Seventies Chevy Mini Truck Boasts a Rare Kind of LUV
How much do we LUV this truck? Let us count the ways: a rare Mikado with an original 1.8-liter, restored inside and out.
The Seventies were a rough time for everyone who loved cars and trucks. The double-whammy of fuel crises in 1973 and 1979 changed how the industry did its business. Out were the muscle cars and big boats, in were small, fuel-efficient machines. Those who adapted to the new reality rolled into the Eighties ready for a bright future. Those who didn’t, well, just ask Chrysler how well that went.
Chevrolet was among those who did all they could to weather the storm of changing tastes, regulations, and economics in the era of malaise, having struck gold with the Light Utility Vehicle, or LUV, in 1972. The mini truck carried the Bow Tie into the Eighties through two generations until the homegrown S-10 took its place in 1982, including this lovely ’79 Mikado we found at Denver’s Worldwide Vintage Autos the other day.
The Mikado package for the LUV, according to The Truth About Cars, meant the new owner could deck out their mini Chevy pickup with striped seats, a three-spoke wheel for extra sportiness, and that neat ‘Mikado’ badge; the name was once used to refer to the Emperor of Japan for English speakers, though it, like the LUV, has long since been replaced by the English-language title of Emperor.
Underneath the sunset stripes and factory-color repaint is a 1.8-liter inline-four, which the seller believes is original to the LUV, having logged 120,000 miles thus far. The 75 ponies under the hood powered all four corners for the first time in the 1979 model year — as proudly noted on the aforementioned sunset stripes — each of them going through the four-speed manual.
Out back, the bed appears to have received some spray-in bedliner for whatever work this Chevy truck may do in the future; the seller notes it has some chips on the red paint, along with a mirror that will need replacing soon. In short, it’s a collectable that likely won’t reside in a hermetically sealed garage anytime soon.
Inside the mini Chevy, there’s plenty of love to be found within the fully refurbished interior. The door panels match the black-and-red bench, the headliner won’t fall on your head, and the fresh Panasonic CD radio will give you plenty of chances to enjoy some classic hits from the truck’s day, like Motorhead, The Cars, and Neil Young and Crazy Horse.
Wherever this Chevy goes next, we’re sure it’ll give its owner plenty of love on every surface thanks to its “tough and economical” spirit.
Photos: Worldwide Vintage Autos
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