2019 Chevrolet Blazer test drive: It's back
The Chevrolet Blazer is back for 2019, but it's not like you remember it says Fox News Autos editor Gary Gastelu.
When Chevrolet brought back the Blazer in 2019, not everyone was thrilled that the classic 4x4 model name had returned on a midsize crossover utility vehicle.
But now there’s a way to buy a new K5-style Blazer. Well, almost new.
Flat Out Autos of Jonesboro, Ark., has been converting 2015-2020 Chevrolet Tahoe trucks into K5 lookalikes with custom bodywork styled after the original’s for the past couple of years.
The two-tone builds cost around $70,000 on top of a donor truck, but purists will notice one big difference from the classic: they have four-doors.
That issue has now been remedied as the shop has now created a two-door model that required a bit more work than just swapping body panels.
According to the company's owner, Rob Hester, the prototype it built using a 2018 Z71 Tahoe that had its wheelbase reduced by about eight inches, rear doors removed and extended rear quarter windows added from an old Blazer to keep the proportions correct.
Chevrolet last year restored a 1977 K5 Blazer with electric power. (Chevrolet)
The interior remains largely the same as the Tahoe's, except for one significant update: There are only two window switches on the driver’s door.
The two-door K5 Tahoe is set to make its public debut at the SEMA show in Las Vegas on Nov. 2.
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Pricing for the two-door hasn't been finalized, but the only two options for an American two-door off-road SUV currently available new are the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler, while the Land Rover Defender is also available in that configuration.
Hester said he has sold seven of the four-doors so far, including four to the royal family of Abu Dhabi, and is working on a GMC Acadia-based 1970 Jimmy-style version.