General Motors and Isuzu go a very long way back. Their collaboration got even stronger in 1972 when the American automaker bought 34 percent of the Japanese company from Shinagawa. This is how the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit gained access to the Faster pickup truck, which was rebadged LUV in the United States of America under the Chevrolet brand.
Short for Light Utility Vehicle, the camper-shelled truck featured on Bring a Trailer is a 1978 model specified with the Mighty Mike trim package. Hood, side, and tailgate stripes set it apart from its peers. The horseshoe in the grille isn’t stock but adds character to the badge-engineered pickup.
Currently sitting at $5,000 with six days of bidding left, the LUV is outfitted with towing mirrors, yellow fog lights, and 14-inch steelies complemented by Chevrolet wheel covers and 195/75 Mastercraft rubber shoes. A matching spare tire is present under the bed. Finished in red over a multi-tone interior, the single-cab workhorse boasts a saddle blanket on the bench seat, striped floor mats, rubberized floor covering, and an old radio tuner.
A flashlight on the right side of the center console is included in the sale, along with a clean title in the seller’s name. Located in Beulah, Michigan, the LUV is a two-owner pickup that shows approximately 50,000 miles (80,467 kilometers) on the clock. Some rust and a few blemishes are noted, but you will be surprised by the condition of the bed after all these years.
Chassis number CLN1488268051 is equipped with a G180Z four-cylinder engine, a 1.8-liter fed by a two-barrel carburetor. The MX1 three-speed automatic transmission drives a 4.10 rear axle, and the crankshaft figures are nothing to write home about, 80 horsepower and 95 pound-feet (129 Nm) of torque, to be more precise. In preparation for the sale, the seller has reportedly changed the oil within the past 200 miles (322 kilometers).
As a brief refresher, General Motors pulled the plug on the U.S.-spec Light Utility Vehicle in 1981 with the release of the S-10 compact pickup truck.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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