2014 – Chevrolet SS
Toy #: BFF29
Series: HW Showroom All Stars, 9/10
Color: Blue
Tampos: Black, Blue and Silver stripes on sides.
The Chevrolet SS is a reproduction of the Chevrolet Opala was a mid-size car sold under the Chevrolet brand in South America. It was derived from the German Opel Rekord Series C, Opel Commodore Series A, but used six cilinders USA-sourced engines coming from Impala. The name Opala may come from the opal, which is a precious stone, colourless when extracted from the soil, but which acquires multiple tones when exposed to light and a combination of the names Opel and Impala (Opel + Impala = Opala). The real model was produced from from 1969 to 1992 by by “General Motors do Brasil” (GM of Brazil).
Founded in January 1925, General Motors do Brasil originally only assembled, and later, manufactured, light trucks and utilities until the mid-1960s, when they decided to produce their first Brazilian-made passenger car. The options varied between the traditional, large, more expensive American-style cars that GM was already selling in the United States line, such as the Impala, and the lighter and more economical models from German GM-subsidiary Opel (such as the Kadett, Olympia, Rekord and Commodore) which were already imported to Brazil in small quantities. After wavering between the small Kadett and the somewhat larger Rekord/Commodore line, GMB opted for the latter, but later introduced the Kadett as well. On November 23, 1966, in a Press Conference, GM publicly announced the existence of “Project 676”, which would become the Chevrolet Opala. It was manufactured about one million units including the Opala sedan, Opala Coupé, and the station wagon variant, the Opala Caravan.
The performance of Opala 3.8L was actually quite pleasing; with a top speed of 112.5 mph (181.1 km/h) and acceleration from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in about 11 seconds, it was the fastest Brazilian car of its time. The sporty Opala SS, originally only available with the “250” engine, was the first version to receive a four-speed manual gearbox. This was coupled with a tachometer and lots of matte black striping
The Hot Wheels version is a reproduction of the 1974 Opala.
