With the unveiling of the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 AEV concept at this year?s SEMA show in Las Vegas, the bow-tie brand is officially working to take its mid-size pickup to the next level of off-road performance. This rig was displayed alongside Chevy?s ZR2 race development truck; the pair foreshadow what essentially could be a future production-spec upgrade for the ZR2 that would closely align it with the setup used by Hall Racing for off-road competition.
The Colorado ZR2 AEV concept was created in collaboration with American Expedition Vehicles?the longtime manufacturer and tuner of off-road vehicles, notably for Jeep and Ram models?and includes many of the core chassis systems that Chevy has previously employed to convert a regular ZR2 into a capable stock-class desert racer: revised Multimatic DSSV spool-valve dampers with longer-travel front coil and rear leaf springs; front and rear jounce shocks (basically heavy-duty pneumatic bump stops) for greater impact absorption; an anti-wrap rear-axle linkage that connects the truck?s frame to a new rear differential cover; and upgraded front half-shafts, tie rods, and upper ball joints for increased stiffness and wheel articulation. While Chevrolet wouldn?t quote suspension-travel figures for the upgraded setup because it is still in the process of development, it did confirm it is notably more than the standard ZR2?s 8.6 and 10.0 inches front and rear. Power for the AEV concept comes from the ZR2?s optional 2.8-liter turbo...