1975 Chevrolet LUV

At the vanguard of the compact pickup craze, the Chevy LUV was a captive import, built in Japan by Isuzu and sold at Chevy dealers to compete with offerings from Toyota and Datsun (Nissan). LUV stood for “Light Utility Vehicle” as if they were fooling anyone–this was a compact pickup subject to the infamous “chicken tax.”  Importation ended with the introduction of the domestic S-10.

It’s also an incredible reminder of what basic cars and trucks were like back in the 1970s. No air conditioning, manual windows, and look at those simple exterior latches for the tailgate. This was utility at its most basic. Yet, economical and reliable transportation was what consumers wanted in the days of OPEC’s dominance over US fuel prices. Frankly, this would likely suit the needs of 95% of the folks going to Home Depot today in their 2.5 ton pickups with beds so high they require built in ladders. Just saying, there is a certain charm to this.

This is another submission that gets an automatic leg up just by virtue of its survival. These baby pickups are certainly high up on the automotive “threatened, endangered and extinct” list. Even in dry climates, most of these have been unceremoniously crushed. Is this one minty and in the wrapper? Absolutely not. It has scrapes, and dings, commensurate with actual use, the shift boot is loose from the console and there’s minor surface rust on the underside of the bumper, but this is a 31,000 mile, original owner truck that certainly exhibits signs that it was carefully and LUVingly (sorry) used.  Is there a better one out there? Unless Isuzu has kept one in a museum collection, we strongly doubt it.