Chevrolet gives you a taste of the future

Chevrolet unveiled the Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo (VGT) concept – a revolutionary interpretation of the ultimate race car, developed exclusively for fans of the PlayStation 3 racing game, Gran Turismo.

The concept is inspired by the innovative race cars Chaparral Racing and Chevrolet partnered on more than 45 years ago. Gamers can race the Chaparral 2X VGT this holiday season by downloading an online update for Gran Turismo 6, the latest iteration of the best-selling PlayStation franchise that has sold more than 72 million copies worldwide since its 1998 debut.

“This concept is an audacious and ambitious vision – and one that demonstrates to a new audience how Chevy’s engineering and design teams challenge norms and explore the technologies of tomorrow,” said Clay Dean, executive director of advanced design. “It’s also an ode to a unique partnership that pioneered ground-breaking technologies that are used today on the track and the street.”

Known for unconventional, boundary-pushing race cars that shook up the motorsports world, Texas-based Chaparral Racing partnered with Chevrolet Research and Development pioneering now standard methods and materials used in contemporary racing and production vehicles, including the composite monocoque chassis, lightweight-alloy power train systems, automatic transmissions for racing and progressive, active aerodynamics.

The partnership also spawned ground-breaking vehicle-data acquisition technology. Chevrolet continues to use racing programmes to test and develop new technologies and materials. The Chevrolet Chaparral 2X VGT concept was created in a no-rules atmosphere to challenge designers and test engineers to deliver the most exhilarating sensations. “This is a fantasy car by design,” said Frank Saucedo, who oversaw the team that worked on the concept.

“The Chaparral 2X VGT’s concept propulsion system is inspired by technology derived from advanced work targeted at space travel and future aircraft design. 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 in the lightweight race car. With a 671-kW laser, powered by a pack of lithium-ion batteries, and an air-powered generator to provide 900 horsepower worth of thrust, the Chaparral 2X VGT will be capable of a 240mph top speed in the video game with 0-60 acceleration capability of 1.5 seconds.”

The driver configuration – face down with the driver’s arms and legs splayed toward
the wheels. In fact, the race car’s propulsion and suspension systems are built around the driver, enabling progressive strategies of active and driver-adjustable aerodynamics. “Think of it as adapting a wing suit to a racing car, where the driver’s movements control certain aspects of the aero package,” said Saucedo. “In many ways, the Chaparral 2X VGT is like a racing wing suit, with a protective fuselage for ‘flying’ very close to the ground.”

Only essential elements are on board, with instrumentation, for example, projected on the driver’s helmet visor. Additionally, lightweight chassis components reduce the sprung weight of the race car, enabling the car to provide tremendous cornering grip with a relatively small footprint.
“Chaparral’s race cars and methods were seen as outlandish four decades ago, and with the innovative spirit still burning at Chevrolet, the Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo concept might just be a harbinger of motorsports in the next four decades. “Other manufacturers have developed concept race cars for the Vision Gran Turismo project, but Chevrolet is one of the few to transfer it from the digital world to a physical concept vehicle.

Source: Netcarshow