The Silverado that we know and love actually hit the market in 1998. Before that, it was just a detail trim feature on the C/K pickup trucks (but we'll get to that in a minute).
"Silverado" Started out as a Trim Option
Like I mentioned, from 1975 to 1998, the Silverado was just a trim option on the C/K pickup, suburban and Tahoe until that point. In 1998, the Silverado became a pickup truck in its own right and began production in August of 1998 as 1999 models.
Intimidator SS
The Intimidator SS model was a special edition created to honor the late Dale Earnhrdt in 2006. While they planned on creating 1033 of them, only 933 were created and sold. The differences between this truck and the Silverado SS were minor and based on the appearance of the vehicle. The appearance upgrades were a rear spoiler, embroidered headrests, and Intimidator custom badging.
GM Launched a Hybrid Version of the Silverado/Sierra in 2004
Back in 2004, this became GM's first-ever hybrid vehicle. While it is technically a hybrid, it's not a hybrid in the current sense of the word. In 2004 the electric motor only handled engine cranking, engine starting, battery charging, and powering accessories. This isn't really a hybrid and was known as a type of micro-hybrid.
As of 2008, General Motors full-size trucks were no longer sold in the United States and Canada with manual transmissions
This is an unfortunate fact that was made back in 2008, because I'm sure that many of you, as well as me, can see functionality behind making your own choices concerning what gear you're in. While automatic transmissions are getting better, they still aren't 100% correct. Computers get things wrong all the time, just not every time.
2015 Saw Special Editions
In 2015 Chevrolet introduced Special Edition for the Silverado truck series. They included the Rally Edition 1 and 2, Midnight Edition, Custom Sport Edition, Custom Sport Plus Edition, Black Out Edition, and Texas Longhorns Edition. Each had different styling cues to differentiate them from each other. Chevy continues to put out special editions in the Silverado to this day.
Chevrolet Is Represented in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series by the Silverado
In the 2016 season, 19 teams used the Chevrolet Silverado as their vehicle of choice in the series. The Silverado has also won the Primm 300 off-road race in 2004, 2005, 2006. As you can see, the Silverado is well represented in racing series and does well also.
There you go, six facts about the Chevrolet Silverado that you may or may not have known. Do you know any bits of trivia we missed? Let us know on Facebook!
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