This 2005 Chevrolet SSR with a manual transmission and dealer-installed Kook headers is a low-mileage, garage-kept beauty in Asphalt Black—perfect for collectors and retro truck enthusiasts.

Now instead of simply waiting for the ax to fall, Chevy has taken steps for 2005 to give the SSR what it deserved from the start—a big honking engine and a manual transmission.

Those in the know will tell you the SSR to get is actually the 2005 model, since that was the year Chevrolet added the manual transmission, as well as an LS2 that made an additional 90 horsepower.

2005 Chevrolet SSR, one of the few made that year with a six-speed manual and Ricochet Silver paint, is up for grabs for $39,950 ...

Coupled with a four-speed automatic transmission, it would push the SSR from zero to 60 mph in 7.9 seconds. That's not exactly high-performance in the sports car world, but it was impressive for a ...

Other changes last year included a standard Hydra-Matic 4L65-E four-speed automatic transmission and – for the first time – an optional Tremec M10 six-speed manual gearbox.

A manual transmission was optional in the 2006 Chevy SSR, but this one has a 4-speed automatic.

SSR (for Super Sport Roadster) wowed us at the 2000 Detroit show with its hot-rod looks, Corvette motor and a retro design that paid homage to the 1947-52 Chevy truck.

GM should have put a bigger, more powerful engine and a manual transmission in the SSR right from the start.

For those who remember the Chevrolet SSR hey-let's-go-retro-everybody's-doing-it concept (2000 Detroit auto show), it was impressive to see how little the SSR changed on its way from show floor to ...

With two owners and under 37,000 miles, this Chevrolet SSR is searching for a new home, packing the LS2 motor and a manual gearbox. Would you buy it?

Those in the know will tell you the SSR to get is actually the 2005 model, since that was the year Chevrolet added the manual transmission, as well as an LS2 that made an additional 90 horsepower.