Chevy SS Everything!!! | Return of the RWD | Auto-Moto

InsideLine Because you can't keep a good dog down- General Motors confirmed on Thursday that it will offer an Australian-built, V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive performance sedan badged as the 2014 Chevrolet SS. The big sedan is slated to go on sale at U.S. dealers in late 2013.

The same car also will serve as the base for GM's entry in the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup series and will make its racing debut next February at the Daytona 500, GM said.

The limited-production SS — shorthand for Super Sport — is essentially a civilian version of the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle that debuted last year. It is also seen by enthusiasts as the successor to the Pontiac G8, which ended production in 2009.

GM executive Bob Lutz telegraphed the automaker's plans nearly three years ago in a blog post, when he said the company considered the G8 "too good to waste" and was considering bringing the sedan back as a Chevrolet Caprice.

All three vehicles — the SS, the Caprice and the G8 — are derivatives of GM's global rear-wheel-drive architecture, known internally as Zeta, which also underpins the Holden Commodore and Caprice in Australia.

Where the Caprice PPV features a 355-horsepower 6.0-liter V8, the 2014 SS is expected to get a version of the larger, more powerful 6.2-liter V8 found in the Chevrolet Camaro SS, which also shares the Zeta architecture.

Mark Reuss, president of GM North America, said in a statement: "As a passionate race fan and performance enthusiast, I am thrilled that Chevrolet will deliver a true rear-wheel-drive NASCAR racecar in the SS that is closely linked to the performance sedan that will be available for sale."

The El Camino is rumored to make an appearance in this new vehicle run as well.