Latest News
Famous Cars: Patton’s Willys JeepCoolest Car Find Ever? – 1972 Chevy Blazer “Feathers”
Plenty of cars can turn heads, but only a select few can stop traffic like this 1972 Chevrolet Blazer Spirit of America Feathers Edition.
Blazing Spirits
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to highlight a lot of compelling vehicles listed on Carsforsale.com. Among them a Citroen DS hot-rodded by Alice Cooper, a Bill Thomas Cheetah racecar, and one of only three Lexus LFA supercars finished in a blazing Sunset Orange. While many of the coolest of cool car finds on our site carry stories with them, many are impressive merely based on condition and aesthetic quality alone. These cars not only stand out on the street, but they stand out at car shows amidst other pristine gems. Memorable examples include this immaculate 1958 Buick Century, this rare BMW M1, and this recent Ferrari Dino 206 GT.
As visually arresting as those cars are, for this article we’re highlighting a certain 4×4 that takes the proverbial cake. If this 1972 Chevy Blazer Spirit of America Feathers Edition isn’t the best-looking factory-finished vehicle ever, it’s at the very least the best-looking one we’ve written about. Yes, such aesthetic judgements are subjective …but just look at it! The head-turning teal, the oh-so- ‘70s decals, the knobby tires, and gleaming chrome grille.
This Blazer is what uncool people buy to suddenly become cool. Buying a pristine yet unrestored Porsche 356 says you have good taste in cars (and lots of money). Buying this Blazer says you have an unimpeachable next-level taste in cars.
Blazer Background
The 1972 Chevrolet Blazer is the last model year for the first generation which kicked off in 1969. The Blazer was both derivative and innovative. It was derivative in that the Blazer was Chevy’s answer to the success of the Ford Bronco and International Harvester Scout, themselves emulating the rugged CJ Jeep, America’s OG 4×4. The Blazer was innovative in this space by taking the advancements in comfort that the Bronco and Scout had made and re-upping the 4×4 toughness by using their C/K pickup as the Blazer’s underpinnings.
The result was a vehicle that successfully served the dual masters of capability and comfort. Or as Chevy described the Blazer: “The only car/truck combination of its kind.” The Blazer was considerably larger than either the Scout or Bronco, measuring 180 inches front to back with a 104-inch wheelbase. The Bronco, by comparison, was just 151.1 inches long with a 92-inch wheelbase.
The Blazer offered a pair each of straight sixes (250 cu.-in. and 292 cu.-in.) and V8 (307 cu.-in. and 350 cu.-in.) motors. These could be paired with a three-speed automatic or either three- or four-speed manual transmission. A two-speed Dana 20 transfer case could be optioned with the three-speed manual while an NP-205 could be had with either the four-speed manual or three-speed automatic.
The formula of the bigger SUV, the better SUV (or at least more popular) proved as true in 1970 as it is today. The Blazer quickly began eating into the Bronco’s 4×4 market share as it jumped from 4,935 units in its first year of production to 11,500 the next and by the 1972 model moved 44,266 units. By decade’s end, the Blazer was moving over 100,000 units for Chevy. The Blazer’s success presaged the advent of larger SUVs like the Dodge Ramcharger and Ford’s revamped Bronco of 1978.
This 1972 Chevy Blazer
Restomodded vintage 4x4s have become so popular over the last five years that Coyote-powered gen-one Broncos and LS-swapped Scouts are at risk of becoming passé. To remain fashionably relevant, one might consider this 1972 Chevy Blazer with its Spirit of America Feathers Edition decals. This Blazer sports a stroked 383 V8 with Holley carb paired with a three-speed automatic and rides on a set of gnarly Cooper all-terrain tires accommodated by a tastefully executed suspension lift.
You’re probably aware, decals were a big thing in automotive styling in the 1970s. In fact, in 1972 Chevy was offering a whole host of decal bedecked special edition “Mod Bods” across their lineup. There was the “Little Eagle” Vega, the “Rippler” full-size van, the “Hawk” for fleetside pickups, and the “El Camino Flame” with, you guessed it, flame decals. The Blazer received the most varied list that included a bicentennially inspired red, white, and blue “1776” edition, a “Flame” edition of its own, a “Sandman decal it shared with the C/K pickup and the Suburban, and finally there was the “Feathers” decal which adorns this specific Blazer.
Thos decals could be had in combination with your choice of paint job and whoever originally spec’d this truck executed a styling masterstroke by ticking the box for Chevy’s Terrace Blue. To say the final product is eye-catching, jaw-dropping, or otherwise drop-dead gorgeous is to understate the sheer majesty of this Blazer. One can’t help but be transfixed. The seller ought to have issued a warning: “may induce whiplash among pedestrians, cyclists, and fellow motorists as you drive by.”
This dazzling 1972 “Feathers” Blazer is listed for $109,900.
