- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
-
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
Sprint Cup
CUP: New Chevy Model For Cup
Chevrolet’s next Sprint Cup car will be called the SS...
The limited production version of the Chevrolet SS will be a 2014 model and will arrive in dealer showrooms in late 2013. (Photo: Chevrolet)
Chevrolet on Thursday confirmed what had been rumored for several months: The 2013 Chevrolet model raced in the Sprint Cup Series next year will be called the SS.
The SS will be a V-8 powered, rear-wheel-drive performance sedan. Although few specific details were released about the new model, Chevrolet said the “SS will be a derivative of the award-winning global rear-wheel-drive architecture that spawns performance vehicles like Chevrolet Camaro and Holden’s upcoming VF Commodore.”
That would suggest the new SS would be similar to the now-defunct Pontiac G8 high-performance sedan, which was also Holden-based. The Pontiac brand, of course, was axed by General Motors when it went through its bankruptcy in 2009. The G8 was critically well received, but ultimately doomed by GM’s financial woes.
Chevrolet said the street version of the Chevrolet SS will be badged as a 2014 model and will go on sale in late 2013. It will be the first rear-wheel-drive Chevrolet sedan sold in the United States for 17 years.
The SS name, which is short for Super Sport, debuted in 1957 on a prototype Corvette race car and first went into production with the 1961 Chevrolet Impala SS.
“As a passionate race fan and performance enthusiast, I am thrilled that Chevrolet will deliver a true rear-wheel-drive NASCAR racecar in the SS that is closely linked to the performance sedan that will be available for sale,” said Mark Reuss, president of GM North America. “The Chevrolet SS is a great example of how GM is able to leverage its global product portfolio to deliver a unique performance experience that extends beyond the track. I am personally looking forward to driving it.”
Chevrolet did not release any specifications about the new model — no information yet on which engine it will carry, how many horsepower it will have, pricing, etc. Presumably those details will become available as the car gets closer to production. The only image released for the new model was one heavily camouflaged photo taken at the Sprint Cup test at Homestead-Miami Speedway earlier this year.
Next year in NASCAR, the Sprint Cup Series will race the second generation of what was known as the “Car of Tomorrow” when it was introduced in 2007. The 2013 cars for all four manufacturers will have a much closer resemblance to the production cars they are based on.
Ford will race a radically redesigned version of its Fusion next year, while Dodge will campaign a Charger based on that model’s 2012 makeover. Both those models have been introduced publicly already. Toyota is scheduled to unveil its 2013 Sprint Cup Camry May 22 at TRD, U.S.A. in Salisbury, N.C.
“You know, it's going to be a whole lot of work and expense, but I think NASCAR has done a good job with all of the cars,” team owner Rick Hendrick said on Wednesday. “They have had them in the wind tunnel and I guess NASCAR is getting pretty comfortable with the parity between all the brands, because we are making some slight changes but we are locking in and feeling good about the car. I think it's going to be great for the fans. We are going to have a production car that looks just like it.”
The component, Hendrick said, is the improved connection between the race cars and the production cars.
“We are back to seeing in the showrooms what we are racing on the racetrack and the fans have said they want that and the manufacturers want it, and actually the teams want it,” he said. “So just getting through the changeover is going to be the big deal, but, you know, the chassis are the same, so it's just a bunch of — we are going to be working a lot of midnight hours to get all of the bodies done. It's always a chore when you go through it and it's a big expense. At the end of the day, it's going to be better for the sport.”
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.
The SS will be a V-8 powered, rear-wheel-drive performance sedan. Although few specific details were released about the new model, Chevrolet said the “SS will be a derivative of the award-winning global rear-wheel-drive architecture that spawns performance vehicles like Chevrolet Camaro and Holden’s upcoming VF Commodore.”
That would suggest the new SS would be similar to the now-defunct Pontiac G8 high-performance sedan, which was also Holden-based. The Pontiac brand, of course, was axed by General Motors when it went through its bankruptcy in 2009. The G8 was critically well received, but ultimately doomed by GM’s financial woes.
Chevrolet said the street version of the Chevrolet SS will be badged as a 2014 model and will go on sale in late 2013. It will be the first rear-wheel-drive Chevrolet sedan sold in the United States for 17 years.
The SS name, which is short for Super Sport, debuted in 1957 on a prototype Corvette race car and first went into production with the 1961 Chevrolet Impala SS.
“As a passionate race fan and performance enthusiast, I am thrilled that Chevrolet will deliver a true rear-wheel-drive NASCAR racecar in the SS that is closely linked to the performance sedan that will be available for sale,” said Mark Reuss, president of GM North America. “The Chevrolet SS is a great example of how GM is able to leverage its global product portfolio to deliver a unique performance experience that extends beyond the track. I am personally looking forward to driving it.”
Chevrolet did not release any specifications about the new model — no information yet on which engine it will carry, how many horsepower it will have, pricing, etc. Presumably those details will become available as the car gets closer to production. The only image released for the new model was one heavily camouflaged photo taken at the Sprint Cup test at Homestead-Miami Speedway earlier this year.
Next year in NASCAR, the Sprint Cup Series will race the second generation of what was known as the “Car of Tomorrow” when it was introduced in 2007. The 2013 cars for all four manufacturers will have a much closer resemblance to the production cars they are based on.
Ford will race a radically redesigned version of its Fusion next year, while Dodge will campaign a Charger based on that model’s 2012 makeover. Both those models have been introduced publicly already. Toyota is scheduled to unveil its 2013 Sprint Cup Camry May 22 at TRD, U.S.A. in Salisbury, N.C.
“You know, it's going to be a whole lot of work and expense, but I think NASCAR has done a good job with all of the cars,” team owner Rick Hendrick said on Wednesday. “They have had them in the wind tunnel and I guess NASCAR is getting pretty comfortable with the parity between all the brands, because we are making some slight changes but we are locking in and feeling good about the car. I think it's going to be great for the fans. We are going to have a production car that looks just like it.”
The component, Hendrick said, is the improved connection between the race cars and the production cars.
“We are back to seeing in the showrooms what we are racing on the racetrack and the fans have said they want that and the manufacturers want it, and actually the teams want it,” he said. “So just getting through the changeover is going to be the big deal, but, you know, the chassis are the same, so it's just a bunch of — we are going to be working a lot of midnight hours to get all of the bodies done. It's always a chore when you go through it and it's a big expense. At the end of the day, it's going to be better for the sport.”
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.
Shake and Bake: Recent Posts
-
ICYMI: The Biff Stands By Decision To Not Help Edwards »
-
Blowout Blame Game: Is It The Tire Or The Crew Chief? »
-
Biffle Loves It When The #48 Crashes Trying To Catch Him »
-
Rubbin' Is ... Amazing? Think You Can "Finish That Phrase"? »
-
Harvick And Labonte Toss First Pitch, Mocked By Stenhouse, Jr. »
-
Last Lap: Déjà vu ... Mike Harmon Has Turned Himself In »
-
Ricky Vs. Danica: Michigan Edition »
-
Feud Of The Week: Junior Nation Vs. The Racing Gods »
Latest Gallery
LATEST HEADLINES: NASCAR
-
Winged Sprint-Car Wreck Claims Jason Leffler
Jason Leffler lost his life Wednesday night in a winged sprint-car… -
MCREYNOLDS: Dover Showed Gen-6 Car Is Strong
The biggest storyline of the year is the introduction of the Generation… -
CUP: Richard Petty Motorsports Expands Development Program
Young drivers join new Petty program... -
CUP: Monster Mile Gets Toyotas
Toyota teams find setbacks at Dover... -
CUP: Kez Is On The Down-Low
Bard Keselowski's car too low after race... -
CUP: Dover Power Rankings
Despite a rare and costly mistake, Jimmie Johnson holds onto the… -
CUP: Montoya Edges Closer To Oval Win
Juan Pablo Montoya loses shot at first victory on oval… - More News
