The State Fair of Texas doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves in the auto industry. It’s not a car show in the traditional sense, but it has hosted several important debuts in recent years. This year, the State Fair of Texas welcomes a handful of automakers, including Chevrolet and a pair of 2020 Silverado 1500 models that have been given the Midnight and Rally special edition monikers, respectively.

Both special edition versions of the 2020 Silverado will be available in Chevrolet dealerships by the end of the year, though interested customers can order their rides in the same dealerships next month. The automaker hasn’t announced pricing details, though past examples of the Silverado Midnight and Rally Editions have fetched north of $40,000 to $45,000, and that’s without options.

With the Texas State Fair turning into a hub for truck debuts and announcements, Chevrolet wasn’t about to get left out on all the fun. The 2020 Chevrolet Silverado Midnight Edition and its partner in crime, the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado Rally Edition are, in their own way, blasts from the past. Both nomenclatures have been used in recent years to denote earlier special edition Silverados that were developed for use in urban streets (Midnight Edition) or in the outdoors (Rally Edition). Each special edition Silverado comes with features that are exclusive to its name, creating two distinct flavors of the same pickup to cater to a range of would-be owners of the 2020 Silverado. First, let’s start with the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado Midnight Edition.

What Makes the 2020 Chevy Silverado Midnight Edition Special?

By now, you’re probably used to seeing Chevrolet roll out a Midnight Edition for the Silverado 1500. It’s done so a handful of times already in the past few years, including the 2015 and 2017 model years of the automaker’s best-selling pickup. The 2020 Silverado Midnight Edition is a worthy successor to its past namesakes. It’s available on the LT Trail Boss and Custom Trail Boss trims of the Silverado. This time, the 2020 Silverado Midnight Edition’s all-black look comes with black Silverado badging, a black front grille, black Bowties, black bumpers, black exhaust tips, and black off-road assist steps. About the only thing that separates this SE Silverado from a totally blacked-out treatment are the red recovery hooks located in the front bumper.

There are no engine upgrades to speak of here, though the special edition’s availability on the LT Trail Boss and Custom Trail Boss trims means that you can score the 2020 Silverado Midnight Edition with two engine options, or at least that’s the case with one of the trim options. If you opt for the Silverado Custom Trail Boss Midnight Edition, you’re buying a pickup that’s powered by either a 5.3-liter V-8 engine that produces 355 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque or one that comes with a 6.2-liter V-8 engine that produces a stout 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque.

If the Silverado Custom Trail Boss Midnight Edition isn’t to your liking, you can eschew that in favor of the Silverado LT Trail Boss Midnight Edition. You’ll only get the 6.2-liter V-8 engine and the 10-speed automatic transmission, but you’ll also benefit from several trim-exclusive features, including High-Intensity LED headlamps with dark bezels and full-curtain signature daytime running lamps. There’s a premium to be paid for these features, but the special edition Silverado is built to be worth the amount of money you’re going to have to pay for it.

Besides, the 2020 Silverado Midnight Edition also comes equipped with a two-inch factory suspension lift, a new set of 18-inch black-painted wheels wrapped in Goodyear Duratrac off-road tires, and Chevrolet’s own Z71 Off-Road package that’s made up of an automatic locking rear differential, skid plates, and Rancho mono-tube off-road shocks. If the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado Midnight Edition is built for the off-road, Chevrolet did a tremendous job in giving the tools and equipment it needs to tackle the outdoors with the ease and of a tried-and-tested Silverado.

What Makes the 2020 Chevy Silverado Rally Edition Special?

The all-black look not working for you? Do you want your Silverado to exude a little more…color? If your answer is “yes” to both questions, then give the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado Rally Edition a looksie. Just like the Silverado Midnight Edition, the Silverado Rally Edition is available in two trim options: Custom and RST. To be fair, it’s also available in Black so there’s a way to marry both versions in the event you dig the Silverado Rally Edition’s features and you still want it to look like the Midnight Edition.

Visually, the Silverado Rally Edition is a flashier version of the two special edition models. We’re not just talking about the variety of colors it’s available in. We’re also talking about the sprinkles of aesthetic vanity that the Silverado Rally Edition comes with that’s missing from the Silverado Midnight Edition. Take the body-colored front grille, for example. It doesn’t have to be black in the Silverado Rally Edition. Even if black is used in the Rally Edition, Chevrolet did it as a complementary accent, as is the case with the black rally stripes on the hood and tailgate of the pickup, the black Chevrolet tailgate lettering, black badging, black Bowties, black exhaust tips, and the black assist steps. You have to admit, at least in some form or fashion, that the Silverado Rally Edition is the more customizable version of the two special edition trucks. Whereas the Silverado Midnight Edition looks like it means business all the time, the Silverado Rally Edition looks like it can have some fun, too.

For the Silverado Custom trim, the special edition pickup is powered by a 2.7-liter turbocharged engine that produces 310 horsepower and 348 pound-feet of torque. The unit is marked to an eight-speed automatic transmission that channels power to all four wheels of the pickup. It’s not as powerful as either of the Silverado Midnight Edition trims and its towing capacity tops out at just 7,200 pounds, but, hey, at least you’re also getting a set of 20-inch black-painted wheels as part of this package.

Meanwhile, the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado Rally Edition RST trim is not only available with the same 2.7-liter turbo unit, but you also have the option to go big with the 5.3-liter V-8 engine with the eight-speed automatic transmission or the 6.2-liter V-8 unit with the 10-speed automatic transmission. Either setup will give you all the power you need to hit the streets of your neighborhood while also providing enough grunt and flexibility to accommodate towing as much as 11,000 pounds and 12,200 pounds, respectively. You’re not going to get as far without having to refuel — the 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter engines only return 16/22 mpg and 16/20 mpg, respectively — as the 2.7-liter and its 20/23 mpg returns, but at least you can take comfort knowing that if anybody decides to mess with you on the road, you can fall back to the two V-8 engines and you’ll know that your Silverado can dish out as much as it can take in.

Pricing for the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado Rally Edition is also another point of mystery, in part because Chevy hasn’t announced pricing details for the special edition pickup. That said, the availability of the Custom trim in the Silverado Rally Edition means that you can score this particular special edition model at a cheaper price than the 2020 Silverado Midnight Edition.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado.

Read our full review on the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD LT.

Read our full review on the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD.

2020 Chevy Silverado HD Debuts with New Engine, Massive Towing Rating

14 Things You Have to Know about the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD