Today we see the first official look at the upcoming Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 off-road truck via a special desert racing truck developed in conjunction with Hall Racing. The truck was revealed during the Laughlin Desert Classic this morning. Chevrolet says that this Silverado desert race truck will be used for engineering development and validation, much like the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 race truck before it.
A single off-road race puts more wear and tear on trucks than most vehicles will experience in years, which makes the motorsport such an ideal test bed for production-intent research and development. This desert race truck in particular started life as a plain Jane Chevrolet Silverado LT Trail Boss, powered by the 420 hp, 6.2L L87 V8 mated to a 10-speed automatic. Significant changes to this vehicle include long travel suspension, front and rear jounce shocks and a set of prototype high-capacity Multimatic Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve (DSSV) dampers. For the Silverado desert race truck, the dampers have been scaled up for greater wheel travel and even greater control. As we first reported last month, the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 will also feature Multimatic DSSV dampers. The off-road truck will also feature both rear and front electronic locking differentials, as well as improved approach and departure angles. It’s expected to slot somewhere between the Ram 1500 Rebel and Ford F-150 Raptor in the marketplace.
This (unofficially confirmed) Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 prototype also features front and rear jounce shocks, rear shock skids, 35-inch off-road tires and skid plates covering the transfer case, steering gear, rear differential and front underbody. All of these parts are currently prototypes.
The truck will compete in Best in the Desert’s 1200 Stock class, which limits changes to suspension, underbody and installation of race-safety equipment.
Hall Racing will field both this Chevrolet Silverado and Colorado ZR2 desert race truck in six Best in the Desert races next year, along with the Mint 400. The ZR2 has competed in off-road racing since 2017. Driven by owner/racer Chad Hall himself, the Colorado ZR2 was one of only four of 434 vehicles to finish all 12 Best in the Desert races it competed in. In the process, the team developed a portfolio of 15 Colorado ZR2 race parts available through Chevrolet Performance. Many of those parts have since been integrated in to GM Defense’s Infantry Squad Vehicle selected for prototype testing and evaluation by the U.S. Army.
We expect this Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 prototype, 2021 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, and ZR2 desert racing truck to be at the 2019 SEMA Show in November, pending no major hangups.
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