Photo: Abimelec Design / Instagram
It’s not called DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters - German Touring Car Masters) for nothing. But Americans competing in Europe for glory isn’t that inconceivable. Remember Le Mans?
For starters, just about every motorsport aficionado should know the story from the 1960s when Ford decided to contest the Ferrari supremacy in a faraway land called France. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
Afterward, in 1976 a couple of fully-fledged NASCAR stockers (Dodge Charger and Ford Torino) wanted to see if American muscle was able to compete with the Old Continent elite. And that wasn’t all, considering the successful factory-sponsored Viper GTS-R program that rewrote the GT class record books. Or the Corvettes that followed them.
So, it’s not that outrageous to imagine even a fairly mundane Chevy Impala SS from the 1990s would have a chance against Germany’s best at the DTM. Especially if the General Motors sedan (not to be mistaken for the Police-legendary Caprice from the same era) became a sort of Charger Daytona/Plymouth Superbird aero warrior.
Besides, it’s just a figment of imagination, so virtually anything is possible across the realms of a pixel master’s imagination land. Case in point, Abimelec Arellano (aka abimelecdesign on social media), who decided to remind us of the craziness of DTM racing in the 1980s and 1990s. Because he considers the series as the cradle of “the most fantastic sedans the world has ever seen,” he also opted for a personal twist.
So, the 1990s DTM arena gets a shot of American madness with help from one of his personal favorites – the Chevy Impala SS. To become an aero warrior, the body was lowered, a racing widebody kit naturally appeared, the cockpit was stripped of all creature comforts and caged, and there’s also an imposing livery.
As for the engine (stock Impala SS had a 5.7-liter LT1 V8 good for “just” 260 hp), the pixel master would swap it for another 350ci mill. This time around we are dealing with the C4 Corvette ZR-1's Lotus-GM engineered LT5 that at the time had a power output of 375 horsepower. If that were to be enough for the Mercedes’ and BMWs of the era it is – of course – anyone’s guess.
Afterward, in 1976 a couple of fully-fledged NASCAR stockers (Dodge Charger and Ford Torino) wanted to see if American muscle was able to compete with the Old Continent elite. And that wasn’t all, considering the successful factory-sponsored Viper GTS-R program that rewrote the GT class record books. Or the Corvettes that followed them.
So, it’s not that outrageous to imagine even a fairly mundane Chevy Impala SS from the 1990s would have a chance against Germany’s best at the DTM. Especially if the General Motors sedan (not to be mistaken for the Police-legendary Caprice from the same era) became a sort of Charger Daytona/Plymouth Superbird aero warrior.
Besides, it’s just a figment of imagination, so virtually anything is possible across the realms of a pixel master’s imagination land. Case in point, Abimelec Arellano (aka abimelecdesign on social media), who decided to remind us of the craziness of DTM racing in the 1980s and 1990s. Because he considers the series as the cradle of “the most fantastic sedans the world has ever seen,” he also opted for a personal twist.
So, the 1990s DTM arena gets a shot of American madness with help from one of his personal favorites – the Chevy Impala SS. To become an aero warrior, the body was lowered, a racing widebody kit naturally appeared, the cockpit was stripped of all creature comforts and caged, and there’s also an imposing livery.
As for the engine (stock Impala SS had a 5.7-liter LT1 V8 good for “just” 260 hp), the pixel master would swap it for another 350ci mill. This time around we are dealing with the C4 Corvette ZR-1's Lotus-GM engineered LT5 that at the time had a power output of 375 horsepower. If that were to be enough for the Mercedes’ and BMWs of the era it is – of course – anyone’s guess.
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