Sleepers come in all shape and sizes, but such a machine can hardly make for more of an undercover racer than the 1966 Chevy van portrayed in the rendering we have here. Seriously, the sheer thought of such a contraption can be enough to give any hooner the giggles.
This virtual contraption started out in life as a G10 Chevrolet van – while GM’s first van was the Corvair-based Greenbier produced between 1961 and 1965 (think of it as a Volkswagen Bus rival), this G10 half-ton model was built between 1964 and 1966. It came as a passenger car-based compact van aimed at competing with the Ford Econoline and the Dodge A100 that had already achieved success.
This cabover proposal borrowed its engine and brakes from the Chevy II, which came before the Nova. And while the vehicle was initially offered as a panel van only, with optional windows replacing the respective panels, 1965 saw Chevy offering a proper Sportvan passenger-destined body.
The straight-4 and straight-6 engines sat in a compartment located between and behind the front seats and it wasn’t until the evolutionary-rather-than-revolutionary second generation, launched in 1967, that the said compartment was modified to accommodate a small block V8.
Of course, the model rendered here certainly doesn’t have displacement limitations, since we’re talking about one hell of a sprinter – would you just look at those Hoosier drag strip-friendly tires!
The machine has also been brought quite close to the road, so the driver doesn’t regret turning that steering wheels.
However, there are few other clues on the newly gained muscle of the once-a-workhorse. And we have to thank digital label Les83Machines for this eye candy – in case the name sounds familiar, it’s probably because we’re talking about an artist that had a hand in the rendering of Ken Block’s next sideways instrument, the Fox Body Mustang-based Hoonifox.
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