BLAZING A TRAIL FOR NEW COLLECTIBLES: The $220,000 1971 Chevrolet K5
June 1, 2017
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
The crowd – and social media – went wild when this 1971 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Resto-Mod (Lot #681) sold for $220,000 at the 2017 Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Auction.
In an eye-popping and jaw-dropping moment at the 2017 Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Auction, a 1971 Chevrolet K5 Blazer 4×4 (Lot #681) went to its new home for $220,000. To the average viewer sitting at home watching the event on live television, it seemed an incredulous amount.
But to the winning bidder, the highly customized Blazer represented the best of both worlds: a trip back in time and a high-tech modern vehicle, all rolled into one. The new owner – no stranger to the collector car world – not only has a few matching-numbers cars in his collection, but a healthy admiration for Resto-Mods such as this. He also happens to have a particular fondness for Blazers.
“I started driving in 1977/78,” he says. “My very first car was a used 1975 Blazer, when I was 16. I’ve been wanting to re-do one, but I just didn’t have the time and didn’t want to go through the effort. This is the very first and only Resto-Mod Blazer I have ever seen in my life. And it’s done to the T – it’s so clean it’s unbelievable. Even the radio looks like the AM radio that came in the car originally, but all the guts behind it are brand-new.”
The Blazer’s new owner is looking forward to using the vehicle as a daily driver and enjoying all of its modern conveniences, including power windows, electronic steering, air conditioning and a brand-new LS3 Corvette engine. He feels many buyers new to the collector car hobby – who were brought up in an era of technology and have done fairly well for themselves – want something a little bit different, like Resto-Mods. “You can have all that cool old body style, along with the ride and reliability and all the technology of a brand-new car,” he says. “Best of both worlds.”
Which vehicles will bring the most excitement to the upcoming Barrett-Jackson Northeast Auction block? View the docket HERE.