General Motors took a very bold decision (albeit after decades of consideration) to reinvent the C8 Chevrolet Corvette into a mid-engine sports car. Its success is undeniable, so we can easily imagine the company will milk the new cash cow for decades to come. That probably means new and radical ideas aren’t exactly their priority.
Anyone with a little bit of knowledge when it comes to Corvette history already understands the legacy of the CERV concepts for General Motors. Their saga officially began way back in 1959, and the Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle series has always been a little exotic, to put it mildly.
The CERV I was an open-wheel testbed with outstanding performance, and three more iterations followed, with varying degrees of ambition. For example, the final installment in the series, the 1997 CERV IV-B was nothing more than a mule for the (then) upcoming C5 Chevy Corvette.
Almost a quarter of a century has passed since General Motors last built a real-life CERV, so we can easily imagine this CERV 5 sketch dreamt up by GM Design’s virtual artist Brian Geiszler may forever remain a CGI one-off. But we still needed to show it off since it’s a proper tribute to the original CERV while actually looking into a (highly unlikely) potential future.
By the way, a quick search revealed Mr. Geiszler has a big saying in the company, as he’s the Lead Interior Designer for GMC Trucks. That means he’s very much responsible for the looks of the 2022 Hummer EV and 2024 Hummer EV SUV cabins.
Perhaps looking for a different automotive setup that wouldn’t imply SUVs and trucks, he came up with the minimalist CERV 5 open-wheel concept. Although GM didn’t share any images with the interior (it’s a possibility there are none, of course), as far as we can tell, this Chevy racer has room for two on board, so at least the thrill of the ride would be properly shared.
The CERV I was an open-wheel testbed with outstanding performance, and three more iterations followed, with varying degrees of ambition. For example, the final installment in the series, the 1997 CERV IV-B was nothing more than a mule for the (then) upcoming C5 Chevy Corvette.
Almost a quarter of a century has passed since General Motors last built a real-life CERV, so we can easily imagine this CERV 5 sketch dreamt up by GM Design’s virtual artist Brian Geiszler may forever remain a CGI one-off. But we still needed to show it off since it’s a proper tribute to the original CERV while actually looking into a (highly unlikely) potential future.
By the way, a quick search revealed Mr. Geiszler has a big saying in the company, as he’s the Lead Interior Designer for GMC Trucks. That means he’s very much responsible for the looks of the 2022 Hummer EV and 2024 Hummer EV SUV cabins.
Perhaps looking for a different automotive setup that wouldn’t imply SUVs and trucks, he came up with the minimalist CERV 5 open-wheel concept. Although GM didn’t share any images with the interior (it’s a possibility there are none, of course), as far as we can tell, this Chevy racer has room for two on board, so at least the thrill of the ride would be properly shared.