You learn something new... - Cars you didn't know existed, until now!

  • Thread starter Rue
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Heldenzeit
Wild.
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It actually looks quite cool...
 
Thanks to Midnight Club 3, I was able to know more about the Gemballa cars but by the time I acquired the Remix version, I didn't know they tried tuning Ferrari cars. Too bad they only tried the F355.
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Looks like there's no other difference to the regular F355 other than exhausts and rims by Gemballa.
 
-> I stumbled this prototype after researching for the source of this image I saw on Carscoops:

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^ After a while, I got no info about this "Trailblazer Pickup," but I soon found out about this worth-a-while gem!

Chevrolet Trailblazer SS 2-Door by GM Powertrain '-- ('06 or '07 maybe?)
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NORCALSS of TBSS Forums
GM Powertrain’s Road Racing Chevy TrailBlazer

No, we're not kidding. Those guys at GM Powertrain have built a TrailBlazer SUV to compete on the road-racy circuit. It sounds like the equivalent of taking a brick to a gunfight, but hold your final opinion until you read the story. After all, we are talking about engineers with access to the world's largest parts bin.

With access to all of the swoopy bodies that the General has (think Corvette, GTO, Cobalt, Solstice), why a TrailBlazer? To elicit that kind of reaction, for one. To prove that a vehicle with the aerodynamics of a breadbox can be competitive, for two. And because it was the best fit for the chassis that the Powertrain guys had available, for three. You see, this was an after-hours, budget-conscious project-a labor of love, so to speak.

The first problem Manufacturing Engineer Dave Caplan and his team had was finding a class the TrailBlazer would fit into. “We built the truck to fit within the E Modified race class for SCCA Solo II autocross," Caplan explained. “This is the only legal class we could fit into given our engine/transmission/chassis combination."

With the venue chosen, work began. The chassis is based around an ex-race Chevy S10. The team updated the tubular frame with a fully adjustable, short/long arm independent front suspension with AFCO double-adjustable coil-over shocks and an adjustable stabilizer bar. Out back an 8.5 inch 10-bolt axle is suspended by a four-link with two more AFCO adjustable monotubes. The truck's ride height is fully adjustable as well. The brakes are Wilwood discs up front and production TrailBlazer discs out back. To help achieve a 55/45 percent weight bias, engine location was moved back about five inches.

Speaking of engines, the TrailBlazer's is a doozy-a production LS7 from the Corvette Z06. Other than CNC-ported heads, a custom grind cam (a “575 horsepower" grind according to Caplan) and one-off exhaust headers, the 427 cubic inch screamer is stock. The Powertrain gang even retained the production Corvette computer. A T-56 six-speed transmission and bellhousing were borrowed from the now-defunct Chevy SSR. The SSR bin also donated a driveshaft, which was shortened to fit the chassis.

As for the body, most of it is genuine TrailBlazer EXT steel-they've just been modified a bit to fit the tube chassis. OK, modified a lot; the only parts that were not massaged to fit were the doors. The panel bracing was all custom-made, as were the interior block-off panels and the seat brackets. As befits a work-in-progress, the paint is black primer; final bodywork and color will be addressed over the winter.

So, how does this parts-bin racer run? The Powertrain team has not taken the TrailBlazer to the track yet, but a rather proud Dave Caplan said the truck will spin the street Goodyear F1s in third gear at a loafing 1,500 rpm. To which we say, yikes.

Caplan and his team unveiled the TrailBlazer at the Woodward Dream Cruise this past August. “We attached a manufacturer's license plate to the back, so we were "legal" to drive on the street," said Caplan. “We cruised all the way from the GM Tech Center in Warren to Woodward Ave. in Royal Oak, then we cruised all afternoon on Friday followed by a full day of cruising on Saturday. Reliability is not an issue."

Neither, apparently, is the fun factor. All we gotta say is, those SCCA boys will get an eyeful when they see this flying breadbox tearing up the E-Modified course next season.

FAST SPECS
Chassis
Frame: Tubular, based on a 2003 S10 race truck
Front Suspension: Fully adjustable SLA with AFCO double adjustable monotube coil-over shocks, adjustable stabilizer bar
Rear Suspension: Fully adjustable 4-link with AFCO double adjustable monotube coil-over shocks
Brakes: Wilwood front disc with hard-mounted 4-piston calipers, production TrailBlazer rear disc with 1-piston floating calipers
Race Wheels and Tires: 16 x 12 front/16 x 13 rear on Hoosier slicks (23.5 x 12 front/23.5 x 12.5 rear)
Street Wheels and Tires: Production Corvette Z06 wheels and Goodyear F1 tires
Other Items: 14:1 power rack and pinion steering, adjustable ride height, engine set back 5", 55/45 weight distribution, 2,600 pounds total weight

Engine and Drivetrain
Engine Type: Corvette Z06 LS7, 427 cubic inches
Modifications: CNC-ported cylinder heads, custom-grind camshaft, custom exhaust manifolds
Control Module: Production Corvette Z06
Other Items: Custom alternator bracket, dynamometer-ready wiring harness with data collection sensors
Transmission: T-56 6-speed and bellhousing from Chevy SSR
Rear Axle: 8.5" 10-bolt with 3.42 gears and Eaton limited slip differential
Driveshaft: Shortened and balanced Chevy SSR

Body
Sheetmetal: front fenders, doors, hood, hatch, from TrailBlazer EXT; roof, door rings, radiator support and headlight mount from standard TrailBlazer; front bumper and grille from TrailBlazer SS
Modifications: Quarter panels fabricated from standard TrailBlazer and TrailBlazer EXT quarters; custom-made rear hatch support, rear body, and bumper bracing; custom interior close-out panels; custom-made Lexan windshields and windows
Paint: Sinister Black primer
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^ And best yet, it's street legal!! This TBSS was seen frequently at some SCCA events or yearly on Woodward Cruise.

;)
 
Pontiac Skybird: A baby blue Firebird that was more luxurious and marketed towards women.
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Pontiac Fiero Convertible Concept:
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1990 Fiero Prototype: Built to show what the next Fiero could be, it came packing an early version of the 3.4 DOHC V6 that would migrate to GM's W-Bodies.

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7up747
This pic.

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It looks perfectly out-of-place, if that makes any sense. In other words, you wouldn't expect something like this to compete on a rally stage. As a result, it's bloody brilliant!
 
CyborgGT
Saw this at a show today. Ford Python. Built in a local Colorado city I lived in for... eleven years? Never knew. Wiki says about twelve were built, with seven tracked down.

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Interesting. I never knew about that either. That must be the first time it's been at the Old Town Car Show as well. That show always does have at least one or two rather unique cars.
 
CyborgGT
Saw this at a show today. Ford Python. Built in a local Colorado city I lived in for... eleven years? Never knew. Wiki says about twelve were built, with seven tracked down.

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Well I had to dig up some info on this car, because it's certainly not an usual sight in... just about anywhere, really. And apparently, it was meant to be a rather frequent sight; according to this article, the car was developed by one Alvin A. Kelly, who took a mould from a would-be Shelby Cobra replacement built by the United States Rubber Company (now known as Uniroyal of all companies). The Python uses things like Probe headlights and T-Bird taillights, but even those cost-cutting measures didn't really pay off, seeing that only 12 were ever made.

Alvin? He wanted to make and sell 5,000...
 
Ken
Interesting. I never knew about that either. That must be the first time it's been at the Old Town Car Show as well. That show always does have at least one or two rather unique cars.
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This was actually a Fords-only show in Denver. The rest of my photos are in the events thread. You from the area?
 
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CyborgGT
Saw this at a show today. Ford Python. Built in a local Colorado city I lived in for... eleven years? Never knew. Wiki says about twelve were built, with seven tracked down.

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The front reminds me of the Corvette... Not a bad thing though.

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It's like a 69 Mustang and Corvette had a beautiful baby.

Actually, seems more Challenger/Camaro then Mustang.
 
CyborgGT
This was actually a Fords-only show in Denver. The rest of my photos are in the events thread. You from the area?
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Ah, I was confused. Damn good find though. Also, I just moved to Laramie, but I lived in the area for nearly 15 years.
 
Ken
Ah, I was confused. Damn good find though. Also, I just moved to Laramie, but I lived in the area for nearly 15 years.
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It was built in Collins (at least some were), and I did live there for more than a decade. Now I'm in Loveland, so I can still go to the Old Town show without having to make a day of it. I wonder where in town this car was built, I'll have to try and research that.
 
-> ...
CyborgGT
Saw this at a show today. Ford Python. Built in a local Colorado city I lived in for... eleven years? Never knew. Wiki says about twelve were built, with seven tracked down.

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^ My question lies if this was a factory-commissioned Ford (as Ford Python)? Or a independent build (as Kelly Python) that was sold at Ford dealers? Similar in part to this gorgeous 1976 Cadillac Mirage by Traditional Coach Works Ltd:

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LINK
 

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