Even though the SEMA show is famous for the most outlandish sports cars one can imagine, there will be no shortage of tuned pickup trucks this year from both manufacturers and tuning houses. And one of them will be the Chevrolet Silverado Cheyenne Concept. Chevrolet has revived its Cheyenne name, first used as a trim package for its C/K pickup back in 1971 and more recently in 2003 for a forward-looking pickup concept. The latest use of the name is for another concept, this time a performance-oriented version of the 2014 Silverado regular cab.
Using the old adage of performance through less weight, Chevy engineers have taken the Silverado and reduced its weight via a number of measures typically reserved for high-end sports cars. The measures include replacing the bumpers, tailgate and inner cargo box with carbon fibre, helping to shed around 200 pounds from the 4,503 pounds of the Silverado regular cab with a 5.3-liter V-8 and 6’6” box. The Cheyenne diet removes the trailer hitch, spare tire, interior center console and some of the sound-deadening material. The truck also has a lightweight aluminum driveshaft and composite rear leaf springs.
Power comes General Motors Company’s new EcoTec3 6.2-liter V-8, which rates in at 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. The automakers believe that with the Cheyenne concept, they have taken the low mass concept to a whole new level and will consequently be exploring new ways to give Silverado customers even more.
