Yep, this means that the first Cobalt SS wasn’t some ultra-special skunkworks performance project: It was a parts-bin car that took the powertrain from the Ion Red Line, stuffed it in more palatable (read: less weird) Cobalt sheetmetal, jazzed it up with some special cosmetics, and then flew out of showrooms. Featuring a two-liter four-cylinder engine with an Eaton M62 blower bolted on, this 205-horsepower supercharged screamer was one fast piece of plastic. With just about every Japanese carmaker under the sun producing some sort of spicy compact car, Saturn threw its hat in the ring with a supercharged Ion called the Red Line. See, Saturn was GM’s import-fighting division, or at least one of them. Instead, it debuted underneath the 2003 Saturn Ion, a car you might remember Doctor Octopus hurling through a storefront in “Spider-Man 2.” What debuted in the Saturn Ion the very next year? A little motor called the LSJ. The Delta platform underneath the Chevrolet Cobalt is often remembered as an Opel-developed platform, but it didn’t burst on the scene with an Opel badge. Oh, and that sucker had to hit the street in the low 20s. Therefore, the Chevrolet Cavalier replacement’s performance trim had to be habanero hot, with a forced induction kick and a cohesive handling package. Meanwhile, Chevrolet was in the middle of pumping up its SS line of performance cars, and GM Performance wasn’t about to have its ass handed to it by a goddamn Neon. Power comes on with a profound rush, and Frankeneon hurls itself down the street with a will.” Tramp on the go pedal, and the boost gauge snaps to attention - right now. “So what’s it like to drive? Bitchin’, thank you. A mixture of parts-bin special and factory hot rod, it used goodies like a minivan transmission, PT Cruiser knuckles, a Sachs clutch, Tokico dampers, and Michelin Pilot Sport tires in the pursuit of speed. Featuring a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine boosted to 215 horsepower for the 2003 model year. There was a new horsepower war on the streets of America, but instead of being fought with V8s and Hurst shifters, battle armaments consisted of four-bangers and boost.Įarly into the decade of peak tuner, it was very clear that another Cavalier Z24 just wasn’t going to be enough, and Chrysler cast the first domestic stone with the Dodge Neon SRT-4. Media like “The Fast And The Furious” and Sport Compact Car magazine had cast a spotlight on four-cylinder tuner cars, and the kids were lapping it up. Welcome back to GM Hit Or Miss, where we dig through the ditches and burn through the witches of GM’s pre-bankruptcy product planning department in search of Dragula-caliber greatness.Īlthough American carmakers have largely been remembered for feats of muscle, by the mid 2000s, a major shift had occurred in the car scene. That might seem like an absurd statement, but bear with me, for this Cobalt is special. There’s a chance that the Cobalt SS was so good, GM doesn’t know how to make it again. Chevrolet hasn’t sold a hot performance car since, but I’m not entirely sure if that’s due to changing market demands. From the Corvair Monza to the Cavalier Z24, Chevrolet has always dabbled in spicy economy cars, but the Chevrolet Cobalt SS was the end of the line.
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