replaced pull-down handles. Distinctive feature: Retractable hardtop.
Text and photos courtesy of General Motors Corporation
