SEMA: Commodore by Jeff Gordon

He’s charismatic, and for a small bloke Jeff Gordon has a big smile. Gordon is showing those pearly whites standing alongside the Holden VF Commodore-based Chevrolet SS Concept he co-designed with GM’s West Coast Design Studio.

The SS Concept is not what anyone expected. Painted a warm satin red, it carries minor design accents to make a visual point. The Camaro and Corvette are the glamour cars, while the SS carries an air of refinement -- even when Gordon dabbles with its design. He may race in circles but he can draw a fine line.

Shadowed against the red is the number 24, obviously in reference to Gordon’s weekend job, while a carbon-fibre deck spoiler and unique front grille finish the concept rear and front.

Inside, the concept doesn’t break stride with a pair of front seats trimmed in perforated suede leather. Gordon has taken height out of the suspension to reset the stance over bigger 20-inch black chrome wheels and tyres.

But the real purpose of the SS Concept is to celebrate the long-awaited arrival of the SS in US Chevrolet showrooms.

“The first shipment has arrived from Elizabeth and is being distributed nationally to our dealer network right now,” Chris Perry, VP of Chevrolet Marketing, told motoring.com.au.

As GM has repeatedly stated, Perry said the SS will be sold in limited numbers in the United States. Nobody seems sure about Australian supply or American acceptance.

“I love this thing,” said Gordon, who owns a Chevy dealership in Wilmington, North Carolina, and expects customers will share his enthusiasm for the big rear-drive four-door with a 6.2-litre LS3 V8 pushing 309kW in US spec.

“We get guys at the dealership looking at Camaro but they really want a sedan, so I expect the SS will do well.”

Gordon’s concept tells a few more facts. Those big alloy wheels are from HSV and the set was air-freighted to the US for this concept. The brake rotors are bigger and the callipers carry almost as many pistons as the engine.

They’re from HSV too, but it’s still unclear if GM’s Australian performance brand or Holden itself will provide performance accessories for the SS.

What is known is that the US-spec SS will hit the road riding on the same spring and damper settings developed by Holden chassis engineers for Australian roads.

At $US44,470, the SS is relatively expensive in the US. Dealers will receive two or three cars from the first shipment and no one is yet certain of annual sales volume.

The SS won’t be supported by a large national advertising campaign because profit margins are very slim, but it is the centrepiece of Chevrolet's NASCAR racing campaign from this year.

The timing seems right to put the Australian-made SS sedan alongside Chevrolet’s Corvette and Camaro coupes. It’s been 17 years since Chevrolet has had a large rear-drive sedan in showrooms and the first US media reviews will be published soon.

Still smiling, Gordon describes the SS in four words: “Fantastic design and performance.” He should know.

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