As part of the Vision Gran Turismo (VGT) project, a design project that looks at the future of the automotive industry, Chevrolet has unveiled the Chaparral 2X VGT. Keen motorsport enthusiasts will remember the Chaparral and Chev partnered to make some rather interesting race cars, notably the rather large-winged 2F run in the late 60s CanAm series.

Chaparral 2X Details

This new Chaparral 2X is a completely different take on a racing car, “It 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. “Like the original Chaparral race cars decades ago, the Chaparral 2X VGT weaves advanced aerospace technologies into the design to help achieve its performance goals.”

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.

With a 671 kW laser, powered by a pack of lithium-ion batteries, and an air-powered generator to provide 671 kW worth of thrust, the Chaparral 2X VGT will be capable of a 386kph top speed in the video game with 0-100kph taking just 1.5 seconds. The car will be made available to Playstation 3 Gran Turismo 6 players.

The driver of the Chaparral 2X lies face-down with arms and legs splayed out, “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 racing wing suit, with a protective fuselage for ‘flying’ very low to the ground.”