Chevrolet is no stranger to making lifestyle vehicles. That’s exactly the case here with this Colorado Z71 Hurley Concept seen at the 2016 SEMA show. It combines the Colorado’s capability with several aftermarket goodies and concept parts designed to accommodate the surfing lifestyle.

“Colorado is a lifestyle enabler and the Hurley concept demonstrates the personalization possibilities for one of the most thrilling sports,” said Jessica Rogers, Colorado marketing manager. “With Chevrolet Accessories parts, the sky — and the surf — is the limit when it comes to tailoring the Colorado to your work or recreation interests.”

The truck features several key parts that make it a surfer’s dream, including the covered bed with overhead surf board rack, in-bed storage rack, waterproof ventiprene-covered seats, and a suspension lift.

“This concept is all about functionality,” said Ryan Hurley, creative director for Hurley. “When we discussed the project with Chevrolet, we didn’t want just a truck with our logo on it. It had to offer solutions for the challenges surfers face at remote locations and that’s exactly what it delivers.”

Marketing speak aside, the truck offers a really cool base for ideas and further personalization that regular customers can do with their Colorado pickups. Several of these parts are available through Chevrolet or other aftermarket suppliers. Technically, anyone can build this truck given enough resources.

Continue reading to learn more about the Chevrolet Colorado Z71 Hurley Concept.

Exterior

The most noticeable feature on the truck is its custom Seafoam Green paint. The matt finish looks great in contrast to the black accents found elsewhere on the truck – from the black grille and front skid plate, to the fender flares, engine snorkel, and wheels.

More specifically, this truck has several points of interest. Up front, the Chevy Bowtie’s outline is illuminated, giving it a cool presence at night. The grille and the headlights are finished in a smoked dark color, matching other parts of the truck. The lower fascia features a skid plate and cut-outs for the tow hooks. The Hurley “H” is embossed between the hooks. Furthermore, an additional skid plate helps protect the engine’s underside and front differential.

Further back, Chevrolet Accessories’ side steps make getting into the truck easier, as well as reaching for surf boards on top. Around back, the bed holds a ton of additional accessories. A Bimini-style cover provides shade to the Thule rack that’s mounted on a sliding rail system. Chevy says this rack is for storage and for drying wetsuits. The Bimini cover also features racks for surf boards, an integrated center high-mounted stop light, and two LED off-road lights that give plenty of illumination for those early-morning surfing sessions.

The truck is further customized with Hurley logos. They are colored in the same matt green hue as the body. Black Bowties front and rear, along with the other black trim, give the truck a near military-style appearance.

Interior

Inside the truck, Chevy recovered the seats in the ventiprene material, making them impervious to water or wet clothes. The seats are two-tone, with a Khaki Green color similar to the exterior’s Seafoam green running along the bolsters while a desert tan color resides in the center portions of the seats. The tan color, called Sand Dune, extends to the leather-covered dash, while the Khaki Green is used on the center armrest and door panels. The Hurley logo is embroidered on to the headrests as well.

Beyond those changes, the Colorado’s cabin is nearly stock. A set of all-weather floor liners guards against water and sand, but the rest is straight from the assembly line.

Drivetrain

The truck is based off the 2017 Chevrolet Colorado Z71, and being so, it comes with Chevy’s heavily revised 3.6-liter V-6. The engine now features direct fuel injection, continuously variable valve timing, and Active Fuel Management, otherwise known as cylinder deactivation. The improvements help with both power and efficiency. Chevy says the engine now makes 308 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque.

On top of that, Chevy added a concept performance exhaust system for this rig, along with a concept engine snorkel to keep its intake far away from rising water.

The engine comes mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission – a new feature for 2017. And since it’s a Z71, it comes with 4WD and an automatic locking rear differential. Both items give the truck greater traction in off-road situations. Lastly, the truck rides on a concept suspension lift that affords an extra two inches of clearance.

Conclusion

The Chevrolet Colorado Hurley Concept is an interesting SEMA build. It combines all the good qualities of the production Colorado, while adding extra gear directly designed to improve the functionality for the surfing lifestyle. Then again, that can be said for plenty of other vehicles lining the floor of the Vegas Convention Center this week. That’s the beauty of SEMA – it gives automakers and aftermarket companies a chance to collaborate on project the buying public will find appealing. So, does this project appeal to you? Let us know in the comments below.