You might think that, if someone needed a truck in New Zealand, they’d have tons of options — Nissans, Toyotas, and probably even some new Chinese offerings. Why, then, did a man named Chris Cains decide that, for his epic Aotearoa adventure, he should import a Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 and convert it to right-hand drive to the tune of $151,500? I chatted with Cains to find out.
After wrapping up a 25-year career in the hotel industry, Cains and his wife, Lynette, are in the midst of fulfilling a dream: traveling long-term around their home country of New Zealand. With an off-road-ready Titanium Caravan Hardcore camper spec’d to their needs, they had to find a truck that could tow the 21-foot beast.
With a landscape so stunning and also treacherous it seems almost like fiction (i.e., Middle Earth), you’d think full-size pickups would be an easy sell. But that’s not the case. Driven Car Guide reports that New Zealand’s best-selling vehicle for 10 years running is the Ford Ranger, with the Toyota HiLux and Mitsubishi Triton also in the top 10 — so trucks do get plenty of love — but, as has been the case since car-based “utes” abounded, the “trucks” out there aren’t that big (in part because of high fuel prices).
Though “big” is what Cains wanted.
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Big trucks are a mere blip in Australasia. And Chevy? Blink and you’ll miss it. With just two vehicles (Corvette and Silverado), the brand sold just 262 in New Zealand. Of those, data from the Motor Industry Association shows 230 fell under the light commercial vehicle category, which includes trucks. Suffice it to say that Cains’ truck is rare, and he chose it with very specific goals in mind. From Cains:
There were really only two choices in New Zealand for a suitable tow vehicle when it came to towing a 3.5-tonne Aussie-built off-road [Titanium] Caravan and all the gear we would need to make the trip enjoyable. Both are American: the Chevrolet Silverado and the Dodge Ram. The choice was relatively easy.
The Chevy Silverado ZR2 variant ticked a lot of the boxes with standard extended travel in the suspension, plus its twin front and rear diff lockers with tow mode. With all the safety features and creature comforts for long drives and a combined gross mass of 6800 kgs, the ZR2 was the clear winner.
Chris Cains
Still, his perfect pickup came with a hefty price: $139,000 NZD. At last year’s exchange rate, that’s about $84,000 USD. Add-ons further pushed that amount higher. According to GM Authority, the Silverado 1500 ZR2 debuted in 2022 with a starting price of $70,195 USD. This off-road performance variant was introduced to the Australasia market a year later, according to the GM enthusiast site.
Cains ordered his 2023 Silverado ZR2 through General Motors Special Vehicles (GMSV), the successor to Holden Special Vehicles. The truck’s 6.2-liter V8 produces 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. The GMSV spec Silverado ZR2 also includes the Technology Package. Shipped from the GM’s Silao, Mexico, plant, Cains’ six-figure price tag for this 2023 model did include the right-hand-drive conversion. GMSV has a New Zealand location, but Cains’ truck conversion actually took place in Australia.
GMSV parent company Walkinshaw Group saw a need for more output and opened a dedicated factory for RHD conversions in August 2022. Aussie Destinations Unknown was offered a behind-the-scenes tour that year. Oliver Lukeis, commercial director for Walkinshaw Group, shares some background on the facility at the 6:22 mark in the video above. At the time, the location employed about 150 people — including warehouse staff, engineers, and manufacturing personnel — who remanufactured and reengineered 16 trucks a day.
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Lukeis said the factory was operating two shifts and hoped to increase daily production to 18 units. Undoubtedly, a large number of RHD conversions are done through Walkinshaw Group, which is an Australasian partner of several automakers. I reached out to GMSV regarding the factory’s current workload and market share, and will provide those figures should I receive a response.
These vehicles have to essentially be partially rebuilt. At 7:33, Lukeis explains that everything from the steering rack and wiring harness to the IP and dash has to be changed.
Cains’ ZR2 had to undergo the same processes. Upon its arrival at the GMSV factory, the truck was disassembled and rotated through multiple stations. Each one handles a specific task, whether decontenting, welding, or reassembling. It’s a process that takes weeks. You can follow the full breakdown process at the 10:04 mark, and the below timelapse video from GMSV.
There are other custom shops that offer conversions, but doing so through certified companies means customers also maintain the vehicle’s factory warranty. Considering that the conversion process requires changing hundreds of parts and components, you’d want that reliability and peace of mind. Autogroup International (AGI) is another long-standing RHD conversion company, and CEO Rob Hill can’t stress enough how involved a vehicle conversion is. Via AGI’s YouTube channel, he said:
“There are about roughly 500 components that we change in each vehicle…What we do is extraordinarily complex. I mean, we are a full-fledged automotive manufacturer. We are playing with major systems in a vehicle — steering, braking, all of the technology, obviously, the physical elements of the dashboard, the list goes on. So you know, converting a vehicle from left-hand drive to right-hand drive is not something that you do in a shed.”
As for a timetable, Hill said when working with an all-new model, the conversion can take months as the team learns the vehicle and makes adjustments. Once everything is up to speed, it’s a matter of weeks. According to the AGI FAQ page, the entire order-to-export process takes roughly 3 to 4.5 months.
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Cains doesn’t recall how long the conversion process for his truck actually took, but there was more work to be done once he got it back from GMSV. Beyond the factory-optioned side steps and folding tonneau cover, which cost another $5,000, Cains sought out the aftermarket to make his rig more robust for off-road living. He said:
“An airbag suspension to the rear and a remote-controlled compressor were added in order to level the ride when towing the caravan. The air compressor hose outlet enables inflation of tyres on both the truck and the caravan when returning to the tarmac after being off-road.
Also, a 120-litre fresh water tank was installed to increase water capacity for off-grid purposes, plus a water pump to transfer and filter the drinking water from the truck to the caravan, as well as offer the ability to pump water from alpine rivers and lakes.”
Photo credit: Chris Cains
These aftermarket parts added another $7,500 to the bottom line, but the truck had to be as ready as his camper, which itself is no joke. Titanium Caravans builds rugged, all-weather, all-road motorhomes meant to go as far off the grid as you can travel. And based on Cains’ photos, he and Lynette have been everywhere that isn’t a sprawling city. Despite recent safety concerns in Australia regarding the size of big pickups, Cains has no doubts about his Chevy. He wrote:
We don’t see many ZR2s in New Zealand. The truck does get a lot of attention…but it’s also perfectly suited to the size of the caravan. We feel safe in it and always drive based on the weather and road conditions.
Given what he knows now with wait times and cost, Cains said he’d absolutely make the same choice again.
“The truck was specifically purchased to tow our Titanium caravan to remote camping areas, and the capability and performance of the ZR2 has not let us down.
The ZR2 is perfect for our needs, well worth the cost and effort. Definitely no regrets.”
Thanks to Cains, who says he bought his truck for “[their] absolute ability to tow a 3.5t caravan off road with safety & comfort top of the list. Plus, they are so unique in NZ. It’s a perfect match really,” the world now has photos of an American full-size pickup driving around some of the world’s most iconic landscapes, halfway around the world. Enjoy:
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Photo credit: Chris Cains
Top graphic image: Chris Cains