Chevy's Quirky HHR SS: The 260-HP Wagon That Bombed - and Now Sells for Peanuts

At first glance, it looks like a retro delivery van from the 1940s. 3 seconds. It's the ultimate sleeper, a minivan that can embarrass sports cars at a stoplight. Yet despite its punchy performance and a no-lift shift mechanism that keeps the turbo spooled through every gear, the HHR SS flopped hard.

Production lasted just three years, from 2008 to 2010, with fewer than 10,000 built. Today, you can grab a clean example for $6,500 to $11,000, less than a new Toyota Corolla Cross.

Why did such a fun machine fail? Blame the timing and the looks. The SS arrived just as the 2009 financial crisis cratered car sales. But the bigger problem was its design: cheap plastic interiors, massive A-pillars that blocked visibility, and an identity crisis. Buyers couldn't figure out if it was a family hauler, a florist's delivery van, or a track toy.

The retro styling that made the standard HHR a hit in 2005, it sold over 100,000 units in its first two years, felt gimmicky on a performance model. Chevy even built a rare panel-van version with no rear windows, of which only 240 were made.

Underneath, the HHR SS shared GM's Delta platform with the Pontiac G5 and Saturn Ion, but the Performance Division threw in a stiffened suspension, bigger bumpers with functional air ducts, and a roof spoiler. The manual transmission came with launch control and that clever no-lift shift feature, letting drivers keep the throttle pinned while rowing through gears.

The result? 3 seconds, impressive even by today's standards. But with GM shuttering its Performance Division during the downturn, the SS was axed. Collectors now pay $15,000 to $30,000 for pristine, low-mileage manual examples, while everyday versions remain a bargain. The HHR SS may have bombed in its day, but for those who want a genuinely weird, fast, and affordable hauler, it's a cult-classic steal.