Today is Da Streetz: Collector’s Edition. And instead of finding this vehicle on the streets, it was in a showroom. Close enough, I say.
There are rare cars and then there are seriously rare cars. Paganis fall into the latter category, but there are some surprising cars that fall into the former category. Some are even made by domestic manufacturers. No, I’m not talking about 2010 Camaros, but another Chevy: The HHR SS.
Two hundred and sixty horsepower from a turbocharged, direct injected 2.0L engine sending power to the front wheels through a four-speed auto? Things just keep getting stranger and stranger. Oh, but there’s more. This particular example is painted in Silver Ice Metallic with Black/Red interior. The seats are made of UltraLux, like alcantara, but cheaper, as well as leatherette trim.
To top it off, this particular gem is the Panel version, so there are only 2 seats. The back is devoted to cargo storage. And if you thought that the rear-3/4 visibility was poor in the regular HHR, here, it’s non-existent. The icing on the cake is the optional LCD screen that’s mounted on top of the centre dash. This screen displays 0-60 times, quarter mile times, and lateral G-forces. Seems unnecessary on a souped-up delivery-mobile.
Seriously, there cannot be that many vehicles like this out there. Fifty with this combination? Not even. I bet there’s not even 1000 HHR SS Panels with an auto, period. That’s what makes this particular vehicle such a collector’s item. Look for it at the 2050 Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale.