Chevy introduces two Silverado SEMA concepts at Texas Fair

Chevy used last Friday's State Fair of Texas to introduce two buffed-up pickup trucks prepped for SEMA. The first, based on the Silverado Double Cab with the Z71 package, was for fighting fires; the other, a Crew Cab 4x4, is for top-secret Black Ops missions (??- ED.)

Chevy
This pickup carries equipment, water and fire extinguishers.

According to Chevy, the Silverado Z71 Volunteer Firefighter concept honors the service of “first responders” while showing off the pickup's work credentials. Chevy found that 90 percent of the fire departments in the U.S. are entirely or mostly volunteer. The National Volunteer Firefighter Council, who helped design the pickup, is made up of firefighter associations from 49 states (It's Hawaii. Of course it is.) It advocates policies to help keep its members safe. The Council said the truck needed to have room for personal gear, helmets, air packs and gloves, as well as space for tools and safety equipment.

Chevy came up with a Silverado that sports six-spoke 22-inch wheels, an emergency roof light bar with LED perimeter lighting, 4-inch chrome-assist steps, hood protector, sirens, mounting hardware for extinguishers and a handful of other firefighting upgrades.

Those options are added to the stock truck, which gets a 5.3-liter, 355-hp V8, a six-speed transmission, a chrome-step bumper and a spray-on bedliner.

Chevy
The Black Ops is named for operations, not the Call of Duty video game.

The Black Ops concept, which will be shown at SEMA, looks ready for an alien invasion, zombie apocalypse and radioactive-bug takeover all at once.

“Luck favors the prepared, and the Silverado Black Ops concept is a survival kit on four wheels,” said Chevrolet design manager Dave Ross. “This concept truck showcases the stronger, smarter and more capable elements of the 2014 Silverado and how accessories can enhance them to suit any lifestyle.”

Even vampire hunting.

The decked-out pickup comes equipped with custom fabricated lower-body armor, a lockable bed-mounted truck vault storage unit, a solar-power pack, a pair of gas masks, gloves, a first-aid kit, rope and a folding shovel.

A generator, fuel can and water can are mounted on top, alongside a crate “stocked with food.” And by food, Chevy means Twinkies. It also gets Chevy's CornerStep bumper with a locking tailgate equipped with the EZ Lift and Lower feature that reduces effort to move the tailgate, important when you're weak from days on the run eating Twinkies.

A winch is attached in front—for pulling down enemy barriers—as well as an LED spotlight and integrated tow hooks. A raised suspension helps clear radioactive debris while rear-facing lights can blind pursuers. Bolt-on fender flares, 4-inch tube steps and off-road tires are also installed.

Inside, the Black Ops gets custom seats with yellow trim and yellow accents, Chevy MyLink, USB inputs and a few other odds and ends.

By Jake Lingeman