2004 Chevrolet SSR

 By Larry Edsall

 $30,000

Intrepid 323  
By Kevin Falvey

 $113,000

Chevrolet launched what it calls a "retro-style roadster" as a 2004 model. The SSR may look "retro," but when was the last time you saw a roadster with a pickup truck bed roll off any of the Big Three assembly lines?

Indeed, Chevy's Super Sport Roadster has created its own niche. It's a bench-seat convertible with a pickup truck bed. Unlike the car-based El Camino, the SSR is based on the chassis of a sport/utility vehicle. It shares its underpinnings with the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy midsize SUVs.

The company says the SSR will provide "an unrivaled blend of performance, features and utility in a vehicle." With the Camaro going out of production, the SSR will give Chevy's rear-drive, V8-oriented customers a way to wear a bowtie without having to shell out for a Corvette, and without having to buy a traditional pickup truck. We've driven the SSR and it is good fun with strong power and all the right noises. Its bed is actually usable, making it more practical than we initially expected.

The SSR is based on the concept car shown at Detroit in 2000. The show car had retro body lines, especially in the front fenders, a retractable hardtop, and a covered pickup bed that was some 5-feet, 3-inches long and 4-feet, 7-inches wide.

Looking to cruise at 40 mph? Achieve thrift at better than 1 mpg? Have superior handling in three-footers without taking a beating? Ride Intrepid’s 323. This side console cuddy offers high-performance, cockpit seating, and the overnight privacy of a cabin, complete with a disappearing head. A self-bailing cockpit ensures safety and easy maintenance. Superb construction and the tilt-’em-down-and-g

e base 323 is exactly that—base. You have to buck up to make it your boat. Customizing, from dive doors to the Ultraleather coaming pads my test boat sported, is part of the deal. Hence, your 323 will probably leave the factory for more than the base price. Maybe a lot more. Finally, hot as the 323 may be, it’s not flawless, but its flaws are few and far between.

GO POWER. Jump into the 323. There’s no checking dipsticks, blowing bilges, or opening seacocks before heading out. Two-stroke outboards, like the twin 250-hp Mercury Racing OptiMax 250XS engines I ran, are tailor-made for the time pressed. Turn the keys, and you’re boating. For the 323, that means cruising with Ninja-like throttle response, a pile of midrange torque, and a top speed of nearly 54 mph with full tanks and a big top installed.