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Automotive enthusiasts may often romanticize the glory days of Detroit. Once one of the greatest metropolitan cities in the world, Detroit was called the “Paris of the Midwest” with its sprawling parks, cobblestone streets, palatial estates, and impressive museums. To many of us, the music and the cars would create the lasting legacy of Detroit, and nicknames like Motown and Motor City have come to define the image built on great music and timeless cars, and one-off creations.
Velocity Modern Classics, an award-winning vintage vehicle restoration shop, captures the spirit of Detroit, and we don’t mean the statue in front of city hall, but instead with its modern muscle builds. The team is very well acquainted with the iconic early Bronco and International Scout and F-100 and F-250 truck platforms, and their 1967 and 1968 fastback Mustangs. Each of these iconic vehicles brings blue-collar elegance to the lineup of classic restomod restorations. But their latest model steps outside the blue oval stable and picks something from one of the other local car companies: Chevrolet.
The Velocity K5 Blazer Packs Modern Performance
We can easily imagine the team at Velocity sipping on Faygo and blasting Bob Seger while building their newest epic creation, the Signature Series K5 Blazer. An honor to those punching the time clock just north of Detroit on Van Slyke Road in Flint at GM’s Truck and Bus plant. The Velocity K5 Blazer starts with a Roadster shop chassis, a Dana 44 font, and Dana 60 rear axle with 3.73 gears rolling on 35-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tires. All of that makes for a seriously solid rolling stock to build onto.
From the factory, the largest engine option for the K5 Blazer was the 350 V-8 with the 250 inline six-cylinder as the standard. For the Signature Series K5 Blazer, Velocity calls on the Chevrolet Gen V LT1, a 6.2-liter engine modestly rated at 460 horsepower. With more than twice the gears GM ever offered, a 10-speed 10L80 transmission will do all the work shifting for the driver. Engine speed stays low and quiet when you’re driving from the Cass Corridor up the Lodge to the Pancake House. When you’re ready to play the Michigan state anthem, press the loud pedal and sing the song of internal combustion burning fuel through a complete custom exhaust with Magnaflow mufflers.
The Velocity K5 Blazer has some serious off-road goodies. An Atlas transfer case helps split power between the front and rear, and Fox 2.5 Factory Series adjustable coilovers keep the ride smooth. The whoa power comes from 11-inch Wilwood disc brakes with six-piston calipers in the front and four pistons in the rear. Mechanical comforts aplenty make the Velocity K5 Blazer a capable and enjoyable cruiser whether dodging potholes on Woodward Avenue or tearing across the Silver Lake sand dunes.
The Velocity K5 Blazer Interior Appointments
The interior of the Velocity K5 is more luxurious than a suite at the Renaissance Center. Color-matched upholstery, carpet, dash pad, headliner, and door panels create a vintage feel with high-quality custom materials. Procar bucket seats with a full rear bench provide plenty of seating to take all of your friends to the euchre tournament at Norte Dame Hall. Optional heated and cooled seats and a Vintage Air climate control system are an absolute must for 60-degree temperature swings when lake effect winds kick up. An Alpine head unit with Apple Car Play and Focal Audio speakers brings clarity to Grand Funk Railroad that passengers and nearby traffic will all enjoy.
From the driver’s seat, the Dakota Digital gauges are more informative than Detroit’s leading journalist Mort Crim, with a beautiful custom-built dash from the artisans at Velocity. The Ididit tilt steering column, from right up the road in Tecumseh, provides ultimate adjustability to the classic wood steering wheel.
Velocity has built a truly one-of-a-kind yet absolutely nostalgic off-road capable daily driver. Mechanically spectacular and luxuriously adorned, the Velocity Signature Series K5 is an absolute joy for a driver, passenger, or even just to see in traffic. Yet, it’s as simple as a Coney Dog. Velocity took a great vehicle and knew how to make it better, more reliable, and more fun.
Velocity hand builds each K5 in an astounding 14-week time frame and provides classic Detroit from their Florida shop. But all of the modern performance and precision craftsmanship fetches a high price just like the rest of Velocity Restorations’ creations. You can expect to manifest as much as $339,000 to own an icon reimagined.
