Snappy Chevy Concept Unveiled
GM manufacturer, Chevrolet, have recently created the WTCC Ultra concept; a potential fresh thought to the Chevy line-up of vehicles. “We wanted to explore the concept of a Chevrolet muscle car reinvented for Europe,” says David Lyon, Executive Director GM Asia-Pacific Design “It is a concept that celebrates Chevy’s racing heritage with a very forward-looking design.”
The premier of the Chevy WTCC comes around just as Chevy are celebrating their second victory in the World Touring Car Championship.
Sticking with a performance-bred diesel, the WTCC is powered by a two-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged common rail diesel engine that produces 190hp.
Surrounding the diesel engine is a body that is built of lightweight materials such as glass fibre and carbon fibre laminate, then finished in stealth blue. With the idea in mind to build something that would perform on a track, intense development has been put into the spoilers, a flat underbody and a rear diffuser – all of which were added to create greater downforce.
Ewan Kingsbury, the lead designer of the WTCC Ultra, sought to build the car with an aggressive and muscular stance in mind. “As the chosen theme of the car was a concept race car, this immediately gave me licence to push the passion and aggression of styling to the extreme,” he said.
A sophisticated independent suspension set-up with McPherson struts has also been utilised, as are 20-inch wheels and slicks that are tucked beneath the prominent wheel arches. On the interior front, the design brief was to bring the sporty nature of the outside to the inside.
The driver is situated as deep and low as possible for weight distribution, and a sequential shifter, adjustable pedalbox and screens mounted to display technical information. To complete this, dark surfaces were used, along with unpolished metal and matte carbon fibre inserts. Arguably, one of the funkier parts of the car is the fact that the upper part of the dash was finished in a rubberised paint, inspired by the suits from Batman Returns. And really, who doesn’t like Batman?
Source: Performance Car