1979 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Lolita Has a Bed Too Small for All the Awards It Snatched

It was the smallest full-size SUV GM sold at the time, and built using the same underpinnings GM turned to for the pickup trucks of the breed, the most famous of which is, of course, the C10.

The Blazer was rapidly adopted by the custom industry, which started turning examples of it into machines so incredible you'll have a hard time wrapping your head around. Including by blending elements of the C10 into it, and at times even going as extreme as designing a unibody structure for it.

Building vehicles using a frame and chassis as a single unit is a widespread method used in today's automotive industry, but was not that widespread back in 1970s. That's why seeing a blend between a Blazer and a C10 in a unibody build is not something that happens very often.

This particular truck was originally made by Chevrolet in 1979, at a time when the nameplate was still young on the market. We have absolutely no idea what the vehicle has been up to since it first rolled off the lines and until the SEMA show of last year, when it broke cover in the incredible form you see it in today.

The pickup truck is known in the custom industry as the Lolita. It was assembled for the 2022 SEMA booth of a company called Mobile Solutions by a team of customizers led by Ricky Holly, and which included Alamo Customs, MTI Automotive Designs, and Dru Custom Builds.

There is no info on how much was spent on making the pickup, but auction house Barrett-Jackson, which now tasked with selling it, says no expense was spared in the process. And boy, does that show…

The two-tone Burgundy and cream bodywork is simply to die for, especially when your eyes come across the orange and silver accents that have been included on the front and rear. All around there are United Pacific LED lights to increase the visual impact of the build.

The body is slapped over an ACME chassis, which in turn rests on a suspension system that's simply to die for. Normally, the truck is supported by front and rear sway bars, tubular control arms, and QA1 shocks. The fitting of Slam Specialties airbags and an Airlift Performance 3HP air management help it rise and lower depending on the needs of the moment.

The interior is an explosion of brown-orange leather that shapes everything from the seats to the center console, dashboard, and steering wheel, installed at the top of an Ididit tilt steering column.

In the center of the dash there is a 6.5-inch Sony Bluetooth touchscreen, used to control an impressive sound system: two 8-inch Gladen Mosconi subwoofers and four speakers of the same make.

It's a set of Dakota Digital instruments that show the driver all the info they need for operating the truck. That includes some key data resulting from the operation of the supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 engine fitted under the hood.

The powerplant is tied to a 10-speed automatic transmission, and sends a total of 600 horsepower to the wheels in the back with the help of a Ford 9-inch rear end. Its breathing needs are handled by a MagnaFlow exhaust system.

Speaking of wheels, we're talking about four Raceline billet pieces of hardware of undisclosed dimensions. All four get their stopping power from Wilwood brakes.

As soon as it was presented to the public, the 1979 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Lolita (that's how it's listed by Barrett-Jackson) became an instant award magnet. And in the span of just a single year it won so many of them that the truck now looks incapable of carrying them all in its bed.

When it was shown at SEMA, Lolita was immediately nominated for the Select SEMA HRIA Design and Innovative/Evolution of Hot Rodding award. It didn't win that, but it did snatch the event's Best Custom Truck Interior.

In 2023 it went to other events, and won no less than seven Best of Show titles at the following gatherings: Lonestar Throwdown, Texas Heatwave, Truck Battle in Bama, Texas Wake 'N Scrape, Scrapin' The Coast, Classic Truck Throwdown, and Texas Hold 'em Show.

The truck is presently listed for sale by Barrett-Jackson. It will go under the hammer in late January 2024, at the Scottsdale auction, with no reserve. That means it will go to the highest bidder, no matter the price offered – judging by the above, it's unlikely though the truck will sell for pennies. Worth mentioning is the Lolita is referred to in official paperwork as the 1979 Chevrolet Specon, and it sells on a bonded title.