Before the modern concept of overlanding was a twinkle in a roof-top tent manufacturer's eye, plenty of folks threw a tent into the back of an old Jeep CJ and headed for the hills to do a little hunting, camping, fishing, or all three. But folks are always looking for a way to make that experience a little more civilized. That's why, even in the proto-SUV era, upfitters have been exploring camper shells, chassis-mount jobs, and even six-wheelers to bring a little of home out with you on the trail. At the height of this trend, GM got involved with the Chevrolet K5 Blazer Chalet and the subject of this auction listing, a GMC Jimmy Casa Grande.

If this looks like a K5 Blazer with the top removed and a camper dropped in, you're on the right track. But the K5 twins' new fiberglass arrangement was actually permanently mounted. Once you Casa Grande'd a Jimmy, you never go back, as the saying goes.  

GM developed the unit with Chinook, a famous camper conversion outfit out of Washington State mainly known for working with Toyotas. Prices ran $10,000 to $13,000 or so in 1970s dollars—basically doubling the base MSRP of the vehicle, in addition to doubling up the taillight count (check out those matching taillights on the camper, and the leftover K5 taillights still visible just ahead of them).  

The Casa Grande has a pop-top roof arrangement in an attempt to mitigate the high center of gravity situation and maintain a semblance of all-terrain capability. The cabin is open to the camper in the back, there's no partition. And it came in four versions, starting with a base model that offered a setee that converted into a bed and a little galley complete with sink, icebox, and stove. The other packages added more goodies, like sleeping for four and a refrigerator upgrade.

The one you see here is an upgraded model, which is currently for sale at Mecum's Orlando auction, scheduled to go under the hammer on July 8, 2022. It is an upgraded model with awesome graphics that echo some of the other fun logotypes used by GM at the time. It's claimed that only 225 of these GMC Jimmy Casa Grandes were produced, and for the right person (with the budget to feed this thing gas at today's prices) it'd be a great way to experience some vintage home comforts on the road—any road.