GM Archive Photo's 1960-66 / Concept truck

[1963c-10]

Yes sir.. Im told they have a forum somewhere dedicated to their trucks, but I haven't found it yet.

[RANDY COX]

Yea those Brazilian trucks looks more like from the 50's instead of 60's,definitely different though....Cool trucks..That Bison would be Awesome to drive...

[1963c-10]

Heres a link to some more brazil trucks
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=399861

[aerotruk63]

That canvas side would be a nice concept for a panel conversion 60-66. I've been thinking of that conversion for years since I first saw the originals from way back when. Great thread.

As a long haul driver you can appreciate the lower forward cab design above, but from an accident point of view they will never fly. Most drivers like an engine block to take the initial punch.

[Captainfab]

You know, GM's design guys came up with some pretty wild concept vehicles back in the 60's. I wonder if they were watching the Jetsons on TV while they were working

[1963c-10]

Heres a couple more I found and have never heard off. I would encourage everyone to check out this site http://www.trucksplanet.com/catalog/index.php?id=97 full of tons of truck info and facts. I was amazed at the amount of info on this site and I have never heard of it. Spend a few minutes and you wont regret it. Concept trucks, light duty, semis, heavy duty..and stuff I've never heard of.

[1963c-10]

1964 Chevrolet Sidewinder. In 1964, Chevrolet showed a cross-country amphibious vehicle, which had military potential, known as the Sidewinder. It was double articulated, with the cab section, power unit, and cargo section all being separate units. Articulation at both joints was in roll (plus and minus 15 degrees) and in yaw (25 degrees per joint for a total of 50 degrees in either direction) which provided the steering. A 215 cubic inch Buick V8 powered the pilot model. It used a 48 inch diameter tire (14.00 x 20) and had a maximum speed of 60mph on land, and 3mph in the water. The spinning wheels and articulation provided water mobility. It had 15 inches of ground clearance under the differentials and 60 degrees of approach and departure. All components were of commercial manufacturer, including the rigid one ton axles, leaf springs, two speed auto transmission with torque converter and the Spicer transfer case.

[1963c-10]

1965 Chevrolet TASC. Chevrolet's Tactical Articulated Swimmable Carrier (TASC) of 1965 was the logical successor of the Sidewinder, and it employed the same double articulated arrangements of components. The 283 Chevy V8, Chevy 2 speed auto and Dana two speed transfer case were all housed in the middle unit. The front unit held the driver and a passenger and had about 12 square feet of cargo space. The rear unit could carry cargo or personnel. the entire rig weighed 6,400lbs net, 9,300lbs with a full payload. Sitting on 135 inch wheelbase and riding on 14.00 x 20 tires, it could reach 55mph on land and 3-4mph in water. The TASC was nearly 17ft long and was 78 inches high at the windshield. The angle of approach was 60 degrees and the angle of departure was 50 degrees. A hydraulic 7,500 lb winch was mounted behind the front bumper and disk brakes were fitted to Chevrolet truck axles. It was tested by the Army at Ft. Know, but like the Sidewinder, it was not approved for production.

[1963c-10]

Found some more info on the Bison and Turbo Titan III also.
1964 Chevy Bison At the 1964 New York World Expo, GM showed the concept Chevrolet Bison. A turbine powered freight hauler, which could carry containerized cargoes at new peaks of efficiency. The truck had 2 turbine engines rated at 300 and 700 hp, located above the cab. The Bison anticipates the day when much of freight may be moved in standardized containers which can be automatically loaded, unloaded, sorted and stored by electronically controlled equipment.

This picture is cool as you can also see a GMC truck w/camper in the background

[1963c-10]

1966 Chevrolet Turbo Titan III The early '60s produced a period of unique and optimistic automotive engineering. Rival powerplants were engaged in another horsepower race, gasoline remained cheap, and automakers were relatively free from governmental regulation. In 1966, Chevrolet announced its Turbo-Titan III, an operational prototype combining advanced truck styling with novel features, including major design improvements within its fifth generation gas turbine engine. Installed on an existing production truck chassis, and including a specially produced 40-foot stainless trailer, the entire platform had a 50-foot overall length and an operating gross combination weight of 76,800 pounds.

The GT-309 turbine engine was based on more than 15 years of continued development. Its operating heritage included units used in the experimental Firebirds, the Turbo-Cruiser bus, two Chevrolet Turbo-Titan production truck platforms, and 15 operational Allison Prototypes. The GT-309 produced 280 hp with an upper shaft speed of 4,000 rpm, reduction geared downward from 35,000 rpm. Because turbine engines deliver their highest torque levels at stall, the 309 developed a maximum torque rating of 875 lb-ft at idle. The 309 used the uniform basic internal components as its cousins, including a compressor, a gasifier, a power turbine, and a regenerator. The gasifier was mounted on the same shaft as the compressor. The power turbine gear was connected to the output shaft. A conventional Allison automatic transmission was coupled to the 309 with a special aluminum adapter.

The Turbo-Titan III used a pearlescent white fiberglass and steel cab combo with its styling theme extended to the chassis, which was completely concealed by molded fiberglass panels. Doors mounted just ahead of the rear wheels on both sides of the skirt provided access to dual batteries and the turbine engine when the cab was electrically tilted. Power-operated wing-type side windows with top hinges provided operator entry when the key was inserted in the door. Retractable square headlamps were mounted within functional air intakes in two banks of three lamps each. The front turn signals were retractable, with the rears operating in sequence, flashing inward. A flat exhaust stack exited through the roof. Inside, "Astronaut Seats" with full headrests were mounted on each side of a center console. A wing-topped handle controlling the six-speed automatic transmission was mounted on the console. A four-speaker FM stereo radio and a two-way telephone were used for the first time. The most novel feature, though, was the GM designed and engineered "dial steering system." This unit was mounted on a pedestal in front of the driver, replacing the conventional steering column and wheel. Twin dials mounted on a padded vinyl panel operated the platforms power steering. An auxiliary pump driven from the propeller shaft provided emergency usage if the main pump failed for any reason when the platform was in motion. The automatic transmission quadrant was also mounted on this panel along with the turn signals. The pedestal pivoted forward and back along with the panel for the most comfortable driving position.

[Captainfab]

Very neat website.....thanks for sharing

[1963c-10]

Couple more of a late 50-'s concept truck. Has a lot of different style lines picked up from late 50's cars. And I see where a lot of the corvair rampside design came from. Kind of half nomad/half early 60's van?

[1963c-10]

Another GM concept truck 1957 Albee Rolligon Transporter

[sodly]

Reviving an old thread here. Has anyone ever seen styling proposals for the 1960-66 GM trucks? I've never seen a prototype or a mock up. I've only ever seen one photo of a concept GMC side script that was not adopted. Surely there must've been many design renderings of these trucks before they went into production. How come these have never seen the light of day? Does anyone know?

Would also love to see any more factory photos of 60-66s!

[1963c-10]

Another interesting one to add. 1961 Corphibian. This was a 1 of 1 build for chevy.

Speaking of rare and collectable... The Corphibian, built by Chevrolet Engineering and Hulten-Holm & Co. on a Loadside body, is possibly the rarest Corvair 95 model. It is a working prototype amphibious vehicle, capable of terrestrial and aquatic transport. The body was converted into a waterproof hull with propellers and rudders on each side. Never put into production, only one is known to exist. The Corphiban was featured in the December 1981 Corsa Communique and in the 2000 vol 24(4) CorvanAntics. A proto advertisement from Hulten-Holm was printed in the 1999 vol 27(1) CorvanAntics.

[1963c-10]

Originally Posted by sodly

Reviving an old thread here. Has anyone ever seen styling proposals for the 1960-66 GM trucks? I've never seen a prototype or a mock up. I've only ever seen one photo of a concept GMC side script that was not adopted. Surely there must've been many design renderings of these trucks before they went into production. How come these have never seen the light of day? Does anyone know?

Would also love to see any more factory photos of 60-66s!

I'm working on this project right now.

[nsb29]

Its a shame more concept trucks and cars never hit the production lines we would have a lot of cool stuff to play with

[bgbchevy]

Here are a couple of more related to concept trucks. This falls outside the realm of 60-66, however, I think it is relevant to the discussion.

This is a truck I have stumbled across over the years. It is a Camaro influenced '67 SS pickup.




Another that hasn't been posted yet is the Turbo Titan I


Found at this blog which also has a couple of noteworthy additions.

http://gmtblog.blogspot.com/2005/06/heritage-finds.html

[1963c-10]

Great new additions....thanks for sharing them!!

[63burban]

Originally Posted by 1963c-10

Here is a new one that I haven't seen before. Its a 1966 Chevy Turbo Titan III. Was a concept truck that never became production. I dont know any other info, but if anybody does, please share. Also be interested to see the I & II models. Does look pretty cool with the red line tires and the hide away headlights. The info I have is as follows:
1966 Chevrolet Turbo Titan III Transport Truck. Designed as a prototype in developing a gas turbine engine concept for the trucking industry.

In the mid 1980s I saw a truck similar to this on hwy 41 north of Milwaukee pulling a load of new John Deere garden tractors. But it said GM in big letters on the front of it.