The SSR's exterior design is meant to build on Chevy styling cues, including the grille. "The front end design is unmistakable Chevrolet, drawing on its heritage of the early 1950s," Welburn says. "The strong fender forms, in side view, are very much a part of Chevy's brand character, especially in that kind of line that spins off the wheel. Impalas and Monte Carlos have it in a subtle way, and future Chevrolets will have it," he promises.
"Also, the interior has a twin cockpit theme, which is a very strong Chevy brand character trait," Wellman says. "Early Corvettes had it, and that theme travels through the interior to the seats and the headrests."
Taking that early Corvette theme a step farther, the SSR is designed to slip a third person in the front row or a child seat, which was never an issue with those two guys on Route 66. The space can also act as an armrest, with cupholders that slide out from inside it.
To create the extra space on the bench seat, Wellman explains, designers moved the automatic shifter from the floor to the steering wheel. Inside a dash-mounted panel door are controls for the climate and stereo, including a navigation system, weather access and Windows computer with internet/e-mail access. GM's OnStar safety/concierge/directions system is also featured in the interior. "It's there when you need it," Welburn says of the electronic equipment, "otherwise the door is closed and the design is kept clean."