Halloween has left town and taken all the ghouls and goblins with it, but there’s one “Beast” still on the prowl in Las Vegas: Chevrolet’s new Chevy Beast concept vehicle.
And what a beast it is. Making its debut at the 2021 SEMA Show, the vehicle is a “concept vision of the ultimate in high-performance desert running,” Chevy said in a press release. It features a variety of off-the-shelf performance enhancing parts and accessories aimed at building a vehicle to dominate sandy dunes and rocky outcrops like no other.
Based on a modified short-bed Chevy Silverado chassis, the four-passenger off-road vehicle is powered by a supercharged 6.2L V8 Chevy Performance LT4 crate engine rated for 650 horsepower (You know, the same engine found in the last generation Corvette Z06). The Beast sends all that power to its wheels with the help of a 10L90 10-speed automatic transmission and two-speed transfer case.
According to Chevy, vehicle designers and engineers created the Beast by shortening the Silverado frame and outfitting it with a 4130 chromoly tubular safety cage, lightweight body, and custom, long-travel off-road suspension system featuring a five-link rear suspension. The one-off system—which offers 12 inches of travel up front and 15.5 inches of travel in the rear—combined with a 91-inch track are meant to improve handling, stability, and control during high-speed driving.
The beast sits on a set of 37-inch-tall off-road tires that help grant it an approach angle of 45 degrees, departure angle of 46.5 degrees, and breakover angle of 35 degrees to go with 13.5 inches of ground clearance. The tires are mounted on 20-inch Raceline RTM260M Avenger true beadlock wheels that cover the Beast’s four-wheel disc brakes and Chevrolet Performance Brembo front six-piston calibers.
Other notable features include:
- Two bed-mounted spare tires
- A pair of 7-inch cabin LCDs for monitoring pitch, roll, and more vehicle data
- An open-rear design that aids in extracting dust
- Minimal rear overhang to maximize attack angle on steep grades
- Baja Designs off-road lighting
- Recaro performance seats with four-point harnesses
See More from Chevy at SEMA
Of course, the Beast isn’t the only vehicle that SEMA Show attendees can check out this week. Other interesting vehicles on-site include:
- 2022 Silverado ZR2
- 2022 Silverado High Country Midnight Edition concept
- 2022 Silverado 3500HD Hoonigan concept
- 2022 Colorado ZR2 Extreme Off-Road
- 2022 Colorado Z71 Off-Road Performance Edition
- 2022 Tahoe Z71 Overlanding concept
- 2021 Suburban Street concept
This SUV looks very futuristic. I have a question. When will these machines go into mass production?
We’re guessing it’s a SEMA-only concept vehicle.