Chevrolet 'SS' Nameplate Filed With US Patent Office
Since the early ’60s Chevrolet has used the SS badge to designate (mostly) performance oriented cars, though the harlotous name stuck itself to a few undeserving hosts over the years.
More than half a decade later the automaker has finally patented the iconic SS brand, prompting us to wonder why. It seems especially strange given that over the last 51 years, the company has never taken issue with stamping its performance variants as such.
That said, a nine-year rewind takes us back to the Chevrolet SS concept, pictured above. At the time, the bow tie brand was playing with the idea of a four-door sports car motivated by a small-block V8.
Designated a “family sports car,” the Mazda RX-8 doppelganger could have packed a serious punch while taking the kids to school, not unlike what what Porsche successfully marketed later as the Panamera (albeit without a V8).
While the concept never came to fruition, it would seem the brand is revisiting the possibility of a solely “SS” named car. That could turn out to be any number of cars including the Holden-sourced police-only Caprice, but it raises even more questions: what happens to the swath of other SS-badged badboys already on the market? Won’t it be confusing to buyers? How will Chevrolet distinguish future performance variants?
The answers to these questions are still frustratingly unclear, but if Chevrolet wants to play with the idea of a Super Sport, who are you to judge? It might even hint at something much grander given the rumors that the Ford GT supercar might once again rear its head.
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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