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Making its world premiere alongside the regular variants of the all-new Chevrolet Sonic sub-compact at the Detroit Show today is a Z-Spec-badged concept study of the five-door hatchback model.

In a similar fashion to the Z-Spec 2011 Cruze , Volt and Spark minicar displayed at the SEMA Show last November, the Sonic Z-Spec demonstrates a possible lineup of factory-engineered accessories. The parts seen on the concept could be purchased individually, to suit customer tastes and budgets, but could also spawn a limited-edition version from Chevrolet in the near future.

The Detroit Show study is finished in a black paint job with contrasting orange details such as the BBS alloy wheels, the front grille surround, the upper part of the mirrors and the roof wing, plus the racing stripes. The car is also fitted with a body kit that comprises of a front and rear apron, and side skirts, while the larger chrome exhaust tail pipe completes the look.

Inside, the Sonic Z-Spec features a two-tone color theme with beige leather sports seats, steering wheel accents and gearbox, complemented by a piano black trim on the center console and doors.

Chevrolet has not yet issued a release on the performance upgrades, but judging from the aftermarket partners featured on the labels just above the rocker panels, the Z-Spec model should feature Brembo-sourced brakes, a Borla sport exhaust system, a K&N filter and a sport suspension from Pedders.

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Here at CoolPictures, we love us some Corvette design studies. Heck, if we wanted to we could probably serve up a new one every day of the week.

Today’s CAD mock up comes from transportation design student James Robbins. Think of it as a C6.5, a stopgap measure between the current gen Corvette and a future C7 model. The design brief required Mr. Robbins to use the basic proportions of the C6, which limited what could be done with the design.

Now here’s my two cents:

I find the shape of the bootlid and the V-shaped side intakes to be quite pleasing to the eye, but the ugly Dodge Viper / Ferrari 458 Italia taillights don’t fit the car at all. Also, the front end styling is a bit too conservative and I feel that more could have been done with the glasshouse. The overall design is good but it’s hard to say if that’s due to Mr. Robbins’ tweaking or the C6’s nice proportions.

I can’t help but feel that with a little more work around the head- and taillights, this could have been a real stunner. As it stands, it’s a good effort though just not quite there. But don’t take my word for it. Voice your own opinion in our comments section.

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