Spotted in SoCal: Vision SZR Prototype

We stumble upon many very interesting vehicles roaming the streets of Southern California. With that in mind, Chris and I decided that we would start a new regular feature called “Spotted in SoCal” to highlight some of them.

Spotted parked on the curb along Pacific Coast Highway, smack in the middle of Malibu, was this hard-to-miss orange coupe. Closer examination reveals it is a Vision SZR — make that the Vision SZR, as the company (Vision Industries, LLC) has made only one prototype since the firm was founded in 1997. According to our research, this prototype originally debuted in 2005 painted Charcoal Gray and fitted with a 6.0-liter V12 (reportedly making about 700 horsepower). The mid-engine chassis went under the knife shortly thereafter, and its twelve-cylinder engine was replaced with a less expensive Chevrolet 502 Ramjet V8 (rated at a slightly lower 500 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque). To differentiate it from its predecessor, the updated vehicle was repainted in its current Metallic Pearl Orange hue in time for its reappearance at the 2007 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Want to learn more? Check out the official Vision SZR website.

– Michael Harley