General Motors Design Evokes CERV 5 Name on This Open-Air Chevy Racer

Christopher Reeve, better known as Superman, once said, “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon seem inevitable.”

Walt Disney added these words of wisdom for dreamers: “The secret of making dreams come true can be summarized in four C’s. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy; and the greatest of these is Confidence.”

We don’t know if GM designer Brian Geiszler had these quotes in mind when he was dreaming up the CERV 5 drawing back in 2017, but he well could have.

GM Design recently posted his creation on its Instagram page, and we love it! The first CERV – or Chevrolet Experimental Research Vehicle – was dreamed up more than 60 years ago in the mind of legendary Corvette engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov.

That CERV 1 debuted in 1960, with Duntov describing it as “a design without limit” and an “admirable tool” for the work that Chevy should use on the Corvette. Indeed, the current eighth-generation mid-engine Corvette owes a great deal to the work done on the first CERV.

While this CERV 5 drawing will likely never be produced (the last time a real car was built was nearly 25 years ago as a pre-production test mule for the C5), the CERV 1 was a real workhorse, with the first of seven engine combinations eventually used, being a Chevy small block V8, developed by Duntov and Ed Cole.

Geiszler’s sketch draws on the heritage of that first CERV, with a similar open-wheel body style aimed at use on the track and not necessarily as a production vehicle for the real world – hence it has no headlights or taillights and features IndyCar-style front and rear wings and slick tires. However, it still manages to find room for a passenger and even has a small windshield to keep wind, bugs, and other debris off the occupants.

What do you think about this CERV 5, which Chevy calls a “simple seat time Chevy”? Comments on Instagram ranged from “Elements of the Prowler there” to “That is hot!” to “I would sell my 1LE and track the hell out of this.”

Source:
generalmotorsdesign / Instagram

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