There are just some things taken for granted in life; the sky is blue, water is wet, common sense is uncommon, and Jalopnik exploits quirky, out of production transportation like a Chinese twelve year old. When it was discovered that the most attention paid to Chevrolet's easily loveable LUV was Loverman's outrage toward Dan Lienhart calling it an oddly named vehicle, a correction was inevitable.
The Chevy LUV is so impossible not to adore, that a conclusion must be drawn that the marketeers at GM had their A-game going when they picked the moniker. As far as stats go, it was originally brought out to battle the newly released Toyota and Datsun offerings - part of an emerging market of the early 70's. If viewed through todays pickup prism, these are barely light duty trucks - one step above an ElCo (subjective). Amusingly though, the ladder frame and six foot box gave it the ability to haul what most people use their trophy trucks for these days. Nonetheless the LUV filled a righteous mini-truckin' niche, all the way until '82 when it was "replaced" by the S-10.
Our personal experience with the tiny bow tie terror is one of epic redneck proportions...
Some of our more fearless friends had the habit of purchasing the little trucks for no more than $500, then using them like a full sized truck. We're talking a serious beating here. Hauling hogs to market, pulling stumps, ramping the sand hills - you get the idea. This inevitably led to the frames the LUVs buckling behind the cabin, and once that droop produced sparks, it was time to sacrifice the LUV at the alter of hillbilly destruction: bigger trucks and fire. Yes, chains were wrapped around opposing ends of the LUV leading to powerful diesel pickups. A ceremony was held before the sacrifice (continuous consumption of Pabst Blue Ribbon from dirty thirties) and then the LUV was torn asunder. Then burned. This end signified the hunt for the successor. Ah yes, redneck life, it is simple and fullfilling, and yet jingoistic and idiotic.
What are your LUV stories? Keep it clean kids. We know threesomes only happen in the Autotrader.
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