1972 Chevrolet Blazer CST

Produced for just four model years, 1969 through 1972, the first-generation K5 Blazer was Chevrolet’s answer to the Bronco and Scout, a shortened half-ton truck chassis under a removable hardtop, and it has become one of the most collectible American SUVs ever made. The 1972 model is the final and most refined year of the original design, and this truck left the factory well specified: the Service Parts tag under its hood documents a born-CST 350 V8 4x4.

It has since been thoughtfully transformed into a no-compromise restomod. A BluePrint 350 cubic-inch crate motor rated at 400 hp and 400 lb-ft breathes through a Holley Sniper EFI system, backed by a GM 700R4 four-speed automatic and NP205 transfer case, with a four-wheel disc conversion, Hydroboost braking, KYB shocks, and 3.73 gears bringing the chassis up to the drivetrain’s standard, the full specification lives in The Options below, and every claim is photographed in the galleries above.

Finding a restored first-generation K5 is no longer unusual. Finding one built to this standard (modern mechanicals chosen with restraint, detailed to respect the truck’s heritage) is another story entirely: equally at home cruising through town, tackling back roads, or holding court at Cars & Coffee.