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While it’s not easy for us to get caught up in the idea of an off-road ready school schlepper, the Chevrolet Suburban HD Z71 gets our attention because of its small-displacement 4.5-liter diesel. All the mud-plugging gear is easy to overlook when you consider how an oil-burning Suburban might fare in the marketplace. It seems like a reasonable addition to GM’s ‘ute lineup especially since the concept simply pilfered the parts bin for a new motor and the front end from a Silverado HD. Greater fuel efficiency and the ability to tower over the masses on the way to the grocery store? We smell a hit.

PRESS RELEASE:

CHEVROLET MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SILVERADO

The only thing missing from this home-run Silverado is the apple pie – because the baseball and Chevrolet are covered. The Silverado 1500 crew cab is decked out in a baseball theme – with a paint scheme that incorporates all major league team logos – to support Chevrolet’s ties to Major League Baseball. It is also a fan’s dream, with a power-lifting tonneau cover that rises to reveal a wide-screen television monitor that not only brings in the game, but is connected to a Wii gaming console. Inside, the Silverado features real baseball bat ash wood trim and uniquely trimmed leather seats that have the look and feel of a baseball – including the stitching.

Vehicle highlights:

* Silverado 1500 crew cab
* 6.0L V-8
* Multi-color, MLB-inspired paint scheme incorporating all team logos
* Power-lift tonneau
* Wide-screen TV with Wii gaming console
* Bose Surround Sound system
* Leather-trimmed interior with baseball stitching, color and feel
* Ash wood (baseball bat material) trim

GM Accessories features (production and concept):

* Chrome mesh grille
* Twenty-two-inch chrome wheels
* Hard shell tonneau cover
* DVD headrest system
* Ground effects kit

PRESS RELEASE

CHEVROLET HD CREW Z71 ‘BIG RED’

Taking cues from Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s “Big Red” Silverado that debuted at SEMA in 2006, the ‘08 Silverado HD Crew Z71 Big Red demonstrates how that expressive concept’s unique features would look with production-type components. It combines numerous GM Accessories inspired by Earnhardt’s Big Red and features additional custom touches. It also supposes the popular Z71 off-road package on the Silverado 2500HD – a model not offered by the factory. It’s powered by the 6.6L Duramax turbo-diesel V-8 and a six-speed Allison transmission.

Vehicle highlights:

* Silverado 2500HD Crew Cab 4×4
* Z71 grille and bumper; underbody protection
* Z71 badging on floor mats, sill plates and instrument cluster
* 6.6L Duramax diesel with Allison six-speed automatic transmission
* “Earnhardt Red” exterior color
* Lifted ride height
* Rancho shocks
* Ballistic nylon seat material

GM Accessories features (production and concept):

* 20 x 35-inch wheel-and-tire package (concept)
* Box storage management system
* Portable DVD player system
* Integrated loading ramp running boards
* Chrome door and tow hooks
* Light bar integrated in GMA box rail
* Fuel door (concept)
* Bed rug
* Two-way remote start
* HD billet grille
* Hood louvers
* Rear wheelhouse liners

Are you visiting the SEMA show this week?  If so, email us your pictures at Justin@thetruckspot.com and ill post daily reader submitted pics and commentary here on The Truck Spot. 

For those who can’t get enough of the card tables when they leave Vegas, Chrysler has created the Town and Country Black Jack that will be unveiled at the 2007 SEMA Show in Sin City next week. The Amber-Black pearl paint provides a stylish contrast to the custom 20-inch wheels and the billet grille, jazzing up this most staid of minivan exteriors. Interior LED lighting illuminates the mini casino in the passenger compartment that consists of a bench seat wrapping around the black jack table that sits opposite the dealer’s captain’s chair in the middle. Entertainment comes via a 1250-watt audio system created by Azentec and Kicker. For tailgate parties, you and your weary gambling buddies can watch Terry and Howie yuck it up during the pregame show on a 37-inch flatscreen mounted in back behind the tailgate.

[Source: Chrysler]

PRESS RELEASE:

Chrysler Town & Country Black Jack
Designers:
Marc A Reisen, Designer – Product Design Office and Liz Glance, Senior Designer – Product Design Office

The Chrysler Town & Country Black Jack draws its inspiration from the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas - a dominant and enigmatic presence on the Strip. Massive, dark and simple in shape and design, the icon casts a shadow over the surrounding properties.

It sits on custom one-off 20-in. wheels with new bright finishes built by Alcoa Forged. They are tucked around a set of Brembo SRT brakes, matched with an adjusted ride height. Its stance is sophisticated, yet approachable. Covered in a custom Amber-Black Pearl paint, the hood features a ghosted “Black Jack” logo and pin stripe provided by Jim-Tech. Chrome accents complement the billet-style grill.

The exterior was designed to draw people to the stunning inside. LED lighting, provided by OSRAM-Sylvania Group, was crucial to the application of Las Vegas allure. To give it an “after hours lounge bar” setting and atmosphere of light and shade, the team created dual panoramic-style roof openings. After relocating the gas tank, light-sensitive “scintilla” provided by Sensitile was used. Constructed of 100 percent acrylic, Scintilla transforms the way in which the surface interacts with interior lighting. The scintilla actually illuminates the players’ “field.”

A leather- wrapped curved bench replaces the third-row seats. Providing “rat pack” and “rat rod” influence, the passenger seats are wrapped by Katzkin, and feature Vogl satin black leather, custom embroidery. Seat inserts feature perforated suede with silver backing and a suede headliner. The centered dealer’s seat required removal of the second-row pilot seats. The “black jack” table is constructed of light-weight carbon fiber. Creating seamless construction, it’s bolted to the translucent center mount that flows into the translucent floor. The adjustable lighting and table placement contribute to the players’ comfort.

Azentec and KICKER brought a “bada bing” to the interior. The entertainment system features two KICKER Audio 10-in. L7 sub woofers tied to a 1250-watt amplifier. Two pairs of 6-in. speakers and a four-channel 700-4 amplifier provide the “boom” factor. The rear-mounted 37-in. LCD flat screen and two 7-in. overhead monitors are connected to three hidden overhead digital cameras so there are “eyes” on the dealer’s and players’ hands. The Azentec head unit – the Atlas 1000 – serves as a high-powered laptop radio head unit. Windows XP provides adaptability and capability for wireless internet, Bluetooth, cell phone, navigation system and personal PC – putting the Black Jack on the forefront of in-car entertainment.

With QEK Integrated Fleet Services providing support during the Town & Country Black Jack build, this “slow roller” is sure to turn heads on the Strip.

Jeep first unveiled the Wrangler JT earlier this year at the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, and we got our first up-close look in June at Chrysler’s proving ground. Jeep created the JT from a four-door Wrangler Unlimited by sealing off the space for the rear doors and inserting a five foot bed in the back. The JT is based on the same concept of the J8 military utility truck the automaker recently started building in Egypt and has a simple, no-nonsense look. The JT only has about five unique parts, and thanks to the positive response it’s gotten it is being studied for production. Since it was first shown last spring, the spare tire has been moved from the bed and now hangs of the tailgate.

Click here to listen to Mark Allen discuss the design and construction of the Jeep Wrangler JT.

The Wrangler Ultimate is one of two Jeep concepts making their SEMA debut this year (the other is the Jeep JT). Though we saw it last spring at the Chrysler Proving Ground, we have much better pics of this pampering Jeep than last time. The Ultimate is based on the Wrangler’s four-door Unlimited model with a 3-inch lift kit and 35-inch BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tires wrapped around handsome forged 18-inch aluminum wheels. Along with an array of exterior appearance upgrades including an experimental ‘Liquid Charcoal Pearl Coat’ paint job, the interior has been completely redone as well, including new upholstery that’s a mix of leather and orange mesh fabric. Entertainment for when your not crawling over rocks is supplied by a MyGIG hard drive-based multimedia system with LCD screens for each rear passenger seat. To help the Wrangler get over those rocks, a 392 cu.in Hemi crate motor has also been installed under the hood. So which would you prefer, the Wrangler Ultimate or the Jeep JT pickup?

[Source: Jeep]

Though Toyota will have an actual diesel-powered heavy-duty Tundra on hand at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas next week, we doubt it will have the style and visual presence of the Toyota Racing Development Tundra Double Cab Off-Road Concept shown here. We first got wind it concept last week from an ad that appeared in AutoWeek, but now we’ve got all the pics and details for you straight from Toyota.

The concept truck with its 6.5-foot bed, restyled front and rear fascias (the non-functional hood scooplet is gone!) and five-inch wider fenders give this SEMA-fied Tundra a decidedly more aggressive and purposeful look than the current Tundra. Its TRD supercharger attached to Toyota’s popular 5.7L V8 also puts out a much more robust 500 HP that’s 50-state emissions legal. The TRD 17-inch off-road wheels wearing 37-inch BFG tires look ready to pound some pavement into submission, while the beefed up front and rear long-travel suspension appear up to the task of handling the 28-foot custom Featherlite car-hauler out back. Yes, even though the 10,200-lb trailer in the pic is sitting on its jack stands, there is a gooseneck hitch in the truck’s bed and it can haul the trailer. Of course, concept vehicles don’t normally go through the rigor of real work, so we hear Toyota will have another Tundra on hand to do this concept’s dirty work. You can read more about that truck over at Pickuptruck.com. The trailer, meanwhile, isn’t carrying Toyota’s latest racing Tundra, but rather is filled with some of TRD’s current product catalogue that SEMA attendees will be able to browse at the show. Something tells us they’ll be more interested in the truck, however, than what it’s hauling.

[Source: Toyota via Pickuptruck.com]

If GM ever decides to do a Cadillac Escalade V-Series, chances are it’d look something like the Escalade Sport concept being debuted at SEMA. Lowered, rolling on 24s, wearing mesh grilles in front and dual exhaust tips in back, the Escalade Sport backs its amped-up appearance with 550 horses underhood. The revamped interior includes a leather-covered IP, Recaro seating for four, and a new center console complete with relocated shifter. We were fine with the garden-variety 400-horse Escalade, but after seeing this, we kinda want one. Sure, no one asked for it, but this is SEMA, a carnival of answers to unasked questions. As those answers go, this one’s pretty good.

[Source: GM]

Well now, doesn’t this look like fun? HUMMER’s H3R SEMA concept takes an off-road racing theme and then dials it up well past the maximum. You see, in addition to being lifted four inches and decked out in all manner of butch accessories like 20″ rims wrapped in 35″ Mickey Thompsons, a bull bar, and enough lights to illuminate Giants Stadium, the biggest story of all is the LS7 someone swiped from a Corvette Z06 and dropped under the H3’s hood. That hood, by the way, incorporates a Lexan panel — all the better to show off the 500-horse V8 stuffed beneath it.

The interior’s also overhauled, fitted with racing buckets, a window net, upgraded trim, and a deleted back seat. The spare tire gets moved into the cargo area, and a jerry can takes its vacated spot on the carrier in back. The LS7 exhales through a quad-outlet exhaust that’s integrated into the rear bumper. This is fairly badass, to be sure. A full breakdown of the numerous mods can be found after the jump. One thing you won’t read in the release is that HUMMER will be gauging reaction to both this show truck and the H2 Safari concept that’ll be parked next to it at SEMA. According to our source, if the reaction’s good, limited-edition production versions are a fair bet. Don’t expect to see the LS7 in a consumer-grade H3R, however. If that project does happen, the 5.3L V8 from the H3 Alpha would be used, instead.

[Source: GM]