We have seen a few Chevy LUVs here over the last few years but I have never seen this model. This is a 1977 Chevrolet LUV with both the Mikado and Mighty Mike packages. This one is going to be auctioned off, as you can tell from the info on each photo. The Texas Classic Auction on April 21st is where and when this one will cross the block with no reserve. Thanks to Marcus for sending in this tip!
These small trucks with heavy graphics are my current weak spot. I haven’t heard of the Mighty Mike graphics package on the LUV before. Most of us have heard of and seen the Mikado LUV but the Mighty Mike was an exterior decal package whereas the Mikado was their top of the line interior package. This example has both, it’s one of the most loaded-up LUVs that I’ve seen and it looks like it’s in superb condition.
The auction house says that this is a “one-owner truck with just 13,027 miles since sold new in 1977”. Incredible! I can’t even guess what this truck will sell for but I’m betting well north of $10,000. $15,000-$20,000 wouldn’t even make me to raise an eyebrow.
Here’s where I do raise an eyebrow, and lower my head a bit – it has an automatic. Ugh. This truck was well on its way to being the most-desirable Japanese pickup, I mean American pickup, or.. the most-desirable small pickup that I have ever seen. This interior is like new and I agree with the auction house when they say that the “plaid cloth upholstery is clean and groovy.”
Now that’s a clean engine compartment – the 1.8L inline-four is made by Isuzu or course, as is the truck in general, and it had around 80 hp. This truck has not been restored as far as I know and it’s got to be the nicest original example left on the planet. Have any of you seen the Mighty Mike graphics kit on a Chevy LUV? What will the hammer price be on this truck?
Nice. Definitely not something you see on the road every day. I would do my part to change that tho; I’d drive the wheels off this thing. As for how it’s gonna do on auction day- I bet it clears 15 grand!
That auto box. I bet this little guy couldn’t even get out of its own way.
Come on put this luv in your stable under wraps and if you have a local cruise give yourself a half day to there with the ponies under the hood 🤠
Yeah, we always took half a day to get anywhere back in the 70s. Uphill. Both ways.😉
My brother had one just like this back in the late ‘70s, except manual & a longbed. His experience convinced my other brother to get a ‘79 4×4 shortbed – baby blue. THEIR positive experiences made me go for the last & best LUV: ‘82 diesel 4×4 with much the same color/decal design of the one above.
Then in the early ‘90s my dad found another baby blue ‘79 2wd with low miles … and we all ran them into the ground eventually – great little trucks & high mileage on all. 👍🏼
I LUV that interior!
What a beauty! Even if the interior looks like it was stolen from an Italian restaurant. I’m a great fan of little pickups, one of the most practical and useful vehicles on the planet, not to mention fun. Every time I see some dude driving one of those huge, monster pickups, almost always with nothin’ in the bed, I can’t help but wonder what he’s compensating for.
That made me laugh! The manliness of the driver is in inverse proportion to the size of the truck……….unless you’re driving an old one lol
Still just a luv truck. My friend had one biggest POS it was.
Needs a Buick V6.
Somebody let us know what it does at auction?
This thing is really nice, very hard to find a Luv in general but in this condition extremely difficult nice find 💥👍🏽💥
Sweet looking truck. While I’d much prefer one with a 4-spd. manual shifting transmission, the rest of the LUV truck I could drive. :)
My dad had one.. the gearing was so high it took forever to get 55 mph lol…but it ran sooo good
Looks like someone took good care of this one,although this is not for me,but hopefully someone will get a good truck, for a reasonable price. One thing to mention,this is actually a Isuzu Pup,with a Chevrolet Name on it,they did this to keep prices of production down.
It sold for $14,000 if anyone wanted to know.
Dad and I bought one for my Mom in ’75. Ours wasn’t like this truck though,
ours was a stripper with nothing more than a radio and a heater. In true
’70’s fashion, we tricked that truck out ourselves by adding Jackman
white spoke rims with wide all terrain tires, KC driving lights, Pioneer AM/FM
stereo radio with casette, Robyn SX-101 CB radio with twin hustler antenas,
and black pinstriping over the original red orange paint. Sadly, the tinworms
ate the truck even though we had it undercoated before we took it home.
Great truck while we had it though. Am I wrong about this? I’ve been told
that you could get a V6 for ’78-’80. Nice truck.
Here’s a 4×4 version for just over half the price of the auction truck.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1979-Chevrolet-Other-Pickups-/273170333458
Dependable as hell and it would be easy to switch it to a manual.
“…and it would be easy to switch it to a manual.”
what would fit (esp 5 speed)?
Chad,
They easily can be switched to a 4 or 5 speed. 4 speeds were only available in these until the end of the Luv but Isuzu keep the same engine/transmission configuration until 1996. The 5 speed can be found in numerous Isuzu vehicles from 1984 to 1996. The only difference was the output spline count on the transmission. Beyond that small difference, they bolt right up and the transmission mounts are the same as well. I only know this because I did tons of research and swapped my 4 speed to a 5 speed a few years ago in my 80 Luv. Now I can do 75 with ease down the freeway.
I’ve always found the earlier version of the LUV more attractive than the later version.