Direct From Australia – All-New Chevrolet SS Debuts In North America
It’s been a history-making weekend for Holden at the Daytona 500 NASCAR race in Florida, North America.
Just hours after General Motor’s subsidiary, Chevrolet took the covers from its all-new SS V8 sedan – a left-hand-drive version of the all-new VF Commodore sedan, designed, engineered and made in Australia, the NASCAR version was in the winners’ circle.
First-up, Kevin Harvick drove his Budweiser Chevrolet SS to victory in the season-opening 75-lap Sprint Unlimited race.
Then Danica Patrick piloted her Chevrolet SS to the fastest qualifying time for the legendary 500-mile race. Ms Patrick will be the first female to start from pole position in the iconic American NASCAR event.
With much fanfare, the Aussie-made Chevrolet SS was unveiled over the race weekend. Under the bonnet is Chevrolet’s LS3 6.2-litre V8 (as used in the Corvette sports car) driving through a six-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel paddle-shifters for manual changes. An aggressive 3.27 differential ratio will ensure spirited acceleration.
The Chevrolet SS also runs Brembo brakes and light-weight aluminium is used for the bonnet and bootlid.
The Aussie-made SS is a vital car for Chevrolet and its launch signals a major success for Holden’s Port Melbourne engineering team and the manufacturing facility in Adelaide.
“The Chevrolet brand was largely built on the strength of rear-drive performance sedans, yet it’s been 17 years since we’ve offered one,” revealed Mark Reuss, President of General Motors North America. “The all-new Chevrolet SS fills that void and fill it better than any other vehicle in the brand’s rich history. The comfort, convenience, spaciousness and V8 power make the SS a total performance package unlike any other on the road today.”
