Welcome to Design Competition #4!

So here we are at the end of 2010, and man, is the world ever different ! So many of us are being forced to re-create ourselves and find our way in this new reality. That goes for our favorite automaker as well.

But listen.

It isn't all bad.

The end of one age is just the beginning of another, and all things are possible again. The shining star of the Alpha program, the begining of production for the Volt, whispers of Holden goodness coming our way once again.

It's time to get creative once more, to adapt and overcome. To see things with new eyes and from new directions. Where inspiration comes from is always a mystery, and the next big thing could come from anywhere.

And so, this design challenge comes from an unlikely direction. It comes from a classic SUV design that predates the very term "SUV". Back when that sort of vehicle had but two doors and was called a "four-by-four". Back when an untamed spirit of independence was a factor in vehicle choice. When a rugged, go-anywhere, vehicle was the ticket to adventure long after the road went to dirt and the night sky was nothing but stars.

Your mission is to harness that spirit and wrap it in new clothing for 2011 and beyond. The job is to create a new K5 Blazer that can actually blaze the trail. Or, if you prefer, a K15 Jimmy that take you to a wilderness view that extends to the horizon in all directions.

You may base your creation on the existing Tahoe/Yukon, or branch out in a new direction. But each entry must comply with the following:

• Two doors only (barn doors in the back are ok)
  
• Fully off-road capable
  
• True 4wd with a longitudinal engine
  
• Tough and purposeful without extra fluff

The contest will end at midnight on January 20th.

Entries can be in chop or sketch form - artist's choice.

The prize for this contest is a Taxor men's Chevy Truck watch courtesy of CheerandGears.com.

So have at it and design a replacement for my aging Tahoe!

*In the interest of full disclosure, I have to tell you that I have been volunteered (willingly) to be the sole judge of all entries.

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Some Picture Sources...

-Serious Wheels

-Net Car Show

-See below for directions to access AutoDeadline

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Good luck and have fun!

*Instructions for accessing high-resolution images through AutoDeadline:[/b]

Replace the bold, blue section of the following URL with the make/model/etc you're searching for:

http://gm.wieck.com/forms/gm/*query?silverado&Source=all

For example, replacing 'silverado' with 'lesabre' will bring up downloadable hi-res images of the Buick LeSabre.

Copy into your browser and hit enter.

Edited January 9, 201114 yr by Camino LS6

Good idear for a contest, Camino.

Thanks, Ocn.

One of your posts got me thinking about it, so I posted the design request. Minutes later, Olds decided to make it a contest. So I did the write-up, and here we are.

Here is one I did some time back :

Thanks for kicking this off!

K5 Blazer Design Contest

Camino!!!

I have been looking for info on this truck for years now. It was at NAIAS and I thought it had a mid-gate like an avalanche. What is it called and where did you find this picture?

Thanks!

Edited December 21, 201014 yr by wskikevin

Camino!!!

I have been looking for info on this truck for years now. It was at NAIAS and has a mid-gate like an avalanche. What is it called and where did you find this picture?

Thanks!

It is the K5 concept, and I just did an image search to find the pic. I know that there is more on it here at C&G, check the old car show threads.

Here's a link to a pic of a GMT-800 2-door Tahoe prototype:

I used to have a pic of a much better-looking 4x4 prototype, but I think it must have been on my old hard drive when it died.

I've since tried to find it without any luck.

Found it!

Also found a 900 chop:

I still really like the white '99/'00 prototype a lot; the current-generation red one is nice, but I don't think the Silverado translates well into a full-size Blazer/Tahoe 2-door (I think the current Taho look is awesome).

You know Roger, I think an updated Yukon GT would be pretty cool.

Updated with prize information.

Ohhh, ...A CHEVY Watch !

Now I could Replace the Thunderbird watch I have,....hmmmm.

Lemmesee heareh,...

Are you going to do another entry, MDM?

Hmmm. I just might try something out, though my PS skills are somewhat rusty at this point.

I'd love to see it , Z!

Who else has an idea brewing?

I have something brewing Camino but might not get to it for a while. I have been rather busy as of late.

Excellent!

You do have some time.

Ok here goes nothing...

I imagine it having a midgate and pop up rolls bars. I shortened the wheelbase a bit. Gas and diesel options. And basically what you see is what you get.

Edited December 23, 201014 yr by SeanLoh

Cool.

I was wondering if anyone would use the All-Terrain concept for a base.

Are you going to do another entry, MDM?

Oh,YES...a new one as that other one I did a ways back, this deserves a "fresh one" !!!

Glad to hear it, the more the merrier.

Ok here goes nothing...

I imagine it having a midgate and pop up rolls bars. I shortened the wheelbase a bit. Gas and diesel options. And basically what you see is what you get.

If you got rid of the "extra" space where the rear doors would be, the design would look awesome. Of course with safety reuglations, you really couldn't not have a metal roof over the driver area, but a solid rollbar, a'la Jeep Wrangler, could suffice. Great job, I'd like to see the revision of this though. The All Terrain HD makes for a good example of a "Jimmy" return

K5 Blazer :

K5 Off Road edition :

A worthy entry, MDM.

Can't wait to see the rest of the competition.

THX !!!...I think it works good with all the Blazer design elements & tradition.

I know that there are others in the works, anyone else ready to post?

I have two older, GMT-900 based sketches for submission. I mainly want to add some fuel to the flame, nothing more.

Enjoy!

I like the top one.

I think with the first one I was going for a truck similar in concept to the '01 K5.

The bottom one was more traditional and, as a result, looked far more clean I think. Combining the two and upping the quality of the sketch would make one hell of a decent looking Blazer.

The bottom one was more traditional and, as a result, looked far more clean I think. Combining the two and upping the quality of the sketch would make one hell of a decent looking Blazer.

I agree!

Thanks for posting them!

For those of you still working on your entries, be sure to double-check the recipe at the beginning of the thread. The entry that best exemplifies those specs will have a leg-up in the competition.

Oh, and it can't hurt to post some sort of description about the specs for your designs. If you explain how it meets the specs, it can only help.

Mine's still cooking. I haven't touched it during the holiday week, but I'll get back on it, and hopefully it'll go faster now that I have Photoshop back on my laptop.

Glad to hear it, Z!

Pity no one takes decent photos of these SUVs. The Press photos suck and most of the search results are small and/or low quality.

What do you need photos of? I just might be at a car show next week.

Posts requests for shots:

Make/Model/Angle.

I think asking for specific pics is a great idea.

Also, ask any questions about the contest and I'll do my best to give you an answer.

Downloaded CS5 trial for now, so I might be able to whip something up on Sunday..

Woohoo!

Just in case anyone was confused, there was a new end date for this contest as well as image size rules posted accidentally when image search info. was added to the first post.

It has now been deleted, and never applied to this contest.

The deadline remains midnight on January 20th, 2011.

K5 Off Road edition :

That...is really cool!

THX !!

This is why I don't chop trucks, SUVs, or crossovers... lol

You may base your creation on the existing Tahoe/Yukon, or branch out in a new direction. But each entry must comply with the following:

* Two doors only (barn doors in the back are ok)

* Fully off-road capable

* True 4wd with a longitudinal engine

* Tough and purposeful without extra fluff

haha I lose.

Give it another shot, NOS!

We'll see if I have time. Should've read the first post before doing this. I really don't know if I'll have time though.