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Forgotten Concept: Chevrolet Blazer XT-1

Chevrolet Blazer XT-1 Concept

This is an installment in a series of posts looking back on show cars that we feel deserved a little more attention than they got. If you have a suggestion for a Forgotten Concept topic, please shoot us a line or leave a comment below.

Chevrolet Blazer XT-1 Concept

First Seen: 1987 Chicago Auto Show

Description: Van-bodied SUV

Sales Pitch: “Technological tour de force”

More Forgotten Concepts

Chevrolet Blazer XT-1 Concept

Details:

First seen at the 1987 Chicago Auto Show, the Chevrolet Blazer XT-1 Concept combined innovative packaging with high-tech, off-road-oriented drivetrain technology. The XT-1 was powered by a fuel-injected 4.3-liter V6 that made 202 horsepower and was mated to an electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmission. The 4WD systems included three electronically controlled differentials capable of transferring as much as 80 percent of the available torque to the axle with the most traction. The XT-1 also featuring 4-wheel steering, which gave it a claimed turning radius of just 14 feet.

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The concept featured a glass roof and rear hatch, and digital “Future Vision” instrument panel with an airplane-style steering yoke. The rear cargo area featured removable integrated storage modules, the contents of which could also be accessed while secured in the cargo hold. A product of General Motors’ Advanced Vehicle Engineering Team, the XT-1 was never seriously considered for production.

Forgotten Concept: Plymouth XP-VIP

Chevrolet Blazer XT-1 Concept

CG Says:

It’s easy to see how the XT-1 concept came by its functional shape. By the late Eighties, American car buyers were beginning to embrace SUVs as personal-use vehicles—the Chevrolet S10 Blazer and Jeep Cherokee were both quite popular—and the minivan segment was red hot. Designers could certainly do worse than attempting to combine the best attributes of both vehicle segments—in this case, space utilization and off-road capability.

The XT-1 is arguably predictive of the new-for-1995 Chevrolet Blazer, but it also reminds me of another vehicle, although a fictional one. If you’ve suffered through the Sylvester Stallone/Kurt Russell action-adventure buddy romp Tango and Cash, you may be reminded of that film’s single saving grace, a vehicle called the RV From Hell.

Cool Trucks From Bad Movies

Chevrolet Blazer XT-1 Concept

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Chevrolet Blazer XT-1 Gallery

(Click below for enlarged images)

Forgotten Concept: Ford SYNus

Written by: Tom Appel on January 28, 2021.

For GREAT deals on a new or used Buick or GMC check out Fahrney Buick GMC TODAY!

Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast, Episode 61; Christmas Wish Lists, Elon Musk Offers Tesla to Apple

Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast

Whether you drive a car, need a car, or just occasionally bum a ride with friends, you’ve come to the right place. Join the editors of Consumer Guide Automotive as they break down everything that’s going on in the auto world. New-car reviews, shopping tips, driving green, electric cars, classic cars, and plenty of great guests. This is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast.

Episode: 61

Broadcast date: December 27, 2020

Guest: None

Christmas Wish Lists, Elon Musk Offers Tesla to Apple

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start off the show by discussing Elon Musk’s recent tweet about his attempt to sell Tesla to Apple three years ago, and the reports of Apple’s current plans to enter the autonomous electric-vehicle market. Instead of a guest this week, we share our automotive Christmas wish lists–vehicles we wish automakers would build (or start building again). Tom has a quiz for Damon and Jill on fake trim-level names, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog, including test-drive reviews of the Chevrolet C8 Corvette Convertible and the BMW X7 M50i.

The Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast is broadcast every Sunday on Chicago’s WCPT AM 820 at 1:00 PM CST.

Discussed this week:

Quick Spin: 2020 BMW X7 M50i

Test Drive Gallery: 2020 Mazda 6 Signature

Test Drive: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

Forgotten Concept: Mercury Messenger

Follow the crew:

The CG Daily Drive Blog

Car Stuff Facebook Page

Consumer Guide on Twitter

Tom on Twitter

Damon on Twitter

Jill on Twitter

Drive, She Said (Jill’s blog)

Tom on the radio:

Tom on WGN Radio

Tom on Green Sense Radio

Tom on the Stan Milam Show

The Crew

Jill

Damon

Tom

Christmas Wish Lists

Written by: The Daily Drive staff on December 26, 2020.

Stop-and-Go Madness! A Gallery of Classic Car Ads Featuring Brakes

1986 Chevrolet Corvette

In terms of general statistical sexiness, brake performance has long taken a backseat to acceleration. Horsepower numbers are fun, 0-60-mph and quarter-mile times are fun. But braking? Most car guys know that reaching 60 mph from a stop in less than 6 seconds is an impressive feat. How many folks, I wonder, know what a decent time would be for coming to a complete stop from 60 mph?

It’s said that safety sells, but when it comes to classic car ads, the emphasis was always on power. Nonetheless, we did manage to find a number of great print ads extolling the virtues of superior braking performance.

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Note that a few of the ads shared below are not for cars, but for suppliers and insurance firms. Seems that selling safety can be a complicated business.

More classic car ads

1934 Studebaker

1934 Studebaker Ad

10-Gallon-Hat Madness! A Gallery of Cowboys in Classic Car Ads

1935 Plymouth

1935 Plymouth ad

Designer Madness! Fashion in Classic Car Ads

1951 Chrysler Corporation

1951 Chrysler Corporation Ad

Woodie Madness! Classic Ads Featuring Small Wood Sided Wagons

1951 Dow Chemicals

1951 Dow Chemicals Ad

National-Pastime Madness! A Gallery of Baseball-Themed Auto Ads

1953 Bendix-Westinghouse

1953 Bendix-Westinghouse Ad

Thanksgiving Madness! A Gallery of Autumn-Themed Auto Ads

1958 Buick

1958 Buick Ad

Cocktail Madness! A Gallery of Cars in Liquor Ads

1961 Liberty Mutual

1961 Liberty Mutual Ad

Nicotine Madness! A Gallery of Cars in Cigarette Ads

1965 Chevrolet Corvette

1965 Chevrolet Corvette Ad

Grabowsky Madness! 10 Classic GMC Ads

1975 Subaru

1975 Subaru Ad

Dead-Brand Madness! 10 Classic Edsel Ads

1976 Delco Moraine

Delco Moraine Ad/1976 Cadillac Eldorado

Soccer Mom Madness! 10 Classic Minivan Ads

1986 Chevrolet Corvette

1986 Chevrolet Corvette Ad

Urgent-Care Madness! 15 Classic Ambulance Ads

1987 Ford F-150

1987 Ford F-150 Ad

Canine Madness: 10 Classic Car Ads Featuring Dogs

1987 Pontiac 6000

1987 Pontiac 6000 Ad

Emerald Madness! 10 Classic Ads Featuring Green Cars

2009 Nissan Titan

2009 Nissan Titan Ad

Click below for enlarged images.

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Listen to the very entertaining Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast

Car Ads Featuring Brakes Gallery

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: 1934 Studebaker Ad

: 1935 Plymouth ad

: 1951 Chrysler Corporation Ad

: 1951 Dow Chemicals Ad

: 1953 Bendix-Westinghouse Ad

: 1958 Buick Ad

: 1961 Liberty Mutual Ad

: 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Ad

: 1975 Subaru Ad

: Delco Moraine Ad/1976 Cadillac Eldorado

: 1986 Chevrolet Corvette Ad

: 1987 Ford F-150 Ad

: 1987 Pontiac 6000 Ad

: 2009 Nissan Titan Ad

Car Ads Featuring Brakes

Written by: Tom Appel on September 29, 2020.

For GREAT deals on a new or used Toyota check out South Bay Toyota TODAY!

10-Gallon-Hat Madness! A Gallery of Cowboys in Classic Car Ads

1957 Plymouth

In his 2012 book Fractured Times: Culture and Society in the Twentieth Century, historian Eric Hobsbawm noted, “In terms of literary pedigree, the invented cowboy was a late romantic creation. But in terms of social content, he had a double function: he represented the ideal of individualist freedom pushed into a sort of inescapable jail by the closing of the frontier and the coming of the big corporations.”

If Hobsbawm is correct, the Western/cowboy boom of the Fifties and Sixties represented, to some extent, pushback against the societal homogenization of life in the suburbs, jobs in offices, and shopping in big plazas. Perhaps.

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As an avid watcher of Maverick, Gunsmoke, Have Gun – Will Travel, and Rawhide, I can say that it is the simplicity of cowboy life that appeals to me. That, and the clearly defined characters who respond to adversity in predictable ways. The best Western TV shows were parables, and watching them was—and still is—catharsis.

It’s easy to understand why advertisers would want to associate their products with cowboys. Once you get past the poor hygiene and complete disregard for personal comfort, what you see is grit, determination, and a uniquely American cultural moment.

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Gathered for you here is a gallery of classic car ads featuring cowboys. You can decide for yourself whether the association with The Old West and dusty trails served to enhance the image of the vehicle presented. The art in these ads, for the most part, is wonderful. Enjoy!

More classic car ads

1911 Pierce-Arrow

1911 Pierce-Arrow Ad

Neigh What? The 1899 Horsey Horseless Carriage

1932 Dodge

1932 Dodge Ad

1937 DeSoto

1937 DeSoto Ad

Dead-Brand Madness! 10 Classic DeSoto Ads

1942 DeSoto

1944 DeSoto Ad featuring 1942 DeSoto

Photo Feature: 1956 DeSoto Firedome Seville

1946 Chevrolet

1946 Chevrolet Ad

Bow-Tie Madness! 12 Classic Chevrolet Ads

1957 Avis Rent-A-Car

Avis ad featuring a 1957 Ford

Travel Madness! A Gallery of Classic Rental Car Ads

1957 Ford Ranchero

1957 Ford Ranchero Ad

What If: A Gallery of Alternate-Universe 1957 Ford Ranchero Designs

1957 Plymouth

1957 Plymouth Ad

Photo Feature: 1960 Plymouth Fury Hardtop Coupe

1957 Pontiac

1957 Pontiac Ad

Poncho Madness! 10 Classic Pontiac Ads

1960 Buick

1960 Buick Ad

Dynaflow Madness! A Gallery Of Classic Buick Ads

1960 Rambler

1960 Rambler Ad

1961 Mercury Comet

1961 Mercury Comet Ad

Quicksilver Madness! 15 Classic Mercury Ads

1964 Buick Wildcat

1964 Buick Wildcat Ad

Forgotten Concept: Buick Cielo

1970 Dodge Adventurer

1970 Dodge, Don Knotts, Dodge Ad, Dodge Adventurer,

1970 Dodge Adventurer Pickup Ad

My 5 Favorite Pickups

1979 Ford Ranchero

1979 Ford Ranchero Ad

Car Spotter Challenge: Car-Based Pickups

1984 Nissan Pickup

1984 Nissan Ad

Compact Madness! A Gallery of Small-Truck Ads

Listen to the very entertaining Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast

Gallery of Cowboys in Classic Car Ads

Written by: Tom Appel on September 14, 2020.

Four-Door Madness! A Gallery of 1988 Sedan Ads

1988 Pontiac Bonneville SSE

By 1988, light-duty trucks—a category which includes pickups, minivans, and SUVs—accounted for roughly one third of new-vehicle sales. At the time, the popularity of trucks seemed scandalous to many in the automotive media, most whom wagged a stern figure at automakers, warning that a sudden surge in the price of gas would leave dealers with lots full of unsellable product.

And while a brief spike in gas prices around the turn of the 21^st Century did, briefly, suppress the public’s interest in SUVs and crossovers, three decades later “trucks” are selling better than ever. In fact, during the first two months of the COVID-19 shutdown, crossover sales accounted for as much as 80 percent of what sales there were during that time.

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Let’s return to 1988 and spend a little time with the sedans of the day. Collected here for you are 16 vintage print ads and one pretty entertaining TV commercial. If you remember spending time in one of these cars, tell us about it. The place to leave comments is down below.

More classic car ads

A Gallery of 1988 Sedan Ads

Alfa Romeo Milano

1988 Alfa Romeo Milano Ad

More Alfa Romeo news and reviews

Acura Legend

1988 Acura Legend Ad

Acura: The Racing in its Blood

Audi 80

1988 Audi 80 Ad

Office Faux Pas: Pinstriping an Audi

Buick Park Avenue

1988 Buick Park Avenue Ad

The Buicks of 1986

Chevrolet Corsica

1988 Chevrolet Corsica Ad

Future Collectibles: 2014-2016 Chevrolet SS

Chrysler New Yorker

1988 Chrysler New Yorker Landau.Ad

The “Big” Chryslers of 1990

Dodge Colt

1988 Dodge Colt Ad

Forgotten Functionality: Recalling the 1994 Eagle Summit Wagon, Mitsubishi Expo, and Plymouth Colt Vista

Dodge Dynasty

1988 Dodge Dynasty Ad

Fratzog Madness! 10 Classic Dodge Ads

Ford Taurus

1988 Ford Taurus Ad (Canada)

Future Shock: 1985 Ford LTD vs. 1986 Ford Taurus

Honda Accord

1988 Honda Accord LX Ad

Review Flashback! 1982 Honda Accord

Jaguar XJ6

1988 Jaguar XJ6 Ad

Consumer Guide Picks the 15 Best-Looking Cars of All Time*

Mercury Sable

1988 Mercury Sable Ad

Forgotten Concept: Mercury Meta One

Pontiac Bonneville

1988 Pontiac Bonneville SSE Ad

Poncho Madness! 10 Classic Pontiac Ads

Renault Medallion

1988 Renault Medallion Ad

Unsettling Transition: The 1988 Eagle Lineup

Toyota Cressida

1988 Toyota Cressida Ad

Review Flashback! 1980 Toyota Cressida Wagon

Volvo 740

1988 Volvo 740 Ad

Follow Tom on Twitter

Check out the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast

1988 Sedan Ads

Written by: Tom Appel on August 17, 2020.

For GREAT deals on a new or used Toyota check out Rocky Mount Toyota TODAY!

Fab Fours Unleashes the Kymera

Greek children had plenty of reasons to be afraid of the dark, and the most fearsome monster was the Chimera. The beast written about by Homer was a combination of lion, goat and snake. Splicing together the most lethal parts of each is a recipe for dominance, and that is why Fab Fours has unleashed their Kymera.

What began life as a Chevy Colorado shop truck inevitably became a statement to the world of 4WD. Known around the world for their rugged, American made parts, the fabricators began by removing all the stock suspension. Fox Racing supplied a special blend of rock crawling with a hint of Stadium Super Truck. With coil springs taller than your truck, it gives the look of a classic body-drop without cutting up the floors.

Before dropping in a Cummins 12-Valve diesel, a roll cage was tied into the frame and suspension mounts. A compound turbo setup offers boost in any situation, with a soundtrack that echoes from Charlotte to Charleston. I have had the opportunity to showcase their builds at auto shows across the country. One underlying fact of each is that the 4WD community hates junk products. The industry is full of foreign-sourced imitations, and they are a recipe to leave you stranded. That’s why you should click the link below to see what Fab Fours offers for your truck.