ZR/10: Carbon Fiber C10 Race Truck
For those of us who are lucky enough to live out our dreams working in the performance aftermarket, we get to see something amazing just about every day. But in spite of this perpetual “kid in a candy store” experience, it’s easy to get a little jaded. You might start to believe that it’s all been done. After all, there are only so many ways to build a ’32 Ford, or a ’69 Camaro, or a ’67 Chevy C10. But then, something like Rod Parsons’ ZR/10 shows up and reminds you that hot rod innovation and creativity is infinite.
The ZR/10 is an all-carbon fiber ’67 C10 race truck. It’s not just carbon stuck to a steel structure to look cool. Instead, ZRODS and Customs in Knox, IN and Fiber Forged Composites worked together to create the world’s first all carbon fiber monocoque C10. The effect is a jaw-dropping, traffic-stopping race truck that caused quite a stir and the Wheel Hub Live show at the Museum of American Speed.
We talked to Zach Ingram from ZRODZ to get the scoop on this wild truck. The concept for this one was always to be a serious race truck, not just a show car to get rubbed on. It’s all based on a custom Detroit Speed chassis with huge Brembo brakes and 19-inch Billet Specialties wheels wrapped in 325-wide tires on all four corners. Under the vented hood is a Moran Racing Engines-built 434 LS built on a Dart block with MAST heads and Motec engine management and dry-sump oiling. Zach tells us that they’re clicking the sequential 6-speed at 8,000 rpm!
The craftsmanship throughout this truck is top-notch, but that carbon fiber body is the real star of the show. And these guys didn’t just build a mold from a stock truck. They shaved the driprails and made a cool looking feature around the top of the doors. They flush-fit the glass (or Lexan in this case) and ditched the vent windows. The bed floor was raised to make room for a slammed stance and custom suspension. Same in the front, where the fenders were modified to allow tall wheel tubs and huge tires.
To add to the monumental scale of this project, this is not a one of one custom effort. Instead, these guys are going into production with these carbon fiber masterpieces. You’re looking at the first out of the mold, and there are already a couple more in the works. They’re custom built on top of the chassis of your choice, and as Zach says, “It’s like a body in white, except of course it’s a body in carbon.”
Dry, this marvel weighs 2700 lbs. That’s about half the weight of that SUV that you drove to work today. It’s made even more amazing by the full suite of race and safety equipment on this truck. It all adds up to something that not only looks amazing, but will be haunting our dreams as we imagine clicking that sequential shifter and hearing that big LS sing!