FASTEST CHEVROLET SS MODEL FROM 0-60
The Chevrolet SS badge stands for ‘Super Sport’, and it’s been around for decades, adorning some of the hottest Chevys of their era. Chevrolet’s most extreme machines over the years (Camaro ZL-1, Corvette ZR-1 / Z06, Silverado ZR2) use a letter-letter-number nomenclature, while the SS badge was more about symbolizing performance and muscle-car attitude, which meant that attainability had to be part of the mix.
Chevrolet
Founded in 1903, Chevrolet is one of America's oldest remaining legacy automakers. Acquired by General Motors in 1918, Chevrolet is the core GM brand responsible for the bulk of GM's US sales. As a mass-market manufacturer, Chevrolet competes in multiple key segments, primarily the SUV and truck segments, but also sports cars and mainstream sedans and hatchbacks (until recently). Core models for the brand include the Silverado, Colorado, Suburban, Camaro, and Corvette.
Legend has it that the idea for the Chevrolet SS designation was born in the late fifties when a prototype Corvette was needed to compete in endurance racing. The resulting experimental platform used a fuel-injected 4.6-liter V8 engine and was internally called the Corvette SS, but it crashed before completing development and never managed to race. Still, the idea of a ‘Super Sport’ Chevy was born.
The Early Years of the Chevrolet SS Badge
The 1961 Impala SS arrived a few years later, and things really started to pick up steam. This version of the Impala got sportier looks and a stiffer suspension for improved handling. It came powered by various engine options throughout its initial 9 years on sale, during which engines got bigger and muscle cars got faster. And with the massive ‘409’ V8 (6.7 liters), the Impala SS with a four-speed manual could do 0-60 in about 6.7 seconds, about the same as a modern Honda Civic Si.
It wasn’t long before the SS badge started winding up on more and more cars, including the Chevelle, Nova, and Camaro. Records are patchy at best, but in the SS’s early days, drivers could expect 0-60 in the mid-to high 6-second range from the fastest models (like the Impala SS), with typical performance coming in around 7-9 seconds, and SS models with more base-model engine options or automatic transmissions taking 10 or 11 seconds instead.
Eventually, the SS badge found its way onto pickup trucks, crossover SUVs, and electric vehicles, so let's see how more modern-day Chevrolet SS 0-60 figures stack up against the original machinery.
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The Thing To Remember About 0-60
Before we dig into the numbers, let's cover a few basics. Remember, manufacturer-stated 0-60 figures are typically based on the fastest of several runs in perfect conditions with an engineer at the wheel. In real-life conditions, on real-world roads, your results will vary widely. Compounding the issue, pre-internet publications with accurate numbers are hard to track down, and we don’t always know what testing procedures were used to generate them. In a nutshell, the figures presented below are for ballpark purposes only, especially in the earlier years.
1990-1993 Chevrolet 454 SS: 7.5 seconds
Before there was ever a Ford F-150 Lightning or Dodge Ram SRT-10, there was the Chevrolet 454 SS– a pioneering muscle truck that paved the way for what would become a sizzling market segment. The 454 SS combined a powerful big-block V8 (7.4 liters) with a lowered suspension and sporty styling, upgraded parts from heavier-duty versions of the Chevrolet Silverado on which it was based, and could vaporize its tires basically on command.
In 1990, the big block made 230 horsepower and 385 lb.-ft of torque, good for 0-60 in about 8 seconds. A 1991 update pushed power to 255 horses and 405 lb.-ft of torque with improved breathing and an upgraded cam, and 0-60 times fell closer to the 7-second mark.
1994-1996 Impala SS: 7.1 Seconds
With the 5.7-liter LT1 V8 behind its grille, the 1994-1996 Impala SS was a modern take on the classic muscle car formula with stealthy and understated looks, a sport-tuned suspension, and subtle badging. This was a great big sedan that could hustle: comfortable, fast, and spacious. The soundtrack wasn’t bad either. Output was 260 horsepower and 330 lb.-ft of torque in 1994, and 5 more apiece from 1995 and on. The Impala SS was a popular choice among enthusiasts and even got some use as a police pursuit vehicle.
2003-2006 Silverado SS Pickup: 6.3 seconds
Staying in stride with the soul of its predecessors, the 2003 to 2006 Chevrolet Silverado SS put hot-rod parts into a full-sized pickup to generate muscle car performance in a package with plenty of utility. The 6-liter LQ9 V8 engine powered all four wheels for fast launches, and a lowered suspension improved the handling feel alongside a faster steering box and upgraded sway bars.
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This SS made 345 horsepower and 380 lb.-ft of torque and used a heavy-duty 4-speed automatic to handle the extra power. All said, this combination was good for 0-60 in about 6.3 seconds, roughy tying the front-drive Chevrolet Malibu SS with 3.9-liter V6 that arrived in 2007.
2006-2009 Impala SS: 5.7 seconds
The Impala SS was resurrected a second time in 2006, departing from its rear-drive V8 heritage. Now running a 5.3-liter LS4 V8 that was smaller and less potent than the Impala SS before it (and connected to the wrong wheels), the latest engineering advancements of the day allowed this modern Impala to run from 0-60 more than a second faster than its predecessors. The conversion to front-wheel drive wasn't for everyone, but this generation of Chevrolet Impala managed to stay as true to its roots as possible, given the constraints of modern family sedans of the time.
2008-2010 Cobalt SS: 5.5 seconds
The Cobalt SS offered impressive performance for its size and price, and it had launch control and no-lift shifting to help drivers squeeze every ounce of performance from the 2-liter direct-injected turbo engine. Horsepower and torque landed at an impressive 260 apiece.
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With numbers that held their own against pricier competitors, this economical thrill-ride wasn’t big on luxury appointments but did promise grins galore with its turbocharged thrust. With 0-60 in 5.5 seconds en route to a low fourteen-second quarter mile pass, the Cobalt SS matched its power with handling, steering and braking upgrades that targeted a wide range of enthusiast drivers.
1998-2002 Camaro SS: 5.2 Seconds
For 1998, the Quebec-built fourth-generation Camaro got a major update that included its first use of the LS1 V8 engine (305 horsepower), which replaced the LT1 V8 from the previous Camaro after debuting in the 1997 Corvette a year earlier. The fourth-generation Camaro SS could lay down a 0-60 mph pass in about 5.2 seconds thanks in part to the reduced weight of the LS1’s aluminum parts and a Torsen limited-slip differential between the rear wheels. This generation Camaro disappeared after the 2002 model year, and it would be 8 years before a replacement arrived.
2010-2015 Camaro SS: 4.7 seconds
After 8 years away from the market, the fifth-generation Camaro announced its resurrection with the burbling snort of a new 6.2-liter V8 that made 400 horsepower and 410 lb.-ft in automatic-equipped cars, and 426 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft of torque when teamed with the six-speed stick. The more powerful manual-equipped models were generally slightly quicker than the automatics, but only by a few tenths of a second. That’s basically a tie in real-life driving. Track-focused upgrades became available in 2013 as part of the 1LE package, giving the Camaro SS even sharper handling to go along with its high-displacement soundtrack.
2016-2024 Camaro SS: 4 seconds
The sixth-generation Camaro marked a major leap forward, bringing back both the SS badge and the famous LT1 engine designation from years gone by. The modern-day LT1displaced 6.2 liters, but pushed horsepower and torque to 455 apiece with direct injection, variable valve timing and improved breathing. The latest LT1 flaunted notable high-RPM pulling power for a sense of swelling thrust and rising action in the power curve.
More power, more advanced controls and electronics, and improved transmission performance helped drop 0-60 times by nearly a second compared to the previous, fifth-generation car.
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2025 Chevrolet Blazer SS EV: 3.4 Seconds
The 2025 Chevrolet Blazer SS is a performance-oriented version of the electric SUV, and it’s the fastest Chevrolet to wear an SS badge with 0-60 arriving in just 3.4 seconds. That’s Porsche 911 Carrera 4 territory, but no sweat for the 557 horsepower and 648 lb-ft of torque sent to all four wheels. This latest Blazer builds on the nameplate’s sporty legacy, while propelling it into a new era with supercar-like acceleration. Today, it’s the fastest SS on the road.
Sources: Chevrolet Media, Hemmings, GM Heritage Archive
2024-12-29T10:52:15Z