Think Oakley
and you probably think of its high-end wraparound sunglasses and goggles.
Its formula for optical success has been to design and produce eyewear
offerings that don't just defy convention but break right through them.
Now Oakley has teamed up with General Motors to create four very unique
"Oakley MX" versions of the Chevrolet 1500HD pickup.
If the Oakley
trucks ring familiar in the minds of enthusiasts it's because they trace
their roots directly back to the Chevrolet
Silverado Crew Cab Fox Racing concept that was shown at the 2000
SEMA show in Las Vegas. The Fox Racing Silverado focused on Motorcross
and Supercross fans and racers, capturing many of the functional needs
and styling preferences of this extreme sports crowd in a powerful looking,
four-door heavy duty package. Off-road motorcyclists loved the concept
and Chevrolet received thousands of inquiries from potential buyers.
It was the
success of the Fox Racing Silverado that prompted Oakley to call GM to
create a version of its own. "Oakley came to GM and told us what
was important about this kind of truck and then created the vehicle themselves
using the 1500HD as a starting point." said Clay Dean, GM's design
director for Hummer, small trucks and performance trucks. Dean helped
create the Fox truck and quickly became the primary liaison with Oakley
as the project gained momentum. "The MX is a cousin to the Fox truck
but with an Oakley twist."
Oakley used
Southern California customization shop Street Concepts to add that twist.
Starting with three 4x4 1500HDs and one 4x2 1500HD equipped with 6.0-liter
Vortec V8s, teams from Oakley and Street concepts designed the MX upfits.
Scott Bowers,
vice president of Oakley sports marketing, told PUTC "It was a joint
effort between both Oakley and Street Concepts to bring what the automotive
aftermarket had to offer and incorporate it into Oakley's Mad Science
and industrial design applications."
At Street
Concepts the Silverados received unique riveted paint jobs by Paint N
Place. The custom scheme reflects "Oakley's image and has a strong
industrial, post-apocalyptic feel to it. We wanted the truck to take on
an urban war wagon look." said Bowers.
The suspension
was lifted and retuned for heavy duty off-roading with the help of Fabtech
Motorsport's engineering skills and Fox Racing Shox hardware while Concept
Neeper provided beefy four spoke 18-inch off-road racing wheels. The wheels
wear newly engineered BF Goodrich KO Mud Terrain tires secured with OMF
beadlocks that hold and center the tire on the rim when running at low
psi for excellent off-road traction.
PIAA off-road
lighting can be used in combination with XeSighting Systems' high intensity
discharge Xenon headlamps for midnight forays into the desert.
A MagnaFlow
exhaust system was installed to modify the exhaust note and add a few
extra horsepower.
Posted:
09-30-02 22:00
