WEST COAST CUSTOMS BRINGS ATTITUDE AND CUSTOM CONCEPT TO THE NEW CHEVY HHR

“There is no limit to what we can do” is the mantra of West Coast Customs (WCC), known for creating some of the tastiest rides rollin' and stars of MTV's "Pimp My Ride." And while Chevrolet had barely introduced the production model of the new 2006 HHR at the 2005 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, it was joined on stage by a WCC concept version with all of its pimpin' magic. The WCC HHR represents a radical vision of the new Chevy HHR.

The production HHR has a distinct design that fuses elements of the 1949 Chevy Suburban – the original utility vehicle – and the SSR roadster. It is built on the same solid platform as the new Chevy Cobalt. The HHR will be available in the second half of 2005.

“We are lucky to work on all kinds of cool rides, and add the WCC touch in a variety of ways,” said Ryan Friedlinghaus, owner operator and head guru of WCC. “The HHR is one of those vehicles that allows you to customize it mild or wild.”

And customize wild they did. The WCC gang took a full-on deep dive into customizing this concept vehicle, and significantly modified both the exterior and interior to draw attention to the new HHR.

One of the fantastic styling cues is the chopped top -- three inches to be exact. Shaved door handles all around, huge sunroof, custom rear roll-pan with center-mounted exhaust and all-new front fascia are just a few tweaks to the WCC HHR. The custom package is covered in a special House of Color silver/blue pearl coat with mica-finish that gives the distinct look of fiber optic speckles.

“WCC and GM Design worked on giving the WCC concept HHR an outrageously different attitude and the front and rear really deliver on the WCC flare,” said Clay Dean, Director of Design for Small/Midsize Cars. “There are so many styling possibilities on how this vehicle can be personalized. This WCC vision may be over the top, but it demonstrates the creativity HHR offers to personalize it your way.”

To complement the modified styling cues, WCC gave the concept HHR some suspension flexibility with a rear air bag suspension. Large 20” Giovanna wheels wrapped in Pirelli tires hide large 12” Stainless Steel Brake Corporation brakes.

WCC has converted the five-passenger HHR into a ride with leather-trimmed bucket seats to accommodate the four lucky occupants. Suede, two-tone leather and body color matching interior trim welcome those who enjoy audio and video entertainment at its finest.

A 10” monitor molded in the dash with a touch computer screen controls all of the necessary functions including audio and video controls. A molded center console runs from the front to the rear and houses four, seven-inch monitors molded into a rear custom subwoofer enclosure.

With enough wattage to make your ears ring, the WCC HHR showcases some of the latest audio equipment by WCC and Orion audio, including two, 10-inch WCC Orion subwoofers surrounding a 15-inch center mounted monitor. The new molded door panels include speaker pods and WCC speaker components.

With its overall length of 174.5 inches (4472 mm) and a cargo capacity of approximately 63 cubic feet (1787 liters), the five-passenger HHR has easy-to-maneuver dimensions and room for just about any lifestyle interest. Although this specific pimping version may not make it to the showroom, the reconfigurable interior with clever storage solutions accommodates everything from groceries to surfboards.

HHR rounds out Chevrolet's small-vehicle strategy that began last year with the successful Aveo – a vehicle which claimed the leadership position in its segment after just nine months on the market – and continues this year with the all-new Cobalt.

Story by Chevrolet