Behold, the true basis for every sport-utility vehicle that is on the road today. Look, nit-pick all you want about Jeeps and Jeep variants like the Willys Jeep station wagon, or even the International Scouts from the 1960s, but 1969 is where the idea of a covered pickup truck-based vehicle with a real, useable back seat came into play: the Chevrolet Blazer K5. The Ford Bronco was a Jeep competitor, Mopar wouldn’t have anything to offer until the 1974 Dodge Ramcharger, the Scout would swell up in  1971 and try to compete, and there was always the Blazer’s twin, the GMC Jimmy. Short pickup, capped off in the back to make a kind of wagon shape, offering up more utility and machismo than any wood-paneled station wagon could, these were the start of a trend that back then, nobody could have predicted would have eliminated the station wagon, outlived the mini-van, and would all but kill the typical car altogether. Amazing to think about, isn’t it?

I learned to off-road in a 1980 Blazer, lifted on 35 inch tires, wearing a soft top, running a 400ci small block. It was a badass truck. It might have crushed a Mustang II and a Buick LeSabre in the front yard during a particularly rowdy party and certainly was sank to the rockers in mud somewhere in Kitsap County, Washington. one disgustingly cold fall night. I look at these rigs as everything right with an SUV…the utility, the strength, the sound, the feel. This is a more useful pickup, not a gussied-up econobox that went to the local Cabela’s for hiking boots and a floppy hat. GM might have a penchant for screwing up some vehicles, but the K5 was a genuine hit, one that they didn’t mess with.