Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo Concept: First Look
Looks like: The progeny of Batman’s Batmobile and Speed Racer’s Mach Five
Defining characteristics: Cartoonishly futuristic body, “prone driver configuration,” laser propulsion system
Ridiculous features: Let’s be frank, the whole damn thing is one big ridiculous feature. (Did we mention that laser propulsion system?)
Chance of being mass-produced: In this millennium, or … ?
If Dr. Evil were to take up car racing, he would definitely drive the Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo concept car created for fans of the massively popular PlayStation 3 video-game series “Gran Turismo” and debuting this week at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. After all, it’s got frickin’ laser beams attached to its powertrain!
Related: More 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show Coverage
Yes, this video-game vehicle incarnate uses a fantasy laser-based propulsion system, which Chevrolet says was inspired by “technology derived from advanced work targeted at space travel and future aircraft design.” The automaker says it “features a mid-mounted laser, beamed-energy propulsion system, which pulses beams of light that focus in a shroud, creating shock waves that generate tremendous thrust.” The 671-kilowatt laser uses a lithium-ion battery pack and an air-powered generator to create 900 boiler horsepower, rocketing the car from zero to 60 mph in 1.5 seconds on its way to a 240 mph top speed.
I know, right? But the laser-assisted acceleration may not even be its most ridiculous attribute. Nor is the absurdly aerodynamic, distant-future body style that resembles what happens after all the logical steps that follow Batman’s Batmobile and Speed Racer’s Mach Five sittin’ in a tree. That honor could go to the so-called prone-driver configuration, positioning the pilot facedown in the cockpit, arms and legs splayed like a starfish toward the wheels, which Chevy says essentially adapts a gliding wing suit to a race car.
“The race car’s propulsion and suspension systems are built around the driver, enabling progressive strategies of active driver-adjustable aerodynamics,” the automaker said in a statement.
The car’s minimalist structure uses lightweight chassis components, also helping keep weight low by having only essential elements onboard, projecting instrumentation onto the driver’s helmet visor in lieu of physical gauges. The car sits on 17-inch wheels wrapped in racing tires.
OK, so the Chaparral 2X VGT has even less chance of being mass-produced than the 1998 Carrot Top movie has of getting a green-lit sequel — but that doesn’t mean you can’t experience the thrill of driving it. Gamers can download an online update to “Gran Turismo 6” this holiday season that will put them in the cockpit. Beyond that, Chevrolet says that much like the real-world innovations born of its partnership with Texas-based Chaparral Racing 45 years ago — seen as outlandish at the time — this “might just be a harbinger of motorsports in the next four decades.”
Manufacturer photos
