Z/28 inspired Silverado Cheyenne concept a show-stopper at SEMA
by Canadian Manufacturing Daily Staff
Plenty of performance and looks to match for the pickup unveiled at this year's SEMA show
LAS VEGAS—What do you get when you mix a pickup truck with the legendary Camaro Z/28?
Designers at Chevrolet put notion in motion at the 2013 SEMA show this week, unveiling the Z/28-inspired Silverado Cheyenne concept.
A performance-oriented version of Chevy’s redesigned 2014 Silverado, the regular cab Cheyenne concept boasts a number of features fans of the brand with the bow tie would surely clamour for should the automaker decide to make this concept a reality.
The Cheyenne gets a 200-lbs. tummy tuck compared to the standard Silverado regular cab thanks to the use of carbon fibre replacement parts, including bumper covers, tailgate and inner cargo box, trimming the curb weight to about 4,300-lbs.
Under the hood lies a beefy’ 6.2-litre V8 engine, which produces 420-horsepower and 460 lb.-ft. of torque—the most power in the light-duty truck segment, according to Chevy—with a little help from a Borla performance exhaust system.
Unavailable in regular-production Silverado regular cab models, the 6.2L powerplant gives the Cheyenne a 65-horsepower and 77 lb.-ft. boost over the production 5.3L V8.
The truck puts power to the ground through a six-speed automatic transmission.
A lowered ride height and rear stabilizer bar help keep the powerful pickup pinned to the ground, and Z/28-like Brembo carbon ceramic brakes help it stop in a hurry.
“The Cheyenne concept explores the performance possibilities of the all-new Silverado, which is already built on a mass-efficient layout and delivers a greater balance of performance and efficiency than any other full-size truck in Chevrolet’s history,” Chevrolet marketing vice-president Chris Perry said in a statement.
Cheyenne designers went Z-car crazy aesthetically, adding a hood vent, ground effects kit and rear spolier on the tailgate.
The truck sits on 19-inch Camaro Z/28 aluminum wheels and high-performance tires.
The Cheyenne diet removes the trailer hitch, spare tire, interior center console and some of the sound-deadening material.
The Chevrolet Silverado Cheyenne concept has a lowered ride height and sits on 19-inch Camaro Z/28 aluminum wheels. PHOTO General Motors
The truck also has a lightweight aluminum driveshaft and composite rear leaf springs.
Inside, the Cheyenne features Recaro sport seats and a flat-bottom steering wheel, similar to the steering wheel offered in the Camaro ZL1.
The chances of the Cheyenne concept making it to production as it sits are slim, but if Perry’s hints are right, you just never know what you may see roll off the production line.
“It is only a concept right now, but we are continually exploring new ways to give Silverado customers more,” he said.
