Quarantine Dreaming: GM Ultium “UltiRod” Restomod Chassis
[April 9, 2020]
If you’re like most of the U.S. and a lot of the world right now, you’re under a strong recommendation – if not a civil order – to “shelter in place” or otherwise limit your interactions with the outside world in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As we’re all discovering, the mind goes to strange places during prolonged confinement. Since my mind goes to strange places in normal times, forgive my thoughts that follow...
I came across this column by Ezra Dyer of Car and Driver. I do not purport to have achieved Mr. Dyer’s level of notoriety or accomplishment in automotive journalism. However, we are of similar age and formative years of automotive enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the new cars of our childhood and teenage years, unlike our parents, were characterized largely by low-powered, smog-choked engines in the interim period just after the decline of muscle cars, the formation and ascent of the EPA and CARB, and the installation of catalytic converters on engines that were never designed for them, and before the modern era of electronic engine management that managed to restore much of the power lost in the malaise era.
Aside from a small handful of vehicles like the Porsche 911, Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari Testarossa, the C4 Corvette, and a handful of other dedicated high-performance machines, most cars of the era could barely get out of their own way going down the road. Of course, nearly every other car was similarly miserable performance-wise, so it was all relative. Despite the 1980s era cars’ dismal performance, many of us still have fond memories of those cars from at least a style standpoint and a rose-colored nostalgia of the era, as the popularity of groups and shows such as RADwood attest to. In his column, Dyer outlines his desire for an electric-powered third-generation F-Body Camaro IROC-Z. The highest-powered IROC of the era cranked out a lukewarm 215 hp, an output I wistfully long for with the pitiful 110 hp of my 1983 Buick Regal Estate wagon’s asthmatic 2-bbl 3.8L V-6.
Yes, this is actually my 1983 Buick Regal wagon.
In his column, Dyer cites the E-10 electric 1962 restomod truck concept showcased at the 2019 SEMA show featuring the powertrain components out of the Chevrolet Bolt EV. While an interesting design exercise for the show, what I’m envisioning is far more ambitious and purpose-built. What I’d like to see is a series of complete restomod chassis based on the GM’s Ultium modular EV platform. One of the key characteristics of the Ultium platform is its adaptability and flexibility, with the battery cells able to be mounted vertically, horizontally, or in whatever configuration fits the need. This flexibility would hypothetically allow for packaging that could be used in a number of configurations.
My 1983 Regal wagon is based on GM’s popular and long-running G-Body chassis, which was produced from 1978-’88. Until recently, late 1970s and early ’80s-era cars were largely overlooked in the hot-rodding community in favor of the mid-late 1960s and early ’70s models more closely associated with the muscle car era. However, as good-condition examples of those models became harder to find, enthusiasts turned their attention to newer, more widely available chassis. The G-Body lately has developed a fairly robust aftermarket following and support in its own right, with aftermarket heavyweights such as Holley supporting the platform enthusiastically with an extensive line of engine swap, chassis, and suspension components.
The Chevrolet E-10 Concept Shown at the 2019 SEMA Show utilized motors and battery packs out of the Chevrolet Bolt EV to create an electric hot rod truck. So maybe my musings of an EV Buick Regal wagon aren’t so far-fetched.
In my electric “UltiRod” fantasy, I would like to see a fully-integrated plug-and-play chassis for the G-body, featuring battery packs, inverter, powertrain electronics and motor built in a T-configuration for the G-Body body shell to bolt directly on to. Ideally, a battery capacity in the 80-120 kWh range, with the pouches stacked under the hood where a combustion engine would normally reside, and running down the driveshaft tunnel on their way to a rear axle-mounted electric motor. While the E-10 utilized a conventional 4-speed torque converter automatic, my concept would dispense with the unnecessary hardware, friction, and inefficiency of a conventional torque-converter automatic and use that space for additional battery capacity.
If GM doesn’t want to get into the business of chassis fabrication, there are a number of aftermarket vendors well versed in the art, such as Schwartz Performance, Roadster Shop, and others. Let them take care of the heavy metal, and simply provide them with the dimensions and CAD files of the made-to-fit battery modules, or ship them directly to the vehicle builders for final installation. While we’re in Fantasyland, I would price the battery and powertrain combo for between $20,000-$30,000.
Although I have a personal interest in the G-Body, I know it’s far from the only popular custom and performance platform in the GM stable. To cover the bases of its most popular classic models, I would suggest configurations for the following platforms:
1955-’57 Chevrolet Bel Air/150/210
1970-’81 Chevrolet Camaro/Pontiac Firebird
1982-’92 Chevrolet Camaro/Pontiac Firebird
1968-’72 A-Body (Chevelle, El Camino, Cutlass, Le Mans, Skylark)
1967-’72 Chevrolet/GMC C/K Trucks
1973-’87 Chevrolet/GMC C/K Trucks
1977-’96 B-Body (Caprice/Impala/Fleetwood/Roadmaster)
And of course…
1978-’87 G-Body/El Camino
If Mary Barra, Mark Reuss, or whoever else at the RenCen or Warren at Global Propulsion Systems is listening, I humbly submit my wish to General Motors’ capable minds and might.
(Main and E-10 images courtesy GM)
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