The Dream of the '70s Is Alive… In Minnesota

The Wikipedia page for Wells, Minnesota, tells us it’s the birthplace of Secret Service agent Larry Buendorf, best known for collaring Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme before the unhinged former Manson Family member could get the sights of her Colt 1911 on President Gerald Ford.

What the page doesn’t tell you is that the ’70s are back, baby, but only if you live (or take a trip to) Wells, Minnesota. The requirement for this time travel? Ownership — or the purchase — of a late-model Chevrolet Silverado.

It seems Blake Greenfield Chevrolet Buick has a hit on its hands. Thanks to GM Authority, we know that this GM dealer, located south-southwest of Minneapolis, has resurrected the best paint job ever applied to a Chevy pickup, applying it to a 2014 Silverado 1500 Double Cab it had sitting on the lot. As dealers are wont to do, the truck’s image found its way onto the dealer’s Facebook page.

A surge of interest (and memories) followed. The paint job, initially intended as a custom one-off, is now on offer thanks to the “overwhelming nationwide interest,” according to the dealer. It’s a paint job everyone will remember. Applied to the C/K series in the 1970s and 80s, the two-tone job accentuated the pickup’s full-length, ruler-flat character line, with the broad section of lighter or darker paint terminating between the front wheel arch and the headlights. Some models came with a hood and cab in the same color.

The Wells version replicates the earlier models’ paint borders with silver and dark gold striping. The white paint and trim carries around the back of the truck, with custom “Chevrolet” lettering on the tailgate. (It isn’t known whether the truck contains a 40-channel CB).

Another bit of retro flair, which may have readers either rolling their eyes or reaching for their wallets, is the addition of “Cheyenne Super 10” and “Big 10” badging, fore and aft. Cheyenne Super was a higher trim line at the time, while Big 10 denoted an option code that increased the truck’s gross vehicle weight rating over that of a stock C10. It was, essentially, a “heavy half-ton.”

Owner Blake Greenfield, who describes his dealer as “very small,” claims to be “shocked and extremely flattered” by the public’s interest in a paint scheme long abandoned by GM. Yesterday, the decision was made to begin taking orders to customize trucks.

“Customers can bring in their current trucks to have them customized or buy a used or new truck from one of our dealerships and work with us to customize it,” the dealer said on its Facebook page. “We are currently working on a price guide for prospective customers.”

[Images: Blake Greenfield Chevrolet Buick/ Facebook]