Chevrolet’s Off-Road Concept Actually Features Some C8 Corvette DNA

It’s not the V8 engine of 6.2-liters.

Chevrolet was a hit at the 2021 SEMA Show in November. Although there were a few mildly upgraded SUVs and trucks, it was the Beast Concept which made off-roaders giddy. It’s not the Beast anymoreafter an unnamed entity complained, but this Off-Road Concept made off-roaders giddy.

What can this rig carry from the Chevrolet Corvette? Although both cars rely on the same 6.2-liter V8 to provide power, they are not identical. The Camaro’s supercharged LT4 engine is used in the concept. It produces 650 horsepower and is controlled by a 10-speed auto. The Corvette’s 6.2-liter engine produces 490 horsepower (495 when you add the Z51 package). It’s controlled by an eight-speed automatic.

It’s not the chassis, which is basically a Silverado pickup trucks underneath some barely-there body paneling. Curiously, it is the same thing that connects the Corvette to the Off-Road Concept. The steering wheel.

It is a very similarity to the Muscle Cars and Trucks, but it’s easy to see the squared-off rim as well as the downturned spokes on the ‘Vette’s wheel. The C8 wheel-mounted controls are missing, and the Corvette badge in the middle has been replaced by a Bow-Tie emblem. It’s clearly a Corvette steering wheels, even though the materials appear more utilitarian.

Chevy chose the sporty wheel, presumably because it is sporty. In real-world applications, we don’t think this wheel is the best. A squared-off wheel is not as easy to use for quick hand-over-hand steering inputs. The Off-Road Concept was clearly designed to handle loose terrain at higher speeds. We prefer something more traditional to see back and forth.

It’s still a wheel, not a yoke.