A Brief History of the Chevrolet Super Sport

When it comes right down to it, Chevrolet’s storied performance history can be summed up in two simple letters— “SS”. Sure, names like Chevelle, Camaro and Nova conjure up visions of tire-smoking prowess. And of course, cubic-inch call-outs such as “396”, “427” and “454” all bring to mind big torque and power. But the “SS” moniker is the all-encompassing term that will forever symbolize not only power and performance, but a level of pure class as well.

Where did it all start? In 1961, with the introduction of the SS option on the full-size Impala. This was the year the legendary 409 cube V8 came into play as well. The SS/409 combination was Chevy’s response to Ford’s 390 powered Galaxie. You might say 1961 was the year that the serious horsepower wars began!

Over the rest of the ’60s and on into the ’70s, the SS package was offered on many different Chevrolet models. Good thing too, as competition from Ford (with their GT and XL models) and Mopar (with their R/T packages) was always a threat in the showrooms and at the drag strip.

The SS option/model always offered an upscale appearance, and in most cases, a variety of high-performance engines and suspension upgrades. We won’t get into all the engines and sets of features that came on every SS-optioned car that Chevrolet ever offered (that would take an entire book!) Instead, we’ll cover the years the SS major players were offered.

1961: The full-size Impala started it all

1962: Impala

1963: Impala, Chevy II Nova

1964: Impala, Chevy II Nova, Chevelle

1965: Impala, Chevy II Nova, Chevelle

1966: Impala, Chevy II Nova, Chevelle

1967: Impala, Chevy II Nova, Chevelle, Camaro

1968: Impala, Chevy II Nova, Chevelle, El Camino, Camaro

1969: Impala, Nova (the “Chevy II” name was discontinued for ’69), Chevelle, El Camino, Camaro

1970: Nova, Chevelle, El Camino, Camaro, Monte Carlo

1971: Nova, Chevelle, El Camino, Camaro, Monte Carlo

1972: Nova, Chevelle, El Camino, Camaro

1973: Nova, Chevelle, El Camino


SS model notes:

• Impala SS was discontinued after the 1969 model year. It resurfaced from 1994 through 1996, then again in 2004 through 2009.

• After 1973, the Laguna S3 coupe replaced the “SS” as the sporty/performance option on the Chevelle.

• Camaro SS was discontinued after the 1972 model year and wouldn’t reappear until 1996.

• El Camino: Interestingly, even though the El Camino SS was a relative late-comer to the storied SS fold (1968), it continued the longest, running throughout 1987.

• Although the original Monte Carlo SS only appeared for a couple of brief years (1970-’71), it turned up again from 1983-1988, and then in 2000-2007.

• Nova SS continued throughout 1976.

Sure, Chevy has had other “muscle” monikers over the years: RS, Z/28, IROC, LTZ, L88, etc., but the legendary SS casts the tallest shadow of them all!

Note: We didn’t leave out the rest of Chevy’s more “modern day” SS tribe (Cobalt, Trailblazer, Malibu, and the SS454 Trucks of the early ’90s) on purpose. This list was really intended to call out the older brands that resurfaced years later (Impala, Camaro, Monte Carlo)