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Junkyard Gem: 1973 GMC Sierra Grande Camper Special

Starting in the 1973 model year, General Motors introduced the "Rounded Line" family of C/K-series Chevrolet and GMC trucks, and sales of the pickup versions continued all the way through 1987. Nice examples of these trucks can sell for large money, but the junkyard teaches us that not all collectible vehicles are worth rescuing and fixing up. Here's a reinforcement of that lesson, courtesy of a first-year GMC C2500 Camper Special with the high-zoot Sierra Grande trim level, found in a self-service yard just outside of Denver, Colorado. I'm no GM truck expert, but I know enough to stay clear of the battles over what to call this pickup. Let's just say it's a three-quarter-ton, rear-wheel-drive third-gen C-Series with really cool badges. Yes, I bought this badge for my garage wall, and it was totally worth the $4.23. GM came up with the Camper Special package during the late 1960s, when removable pickup campers became popular, and for 1973 it included heavy-duty springs and a wiring harness made to plug into the connectors on slide-in truck campers. It also included woodsy-looking badges, but someone pried the ones off this truck before I could buy them. This may well have been a one-owner truck, because it still had original warranty paperwork inside. Here we see that it was purchased new on August 2, 1973 (which happens to be the day that George Brett got his very first hit in the big leagues) by a resident of Compton, California. Yes, that Compton. The build tag tells us that this Camper Special was born at the Fremont Assembly plant in California, which became the GM-Toyota NUMMI venture in 1984 and is now the Tesla Factory. I think most 1973 C/K pickups sold new in Colorado would have come from Pontiac Assembly in Michigan. There was a time, not many years ago, when a genuine 454-cubic-inch (that's 7.4 liters to those of you sweating under the oppressive weight of the French Empire's Measurement System) big-block Chevrolet engine would have been yanked out and purchased within hours of hitting the rows of a yard like this. These days, engine-swappers can get more power with less weight from any number of donor vehicles. If this engine is the original 454, it was rated at 240 horsepower and 355 pound-feet (down from 270 hp in 1972 due to emissions-related changes). This truck had a three-speed automatic transmission, like most optioned-up Detroit pickups of its era.

2016 Chevy Colorado Duramax gets 31 mpg highway

The 2016 Chevrolet Colorado Duramax and its similarly diesel-powered GMC Canyon sibling are the most fuel-efficient new trucks on the market in America. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates 31 miles per gallon highway, 22 mpg city, and 25 mpg combined for two-wheel-drive Colorado and Canyon diesels. That's just good enough to take the pickup fuel-economy title from the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel HFE, which carries EPA estimates of 29 mpg highway, 21 mpg city, and 24 mpg combined. Four-wheel-drive models offer slightly lower economy figures of 29/20/23, respectively. Drivers can cover quite some distance, too – the GM twins' 21-gallon tanks mean a maximum range of 651 miles. <p>Your browser does not support iframes.</p> Diesel's reputation may be somewhat tarnished in the US after Volkswagen's emissions scandal, but Chevy wants to assure potential customers that there are no tricks with the Colorado's figures. The pickup's engine features NOx-reducing tech like exhaust gas recirculation, and the EPA and California Air Resources Board recently chose the truck to take the additional step of real-world emissions tests. The 2.8-liter Duramax four-cylinder with 181 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque had no problems with the more stringent evaluation, and "the agency expressed no issues or concerns," according to the company's statement. The diesel Colorado goes on sale this fall, and the Duramax costs $3,730 over a similarly equipped V6 model. We've gone ahead and included dueling press releases from both Chevy and GMC below for your reading pleasure. Related Video: CHEVROLET COLORADO DIESEL: AMERICA'S MOST FUEL EFFICIENT PICKUP 2015-11-09 2016 Colorado two-wheel drive model offers EPA-estimated 31 mpg highway Up to 7,700 pounds of trailering when properly equipped DETROIT – Chevrolet today confirmed that the 2016 Colorado two-wheel drive with the Duramax turbo-diesel will be the most fuel efficient pickup in America, offering an Environmental Protection Agency-estimated 31 mpg highway fuel economy. The EPA-estimated highway fuel economy for 2016 Colorado four-wheel drive diesel is 29 mpg. The EPA has issued a Certificate of Conformity for the Chevrolet Colorado Duramax diesel. The agency expressed no issues or concerns following its recent extensive testing and evaluation of the emission control system on the Colorado Duramax diesel.

2021 GMC Sierra adds towing tech, new HD Black Diamond Edition

Trailer towing is the focus of several new technologies coming to the 2021 GMC Sierra pickup, with the new features available both on the Sierra 1500 and the Sierra HD. The 2021 Sierra also sees expanded availability of GMC's MultiPro tailgate, a price cut for the available 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel six, and a new Black Diamond Edition of the Sierra HD. Pickup truck makers are engaged in a trailering-technology arms race. Already, the GMC Sierra offers its ProGrade Trailering package that features a "Transparent Trailer" virtual camera view and a Rear Trailer View that uses an auxiliary camera mounted on the back of the trailer. To that, GMC is adding a Trailer Length Indicator that can alert drivers of another vehicle in the adjoining lane during a signaled lane-change. A new Jack-Knife Alert warns the driver if the front of the trailer approaches the rear of the tow vehicle. The warning appears in the center screen and can also trigger a seat vibration. The previous Rear Side View split-screen now also works when reversing and adjusts for the angle of the trailer. The Cargo Bed View now includes a zoom feature and hitch guidance for connecting gooseneck trailers. Finally, the previous Rear Trailer View adds a trailer-angle indicator and dynamic guidelines. In other equipment news, the six-position MultiPro tailgate is newly available on the Sierra 1500 SEL and Elevation trims and standard on the Sierra HD SLE. The fancy Sierra HD Denali adds Surround Vision and Bed View cameras to the standard-equipment list. Standard and optional engine choices for the Sierra are unchanged for 2021, but the price of the optional 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine in the Sierra 1500 is reduced by $1,500. For 2021, on models where the 5.3-liter V8 is standard (SLT, AT4, and Denali), the upcharge will be $995. For the SLE and Elevation, where the 2.7-liter V6 is standard, the cost to upgrade to the diesel is now $2,390, again a decrease of $1,500. Lastly, the Sierra HD adds a Denali Black Diamond Edition. It includes 20-inch gloss-black wheels, power-retractable side steps, premium audio by Kicker, an Auxiliary Trailer Camera, trailer tire-pressure monitor sensors, and premium floor mats with removable carpet inserts. It comes in any color you want so long as it's Ebony Twilight Metallic. The Black Diamond Edition is pictured above. Related Video: