Remember the Chevrolet LUV? It was a light pickup truck that GM offered in North America from 1972 until 1981 when the Chevrolet S-10 debuted. More importantly, the LUV, an acronym for "light utility vehicle" was a badge-engineered version of the Isuzu Faster. Whether you recall this crude little truck or not, some people are still driving them in the U.S. And at least one enthusiast is racing a LUV.
An unlikely dragster, this hauler ditched its utilitarian mission to become a full-blown race car. The bumpers came off, the front fenders now have exhaust-pipe holes, while the hood stands tall to make room for a beefed-up V8 engine. Unfortunately, there's no info as to what motivates this truck, but it also feeds on nitrous shots on top of gasoline.
Racing gear is the only thing this Chevy LUV is hauling in its bed now while charging from start to finish in a straight line. It's putting all that oomph down on the track via full-fledged drag racing wheels, with skinnies in the front and fat rubber in the rear. Not exactly your average light pickup truck, right?
So how quick is this thing? Well, there's no clock to give us precise numbers, but I'm pretty sure the drag strip board would just go "daaaamn!" when this LUV hits the trap. Jokes aside, my stopwatch says that this truck covers the 1/8 mile in less than seven seconds. There are three runs in the video below and each of them is in the high sixes. The LUV runs solo in two of them and against another Chevrolet truck in the only proper duel.
But this hauler isn't just about massive power and quick sprints. It also takes off the line like a slingshot dragster. The driver is obviously skilled too, as he launches perfectly at the green light. And make sure you check out that big wheelie during the second sprint, at the 2:25-minute mark.
I know people are racing all sorts of vehicles nowadays, but I must admit I wasn't ready to see a Chevy LUV hit the dragstrip. At least not one that packs so much oomph and anger. Well, that's one cool way to put an old truck to good use.
Oh, and just for kicks, did you know that the Chevy LUV did not disappear completely after GM replaced it with the S-10 in the United States? The truck remained in production in South America, even after the Isuzu Faster/Rodeo was dropped. After that, the LUV became a twin of the Isuzu D-Max, developed in cooperation with GM. Anyway, here's the old LUV ripping it at the drag strip.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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