Rendered Speculation: Chevrolet SS

We can now add a rendering and a litte more gossip to General Motors and its recent patenting of the of the "SS" designation. GM has used the SS designator for more than 50 years but only got around to trademarking it five years ago, and persistent rumors have suggested that a civilian version of the Chevrolet Caprice PPV will simply be called the SS.

Chevrolet previously confirmed that its next NASCAR entry will be both a new vehicle and new nameplate, which suggests that the Malibu and Impala are disqualified. But a new car called the SS would fit, and the rumormill suggests it will be a derivative of the Zeta-platform Holden Commodore. The folks at Chris Doane Automotive have opened the rendering account and taken this rather conservative stab at what a reboot of a North American-market Commodore might look like.

Yes, we've been here before, and in fact, we're still here. The now extinct but universally lauded Pontiac G8 was itself a Americanized Holden Commodore, and the current Caprice law enforcement vehicle is a long-wheelbase version of that Holden that packs either a 3.6-litre, 301-horsepower V6 or a 6.0-litre, 355-hp V8. Resurrecting the G8 would return a vehicle that many loved but was handicapped by Pontiac's zombie status, improve Holden's fortunes and give Chevy a proper rear-wheel drive sedan with teeth. To all of that, we say Yes, Yes and... Yes.

Image Credit: Theophilus Chin/Chris Doane Automotive