Unlike every earlier SS, the fourth-generation SS was not a factory RPO. SLP Engineering (Ed Hamburger's Troy, Michigan firm) got Chevrolet's approval to convert LT1-equipped Z28s to SS spec before the cars reached dealers — ending a 24-year absence of the SS nameplate (last seen 1972).
The powertrain and identification notes below preserve configuration and model-year boundaries rather than treating every 1996 Camaro alike. Ratings use the measurement convention of their period, and visual cues are only a starting point: the VIN, factory labels, drivetrain identifiers, and surviving documentation should agree.