Chevrolet SSR
In the early 2000s, retro design was the king. Introducing new cars with classic shapes seemed to be a ticket to success. Chevrolet thought that it could be a great idea to present a retro-styled truck with a sporty feel and retractable hard top. It was a crazy idea. But it might have worked as a lifestyle vehicle for people who want a sports car with retro charm and more space for all their needs. Whoever was, was in charge of Chevrolet’s product development department, they had a wild imagination (via Car and Driver).
Chevrolet introduced such a vehicle in 2003 and called it the SSR (Super Sports Roadster). Built on an SUV platform but with a Corvette V8 engine, fold-down hard top, and tight cabin for only two passengers, the SSR was something like a modern hot rod. We have to admit it looked cool. It also had the glorious soundtrack from a small block V8 with around 400 hp and dual exhaust pipes. However, the market’s response was pretty mild. The price was north of $45,000. This meant it wasn’t affordable, and very soon, older people started buying SSRs as midlife crisis cars. That killed the model since it wasn’t cool anymore in the eyes of the younger crowd. Its end came in 2006 after around 24,000 examples left the factory.