The Isuzu-Built Chevy Pickup That Dodged The Chicken Tax With A Bolt-On Bed
There are two important notes to start with. First, many compact trucks built in the 1970s are more Japanese than you might think. Second, tariffs have wreaked havoc on the automotive industry for years. Some automakers, like Chevrolet, found a loophole to avoid high import costs by requiring some assembly in America. However, General Motors was a bit indifferent towards the rare truck and didn’t even include it in marketing brochures with its other pickups.
Chevrolet Needed To Fight Compact Japanese Trucks
Back in the 1970s, Chevrolet decided that if it couldn’t build something to beat them, then it should join them, as it needed a compact truck to fight imported rivals. For example, the 1972–1982 Ford Courier is a rebadged Mazda B-series, and the Dodge D-50 is a rebadged Mitsubishi Mighty Max or L200.
These trucks share the same bodies and mechanical components as their Japanese twins, but they are set apart by unique styling touches such as distinctive grille designs and trim differences. However, there was an expensive problem related to importing trucks known as the 25% chicken tariff. This added a price hike that made importing compact trucks too expensive.
But Chevy took advantage of the famous import trick. This involved importing trucks to the United States as ‘stake bodies’, meaning the rear bed was not attached. By importing the cab as a separate piece, it only faced a 4% tariff, leading to massive savings. Once the cabs and beds were delivered, workers bolted on the domestic-made beds to ship complete trucks to local dealerships.
The Chevrolet LUV Is Really An Isuzu Faster
Before Chevy had the means to build a compact truck domestically, it imported one. General Motors purchased a stake in Isuzu in 1971 to quickly enter the rapidly growing mini-truck market. The Chevrolet LUV (Light Utility Vehicle) arrived in 1972, but it was really a rebadged Isuzu Faster.
The truck was designed and built by Isuzu, featuring a durable body-on-frame platform and compact wheelbase. It features a 1.8-liter Isuzu SOHC inline-four engine with between 75 and 80 horsepower and 88 to 95 lb-ft of torque. It could be paired with a four-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission. The tiny but mighty Chevy LUV can carry up to 1,480 lbs when equipped with the short bed. With the long-bed configuration, it can carry a payload of up to 1,635 pounds.
As a lightweight utility vehicle, this small truck was not officially rated for towing. But it was still highly competitive against its rivals. For example, the Ford Courier has a 1.8-liter overhead-cam inline-four Mazda engine with 74 hp and 92 lb-ft of torque. It can carry a payload of up to 1,400 pounds.
Then the Dodge D-50 has a standard 2.0-liter 4G52 Mitsubishi inline-four engine with 93 hp and 123 lb-ft of torque. But buyers could also upgrade to the available 2.6-liter (4G54) engine for 105 hp and 139 lb-ft of torque. It can carry a payload of between 1,400 and 1,500 lbs. None of these Japanese mini-trucks offered much speed or power, but they were designed to be more affordable and fuel-efficient.
The Rare Chevrolet LUV 4×4 Stepside Took Off Without Much Help
In 1979, the Chevrolet LUV 4×4 Stepside variant debuted. It gained 4×4 capability with an independent front torsion bar suspension, which could be added for $971. The base price for the 1979 base model with RWD started at about $4,276, so going for the Stepside increased the price to roughly $5,247. The original starting price for the 1979 Chevy K-Series was between $5,500 and $7,000.
The Chevy LUV reached peak popularity in 1979, with 100,192 sales. It only managed to move about 20,000 models when it was first introduced in 1972. Meanwhile, Chevrolet truck sales totaled 1,317,446, including the C-Series, K-Series, Blazer, Suburban, and other variants. The Chevy LUV might have sold more models if it had been included in General Motors’ brochures.
The 4×4 Stepside configuration was seen as too rare to include alongside other pickups in the catalog. But the tiny Japanese truck with a bow-tie emblem in standard configuration did get its own dealer brochures and mini catalogs to capture the attention of frugal commuters instead of traditional heavy-duty truck customers.
Over its 10-year run from 1972 until 1982, the Chevy LUV sold over half a million models. It was replaced by the domestic Chevy S-10, making the imported truck unnecessary as buyers sought more power and modern features such as extended cabs. Isuzu continued selling the second-generation model in America as the P’up and then the third-generation Pickup until 1994.
Finding A Chevrolet LUV 4×4 Stepside Is Difficult But Not Impossible
The forgotten Chevrolet LUV 4×4 Stepside is pretty elusive, with no official documentation about how many models still survive today. Recently, a Stepside model was found in a wrecking yard in Denver, Colorado. The discovery was so rare and exciting that it made the news as a junkyard treasure on its way to the crusher.
Chevy LUV models found in project condition that aren’t running are valued at about $1,000 to $2,500. Models in fair, running condition often fetch roughly $4,000 to $9,000. Then models in good, clean, and original condition cross the auction block for between $9,000 and $15,000. Survivors in excellent, pristine condition sell for about $18,000 to over $26,000.
Of course, later Chevrolet LUV models from 1979 to 1982 with the rare 4×4 Stepside configuration are worth more. Higher-end trim packages such as the Mikado can push values even higher. The LUV is prone to rusting, so clean examples with a rust-free frame are more valuable. Notably, it holds more value than 1970s Ford Courier vintage trucks, which are worth about $3,500 to over $13,000 depending on quality and condition.
Source: Chevrolet, Hagerty, Bring A Trailer
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