Think back
to when you were growing up. Remember your mother telling you to be nice
and share your toys? Well, auto enthusiasts around the planet owe a debt
of gratitude to one particular mom, a Mrs. Moss, because she sure taught
her son, Jon, this lesson well.
Jon
Moss, Manager of GM's Special Vehicles Group (think Ford SVT), and
the rest of his team opened up their toy chest of nearly 50 pavement-ripping,
high-performance cars and trucks to share with journalists at Milan Raceway
just west of Detroit.
GM's Special
Vehicles Group is tasked with taking each GM brand to its high-performance
cutting edge and trying out new ideas and technologies. Though a select
few of these ideas are radical enough to literally pin your brain to the
back of your skull, take the 730hp Corvette or Camaro Drag Car as examples,
some ideas are destined for the showroom floor.
Four of the
ballistic badboys onhand at Milan were pickup trucks that we had a chance
to drive, err handle.
Chevrolet
S-10 ZZ4.3 Xtreme Concept
The
S-10 ZZ4.3 uses the same appearance package as the S-10 Xtreme.
Like
the rest of its Special Vehicle brethren, the Chevrolet S-10 ZZ4.3
Xtreme Concept is more than just an exercise in creating a hot rod
pickup. These vehicles are meant to try out new ideas and packages
for possible production. And this is one idea looking ripe for the
picking.
At
first glance you might be fooled at the baby blue pearl paint. Don't
be. It's only meant to lull the competition before you leave them
staring at your 260hp / 277ft-lb rubber vaporizing wake - which
is suspiciously similar in color to the truck's paint job.
The
ZZ4.3 takes the standard S-10
Xtreme, available as an optional appearance and suspension package
since 1999, to a level of performance befitting its injection-molded
ground effects.
How
likely is this to reach your dealership? Well consider the following:
The
Chevrolet S-10 is still well over a year away from the launch of
its midsize successor, the Colorado,
and it's definitely not getting any younger. Chevrolet wants the
S-10 to go out on a high note.
The
4.3-liter Vortec engine is ancient by today's standards, originating
back in the 1980s.
GM
is also eager to promote its Service Parts Organization (SPO), the
General's answer to Toyota TRD. SPO's
engineers are officially responsible for the modifications to the
4.3-liter Vortec engine's intake manifold, which accounts for the
60+ bump in horsepower.
Add
all of this up, plus some not-so-subtle hints during our drive,
and we expect to see the ZZ4.3 offered as a dealer installed crate
engine option within the next six months.
The
S-10 ZZ4.3 on the 1/4-mile stretch at Michigan's Milan Raceway
The
ZZ4.3 drives quite similarly to the Xtreme. Its lowered ride height
and aggressive engine makes for an almost sports car like feel rather
than a truck.
Armed
with one of the tightest 6-speed manual transmissions this writer
has ever driven, the shift gates felt like they were spaced about
a millimeter apart but provided for quick gear throws. Be careful
shifting from 2nd to 3rd though, you're just about as likely to
wind up in 5th.
Any
production version of the ZZ4.3 engine will likely be offered with
both automatic and manual transmissions, though we expect the manual
to be a little bit easier to manage than the truck we drove.
Specifications:
Chevrolet
S-10 ZZ4.3 Xtreme Three-passenger, three-door pickup
truck
Front-engine, rear-wheel drive
3334 lbs total weight 61% / 39% weight distribution
Engine
Type and Size:
GM Performance Parts Modified 4.3-liter Vortec V6 Crate Engine
Horsepower
(hp):
260 @ 4800 rpm
Torque
(ft./ lbs.):
277 @ 2800 rpm
Transmission:
Six-speed manual
Other
Drivetrain:
Rear wheel Drive
Solid rear axle with limited slip differential
Suspension:
Front: ZQ8 sport coil spring
Rear: ZQ8 leaf spring (two-stage)
Brakes:
Stainless steel front / rear disc brakes with slotted rotors and
four-wheel ABS
Wheels
and Tires:
American Racing-Torq-Thrust II wheels, 17" x 8" front
/ 17" x 9" rear
Goodyear Eagle F1 245/45R-17 tires
Wheelbase:
122.9 inches
Width:
55-inch front / 53.4-inch rear track
Body
/ Interior:
Extended cab
Standard length fleetside box
Xtreme body cladding package
High back bucket seats, argent leather with perforated leather inserts
Custom leather door inserts
White pearl w/blue cast exterior paint
Rear roll pan
Flush mounted tonneau covers
0
- 60 mph:
8.20 seconds
1/4-mile
time:
15.49
1/4-mile
speed:
90.36mph
If
you like burning rubber, the ZZ4.3 S-10 is more than happy to oblige.
Last
Edited: 08-06-01 22:00
