Let's start with the SSR's good points.
1) It looks good. It looks just like it did when it made the showcar circuit. Bravo, well done!Ok, that's it for the good points.
Now on to, what will surely be, the fatal bad points.
1) Tonnage. Why in the hell did they design it so it ended up weighing freaking more than a dump truck? I mean c'mon... a 4,764 pound curb weight..?! Right there any chance this thing would even have a hint of sportiness just went out the window. In my book, right here, it's game over. Thanks for playing. The SSR won't last 3 years.But just for the hell of it, let's press on.
2) This thing has tons (nearly 2 1/2) of image. Why not give it some balls, and go with what was originally planned to go under the hood... a full 6-liter LS1? Give the owner who just shelled out WELL over 40 grand some respect when he mashes the throttle. Note: 0-60 in 7 and the 1/4 mile in 15.4 @ 89 mph. < Weak, really weak! Losing to a fart-tiped Civic Si sporting a surf board size rear wing will be not make the SSR's owner happy about his purchase.3) Price. $48,000??! For what? For a vehicle that does nothing really well...? The image thing is only going to last so long. After a while the owner is going to start noticing the details, and when he does, he's going to notice that GM didn't sweat the details.
Why why why didn't GM analyze the mistakes that Chysler made with the Prowler and the mistakes Ford made with the new T-bird? Instead they just repeated them. Shame on you GM! You could have done MUCH better, and the proof of this is the Corvette and the new Caddys.
Yes, I predict the SSR is going to fail for the same reasons the new T-bird is already on its way out. Beauty... or in the case of automobiles, goodness is more than skin deep!
Patrick '93 Cobra '83 LTD