The world as you know has gone SUV crazy with even the most adamant of sportscar makers having to give in. Think Ferrari Purosague. But having said that, would it look normal if the latest Chevrolet Corvette had a cargo bed in the back making it easy to load and unload deliveries? Would it look aesthetically pleasing to the eye if you saw a Corvette sedan with four doors and a spacious back seat?
It just might happen. You never know what the designers at General Motors are planning but keeping it in the drawing room isn’t a bad idea. Gear heads and dedicated car enthusiasts, especially Corvette aficionados would not even entertain the thought of those vehicles coming to fruition.
The Corvette Is One Of America's Most Loved Sportscar
The Corvette is known throughout the globe as ‘America’s sports car’ and to have the world’s longest-running, continuously produced passenger car as a sports utility vehicle is creative but sacrilegious at the same time. Anything other than the iconic two-door sleek look that the 'Vette is known for is unacceptable. Not that it hasn’t been done, Porsche has already crossed the line into turning their well-established 911 into an off-roader.
Porsche 911 Dakar
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Not surprising since the top-selling Porsche models are both SUVs, the Macan and the Cayenne together eclipse sales of all other Porsches. So technically, they are an SUV car manufacturing company. The Porsche 911 Dakar premiered at the Los Angeles auto show in 2022 sporting a slightly different look than other 911 models.
Being named after the demanding and grueling cross-continental desert rally, the Dakar comes with mesh on the bumper to protect the radiator against elements on the trails and also gives it a tougher-looking design. They raised the ride height by 1.9 inches, guaranteeing ground clearance and suiting it better for off-road adventures, keeping up with the Range Rovers and 4Runners.
The Dakar rides high up there with a big suspension lift at both axles allowing it to maximize the friction between the all-terrain tires that come standard on the Dakar, and the road to provide excellent handling and dependable steering stability. It also comes with a roof rack to store all your camping equipment.
One last touch on the Porsche 911 Dakar; an impressive feature it has is it knows when it goes from off-roader to sports car. When it reaches 105 miles per hour, the suspension lowers automatically giving the driver the stability it needs for high speeds.
Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato
Perhaps the future king of mutant sports off-road vehicles would be the Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato. Not yet available for sale, this off-road version of the Huracan has a ridiculous price tag of over $270,000 and for that, you will receive a broader spread of ability than the standard Huracan and the reason for that is the suspension.
The Sterrato increased the ride height by 1.7 inches claiming ground clearance would not be an issue on the back roads. It is obviously still a Huracan to its core, however, the Sterrato is more rugged and outdoorsy and probably able to put up a tent at a campsite. We’ll see once it comes out what it can and cannot do.
Messing With The Classic Sportscar Formula Won't Go Down Well With Purists
Now it’s vacation time and the family piles into the five door Chevrolet Corvette SUV. Just typing that makes me feel dirty. The imagination of the creator of the renderings says a lot. It says they need to make a formal apology, not only to General Motors and Chevrolet but to every sports car purist that believes you cannot fuss with perfection. Or as close to perfection as Corvette has gotten to since 1953.
In a time where the world says you can be whoever you want to be and whatever you want to be, it is only fitting that car manufacturers think they can do the same thing with their heavy-hitting top sellers. Just because you can make a sports car an off-road vehicle, doesn’t mean you should. You could dress it up all you want and change whatever you need to, but it’s still a sports car.
General Motors has done something right hands down, with the release of their new 2023 Z06 Corvette which has been making news and noise in the auto industry. Remarkable that it is said to be making noise when the sound of the Z06 is pleasantly quieter in regard to Chevrolet’s monster Corvettes of the past.
Now that is something else that I never could imagine, though it will be easier to stomach than the pseudo designs making their way around the internet. OK, so I might have come off a bit harsh on these creative prototypes via Photoshop, but there are certain things you should not mess with, the Mona Lisa, the statue of David, and the Chevy Corvette.
So, would taking a Corvette off-roading satisfy some deranged pent-up need for satisfaction? Maybe if it were a true Vette, but we all know a true Vette is not making that trip to the mountains and going over rock or terrain. General Motors makes plenty of SUVs that can quench that want you may have to stain the Vette name and look with these crazy, nonsensical designs. Try a Silverado, or Traverse to alleviate that big-boy fix, that would be more acceptable.