Ford and Common Motors spent many of the Nineteen Seventies and some years of the Nineteen Eighties promoting rebadged small vans made by Japanese companions: the Ford Courier (Mazda Proceed) and Chevrolet LUV (Isuzu Quicker). GM started promoting a real Detroit mini-pickup — the Chevrolet S-10/GMC S-15—as a 1982 mannequin, beating Ford and its new Ranger to the market by a single 12 months. Naturally, each corporations launched compact SUVs primarily based on these vans quickly after that, and at the moment’s Junkyard Gem is an instance of the first-generation SUV-ized S-10, present in a Colorado self-service yard lately.

The Common had been promoting Chevrolet Blazers (and GMC Jimmys) primarily based on the massive C/Ok-Sequence Truck platform because the late Sixties, and it appeared worthwhile to money in on all that good title recognition by calling this unrelated truck a Blazer as properly. Ford did the identical factor by calling the Ranger-based compact SUV the Bronco II whereas persevering with to promote F-Sequence-based large Broncos (in truth, Ford pioneered the name-recycling development by promoting full-sized LTDs and unrelated mid-sized LTD IIs in the identical showrooms through the Nineteen Seventies).

So, the official title for this truck was the S-10 Blazer, whereas the unique Blazer stayed in manufacturing because the “Full-Measurement” Blazer (these designations had been utilized in advertising supplies however not on any car badging). Technically talking, the four-wheel-drive model of the S-10 was often called the T-10, making this a T-10 Blazer, however I am utilizing the terminology everyone employs these days.

The gauge cluster is pure S-10.

S-10 Blazer customers had three engine decisions for 1988: the bottom 2.5-liter Iron Duke pushrod four-cylinder, the two.8-liter pushrod 60° V6 of Pontiac Fiero fame and the Chevy small-block-derived pushrod 4.3-liter V6. This truck has the two.8.

Gasoline injection was near taking up the American automotive world in 1988, however sufficient U.S.-market new autos nonetheless had carburetors that Chevrolet felt the EFI on this truck deserved a brag.

The two.8 on this truck was rated at simply 125 horsepower and 150 pound-feet, however take into account its curb weight earlier than you decide it as hopelessly underpowered: 3,217 kilos. The present Blazer (which might be thought of the descendant of the S-10 Blazer) scales in at greater than two tons.

Finally, the S-10 Blazer grew larger and acquired extra doorways. For the 1995 mannequin 12 months, it went onto a brand new platform and misplaced the S-10 prefix (made potential as a result of the massive Blazer grew to become the Tahoe).

America’s favourite sport utility car … and chilly treatment.