Chevrolet SS Could Get 1LE Handling Package For No One To Buy

Shockingly, people haven't exactly lined up to spend between $37,000 and $52,000 on a V8-powered family sedan that's so visually bland it makes a Crown Vic look like a Countach, even if that sedan happens to be great to drive. Perhaps a Camaro 1LE-inspired option will help boost Chevrolet SS sales. Maybe? (Probably not.)

Motor Trend says Chevrolet engineers want the SS to get a 1LE-style handling package with new dampers, a retuned suspension, equal-sized tires front and rear (the standard SS staggers them) and some other tweaks to make it an even more capable corner-carver.

The only trick will be to convince the bean counters that the SS is worth the extra development cost, and between the car's limited appeal and supply, that may be a tough sell.

The SS exists in this country to satisfy an agreement where a certain number of Holden Commodores had to be built for export. It was never really meant to be a mainstream volume car, and even GM executives have admitted they have no clue how to sell it.

A recent search on Cars.com revealed only about 500 new ones are for sale nationwide; just 93 examples were sold in America in December, and January wasn't much better. (Just two of those almost-500 have manual gearboxes, in case you're curious, so if a manual SS is your thing you're better off ordering one from scratch.)

Even so, the SS is still a solid performer, and one that fills the hole left in our hearts when Pontiac left us. If it's the car you want, a 1LE package and a manual gearbox will only sweeten the deal. Otherwise, I look forward to buying one used in seven years for the price of a new Toyota Camry.