[1]Back before the Great Recession hit, it seemed like each of the Big Three was in competition with each other to produce the biggest, baddest trucks and SUV’s that could be built. There was, of course, the Ford F-150 Lightning, the Dodge Ram Hemi R/T, and even the Chevy SSR. There was one idea that never made it past the concept phase from GM though; the Chevy Silverado 427 Concept.
There is yet hope though, Chevy faithful. Jalopnik [2]reports that Fastlane Inc. [3] is giving second life to the concept with its 427SS package for the Chevy Silverado. The real draw is that they drop a 505 horsepower LS7 engine between the fenderwells.
[4]GM actually has a substantial history when it comes to fast, fun trucks. One of the most pertinent examples would be the 1990-93 Chevy 454 SS. As you might imagine it had a 454ci engine under the hood, though it only made 230 horsepower and 385 ft-lbs of torque. Then there were the Typhoon and Syclone trucks with a 285 horse turbocharged 4.3l V6 and all-wheel-drive, and the more recent Chevy SSR. None of these were like the Silverado 427 though, which debuted at SEMA in 2007.
The 427 concept had the same 7.0 liter LS7 engine found in the Corvette Z06, making 505 horsepower. Of course GM never built it as they began tail-spinning into a government bailout, but Fastlane has taken up where the General left off. For $33,900, Fastlane offers the complete upgrade which includes the engine swap (along with some upgrades to the basic LS7), an appearance package featuring a Ram Air hood and 22-inch chrome rims, side skirts, custom side exhaust, and more. They also plan on offering a swap utilizing the factory-supercharged LS9 for the Silverado, and a supercharger can be added to the naturally-aspirated LS7 as well.