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The Jeep Gladiator. The impossibly long-looking half-Wrangler, half-pickup channels the appeal of the original 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s Jeep pickup trucks. Better yet, the latest JT Gladiator shares a lot of the Wrangler’s modularity. Removing the top and doors transforms the off-roader into an open-air pickup truck, unlike anything else currently on the domestic market. However, long before your neighbor’s topless Gladiator hit the scene, GM experimented with a convertible Chevrolet pickup truck. Oh, and it had a V8. 

The Chevrolet SSR might be a punchline in many a joke, but it was a drop-top pickup truck long before the modular Jeep Gladiator JT

Like the wildly popular JK and JL Jeep Wranglers, the Gladiator will ditch its top and doors to transform into something of an open-air rig. While it’s no push-button drop-top convertible, many owners like to take the top off, stow the doors, and the marriage between off-roader and big-sky convertible. 

However, the Gladiator isn’t the first modern, fuel-injected pickup truck to lose its top. In the early 2000s, General Motors (GM) experimented with a V8-powered, hardtop convertible pickup truck with a Chevrolet badge: the SSR. Sounds kind of cool, right? Well, it didn’t work out so well. 

Unfortunately, the SSR found the point of diminishing returns of retro appeal. Sure, some critics dismissed the S197 Ford Mustang, fifth-gen Chevrolet Camaro, and LC Dodge Challenger as “trying too hard.” However, those retro-modern muscle cars’ sales success speaks for themselves. The Chevrolet SSR? Not so much.

A GM Chevrolet SSR convertible pickup truck opens its roof.
GM Chevrolet SSR | General Motors

See, the retro Mustangs and Camaros of the world had a formula. Horsepower, workaday hero styling, and, of course, affordability. Therein lies one of the Chevrolet SSR’s Achilles heels: the price. 

When consumers got their first glimpse of the SSR, it had a $42,000 starting price, nearly twice as much as a New Edge Ford Mustang GT Coupe. Also, with a two-seat layout and bed cover preventing owners from toting larger payloads, the SSR was all style, with very little substance. Not even the range-topping 400-horsepower LS2 engine could save the model. 

Still, the Chevrolet pickup truck’s Karmann-designed folding metal roof established it as a pioneering convertible truck. And it’s early-millennium run established it as a convertible predecessor for the modular Jeep Gladiator and its removable top.

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Staff Writer

Erik Sherman

Erik Sherman joined the MotorBiscuit team as an Autos Writer in 2022. An admitted petrolhead and an avid motorcyclist, Erik has owned everything from classic cars to motorcycles to modern driver’s cars. Erik also has extensive experience with military and emergency vehicles, ranging from ambulances and fire engines to MRAPs and M-ATVs. Erik is an eager car and motorcycle reviewer with experience covering everything from sports cars to pontoon boats and jet skis.

Erik holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations (IRG) from the University of Texas at Austin and has studied Chinese, Energy, and European Politics at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Erik’s background is unorthodox; he is a United States Marine Corps (USMC) combat veteran, water survival practitioner, and a former firefighter/EMT. Additionally, Erik is a regular volunteer and former instructor with the American Red Cross (ARC).