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Spy shots can be viewed here.

Since last year, there have been numerous reports that Chevy has been hard at work on a full-size and furious competitor to the Ford Raptor and Ram TRX, which have both enjoyed extreme popularity over the last year in the form of awards and a dedicated fan base. As we excitedly searched the internet here at Jim Butler Chevy of St Louis looking for a few clues of what may materialize, the Autoblog staff had offered up some spy shots of what appears to be a massively serious Chevy Silverado off-roader with noticeably increased capabilities. 

The hood on this stealthily-spotted model was hidden under a huge bulge of camouflage, and the front bumper was a bit more turned up at the edges to provide clearance under the tires. Underneath it all is an XXL-sized skid plate that protects all of the Silverado’s most vulnerable parts, a dire necessity when it comes to stray rocks and deeply-rutted trails. There is more height evident here than the Trail Boss, and it appears as if the tires onboard are at least 35-inches, which would definitely measure up to what the Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram 1500 TRX are working with. 

It’s a bit difficult to make out the shocks, but it is likely that this upcoming Silverado off-road variant will offer a beefed-up version of the ZR2’s existing spool-valve shocks. This very high-powered and thoroughly-sinister ZR2 will most likely only be offered with mighty and musclebound gas V8s, with the supercharged V8 that GM’s full-size SUVs have as a viable option. The lower bumper appears to include a set of red tow hooks, and all of us will be thrilled if a new supercharger is considered to be developed for this mighty monster according to plan. 

Just as the ZR2 Bison started its lifecycle, this Silverado began as just a desert-racing prototype, but we expect to see this new ZR2 by the end of this year. The Laughlin Desert classic that took place in October featured a 17-mile bumpy ride near the Arizona border where this Silverado prototype made an appearance off the record for “engineering validation and development”. A location like this is an ideal testing ground for the underbody, suspension, and safety equipment, and enduring higher speeds as well as forceful landings will be easier on the more powerful and heavier Silverado. 

As more truck owners are showing a genuine interest in conquering the wild with a truck that goes highly above and beyond the bare-bones essentials of trail mastery, the rigs are going to get bigger and bigger while boasting more brute force. Since we have witnessed Chevy excel so greatly in the work and street ruck realm, we know that mind-boggling power and hefty boulder-climbing abilities will result in a capable and avid canyon drifter that you and your own handpicked selection of “special forces” will love putting to the weekender’s test!