Replace: The unique model of this claimed that Native Motors solely produced 50 Rally Fighters, whereas that quantity is definitely nearer to 100. We have additionally added particulars clarifying the place of the exhaust manifold for the X Skorpio and Rally Fighter.
I’ll allow you to in on somewhat secret: Many of the idea automobiles you see on auto present flooring don’t really run or drive. They’re sometimes simply exterior shells with no powertrain, no suspension, and largely, no likelihood of reaching manufacturing.
There are outliers, in fact; some automakers go as far as to suit their ideas with tiny engines or batteries in order that they’ll at the least transfer below their very own energy. However constructing an idea from the bottom up with a totally practical powertrain and a working suspension takes money and time.
Genesis is aware of this all too effectively. The corporate has been on a streak recently, debuting practically a dozen idea automobiles within the final 12 months alone. Most of them had been design shells, however at the least two of these ideas had precise working powertrains.
The Magma GT envisioned a mid-engined sports activities automobile, whereas the X Skorpio imagined a sporty off-roader. Genesis hinted at a robust combustion engine for the Magma GT and a V8 for the X Skorpio. Throughout their launches, each automobiles had been filmed transferring below their very own energy.
However right here’s the factor: these two idea automobiles might not be precisely what they appear.
Photograph by: Genesis
A supply near the matter tells us that Genesis might have merely added its personal designs to already current chassis. The Magma GT is allegedly a C8 Corvette in Genesis clothes, whereas the X Skorpio is both a rebodied trophy truck or a reworked Native Motors Rally Fighter.
We had been admittedly skeptical at first—why would a big auto model like Genesis merely rebody a C8 and attempt to go it off as its personal factor? However as soon as we began digging, there was loads of proof to again up these claims.
The Magma GT is allegedly a C8 Corvette in Genesis clothes, whereas the X Skorpio is both a rebodied trophy truck or a reworked Native Motors Rally Fighter.
Apart from the fundamental mid-engine form, the Magma GT doesn’t instantly scream C8 Corvette. However look nearer. The primary main giveaway is the tires; on each manufacturing Corvette, you’ll see the phrase “TPC Spec.” What does that imply?
TPC stands for Tire Efficiency Standards. These tires had been developed by Basic Motors, along with Michelin, to satisfy the C8 Corvette’s particular efficiency wants. You’ll see them on each C8, from the bottom mannequin to the most recent ZR1 and ZR1X.
Look carefully, and also you’ll discover these exact same TPC tires on the Genesis Magma GT, too. Granted, Genesis may have plucked them off the shelf and put them by itself idea—anybody can—however it might be an odd coincidence. The scale of the Michelin Pilot Tremendous Sport Cup 2R tires additionally matches up with the Z06 and Z06 with the Z07 bundle: 275/30ZR20 up entrance and 345/25ZR21 within the rear.
However what’s most indicative is that the 2 automobiles seem to share many key structural elements that may be virtually not possible to duplicate from one car to the subsequent.
The 2 entrance radiators have related mounting factors, whereas each automobiles use related finish form tanks. The rear brakes have an analogous mounting location as effectively:
Even the rear subframe is nearly equivalent, with widespread mounting options seemingly shared between the 2 automobiles:
After all, the one factor we will’t see effectively is the inside. Genesis provided temporary glimpses of the cabin in the course of the automobile’s launch, however the one factor instantly seen was a pair of off-the-shelf Recaro bucket seats—not unusual.
However after we zoomed in and brightened an official Magma GT photograph, we had been capable of simply barely make out what gave the impression to be one of many C8’s signature inside cues: the central tunnel.
Whereas the element is much much less apparent within the Magma than it’s within the C8 (and, frankly, actually laborious to see), there are some similarities:
After which there’s the large elephant within the room: Genesis doesn’t make a high-performance engine, despite the fact that the corporate claims that the manufacturing model would have a twin-turbo V8. Genesis didn’t present any specifics for the Magma’s powertrain, like displacement or output, and even trace that this is likely to be an all-new engine from the corporate that debuts quickly.
Pay attention carefully to this clip and inform us the place you assume the engine got here from (we have now our personal concepts):
Can these all be comfortable coincidences? Possibly. Unlikely, however perhaps.
One other fascinating tidbit our supply tells us is that Genesis had one other car in thoughts initially as the bottom of the Magma GT: the Ferrari 296 GTB. However the Ferrari was just too dear, so the corporate went with the extra inexpensive C8 as an alternative.
In distinction to the Magma GT, the X Skorpio hides its alleged donor automobile much less efficiently. Our similar supply tells us that the corporate used an off-the-shelf trophy truck as its base, which appears solely believable. However our investigation might have revealed one thing much more fascinating: this might really be a Native Motors Rally Fighter.
The Rally Fighter, in case you didn’t know, was an off-road car produced by the now-defunct firm Native Motors between 2010 and 2016. Solely about 100 ever made it to manufacturing, which begs the query: How the hell would Genesis have (allegedly) gotten its palms on considered one of this stuff?
Genesis X Skorpio Idea
Photograph by: Genesis
We reached out to a former Native Motors worker, who wished to stay nameless, to see if any of this might really be true. Whereas our contact was initially skeptical that Genesis would buy an especially area of interest off-roader and slap its personal design on prime of it—as had been we—most of the similarities are too laborious to disregard.
On the floor, the X Skorpio’s design actually appears to be like like a Rally Fighter with a Genesis facelift; it does little or no to disguise the unique’s high-riding nature and modern bodywork, apart from Genesis’s two-line design language scattered all through the outside.
The inside is fairly telling, too. The Skorpio has an analogous tubular body to the Rally Fighter’s, with the central transmission tunnel space bearing an analogous upward sloping form. It seems that Genesis designers didn’t even hassle eradicating the aftermarket Momo steering wheel that Native Motors additionally used; it’s simply slathered in Alcantara and fitted with somewhat display screen.
However very like the Magma, the main points on the engineering aspect are doubtlessly probably the most telling.
Our supply overlaid CAD knowledge from the unique Rally Fighter onto the X Skorpio, displaying that the 2 automobiles have a virtually equivalent 115.0-inch wheelbase. That’s not unusual for all these off-road racing autos, given the character of their fundamental designs, however it’s fascinating. On prime of that, the 2 automobiles have very related rear management arms and related exhaust manifold areas.
Genesis additionally claims that the Skorpio makes use of a V8 making 1,100 horsepower (once more, Genesis doesn’t make a V8). The Rally Fighter used a 6.2-liter LS3 V8 from GM, though it wasn’t that highly effective out of the field.
To Genesis’s credit score, the Rally Fighter was all the time an open-source design, that means its CAD knowledge was out there to the general public from the start. And you’ll nonetheless discover it if you understand the place to look. That stated, the variety of odd commonalities between the 2 automobiles makes it seem extra doubtless that Genesis went out and purchased an current Rally Fighter quite than constructing their very own model from scratch.
Our Native Motors supply does make it clear: “It’s not a smoking gun, however that is quite a lot of hints pointing in the identical course.”
Genesis X Skorpio Idea
Photograph by: Genesis
We reached out to Chevrolet to see if the corporate knew something in regards to the growth of the Magma GT, and a spokesperson confirmed to Motor1: “It’s not something we labored on…”
When requested whether or not the Magma GT was based mostly on one other car’s platform, a Genesis spokesperson within the US instructed us: “We would not have particulars to share concerning platform and powertrain at the moment.”
We additionally reached out to Genesis PR within the Center East in regards to the X Skorpio particularly, however we’re nonetheless ready to listen to again.
It must be stated that, if these particulars are true, nothing Genesis did right here is unlawful; the corporate didn’t steal any engineering secrets and techniques for itself. One other fascinating, although much less possible, piece of the puzzle is that perhaps—simply perhaps—a current strategic partnership between the 2 firms gave Genesis entry to GM’s arsenal of engines and platforms (though Chevy’s assertion would lead us to imagine that that’s not the case).
It may all simply be a humorous coincidence, or perhaps a cost-conscious manner for Genesis to churn out ideas rapidly. Possibly it displays partnerships which have but to be introduced. Who is aware of. Regardless of the case, these two idea automobiles finally go away us with extra questions than solutions.
Anthony Alaniz and Chris Rosales additionally contributed to this report
