What’s it like to drive the 1997 CHEVY KING TAHOE?

For Cars, Movies and Cool… it’s Fireball Tim!

OK, I have a slight bias on this one as Kathie is my best friend and significant other. Being that, she has a lot to live up to in having a car guy next to her all the time, but her track record with cars has been pretty astounding.

Back in the day, Chevys seemed to gravitate towards this cute Malibooty, starting with a ‘58 Vette named “Leroy,” to a ‘63 in black with flames, to a red hot cross-fire injected ‘84. Some of you may remember her pulling up to Surfrider with her leopard print 9’ Becker surfboard poking out of the t-top. And Kathie’s love for Chevys hasn’t stopped there — she now drives, along with me, this 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe dubbed “King Tahoe” because of its 500-horsepower 5.7 liter Vortec that’s been tweaked, tworted and kablameed, thanks to yours truly (couldn’t help myself).

The Tahoe has a number of bolt-on items including a K&N intake, Magnaflow exhaust and ECU upgrade, but also a hi-performance cam and re-ported heads. All that in a 3M carbon fiber body, as it was a show truck for SEMA several years ago. It’s the perfect Malibu ride and about to get redone again.

Kathie’s history here in the Bu is far greater than any car, having surfed Malibu since 1965 and officially moving to the Bu in 1980. And although some will say that she’s just like Gidget because of her love for surf culture, Kathie’s surf heritage has taken her to incredible surf spots like Costa Rica and many other places.

“Malibu is more than a place of beauty for me,” said the Bride of Fireball. “It transcends beauty and becomes a haven for all things good and I love every part of it, including the traffic. It only means that others want to experience the joy that we as Malibuites get to have every single day. For that, I’m grateful.”

As a costume designer and sculptor, Kathie’s career started at Sid and Marty Kroffts’s in 1970, sanding puppets and working on H.R. Puff N’ Stuff. Yes, that H.R. 

But back then, she’d do anything having to do with costumes and loved it. Her mascot company now (KCL Productions @ www.kclproductions.com), handles small clients like The White House, Ellen DeGeneres, the Nintendo characters, Harlem Globetrotters and the Super Bowl. She’s currently starting a project for Honda.

But her resume reads like a list of chocolate items being gathered by Santa for next year. Seriously. But wait, let’s get back to cars.

“Although I know the world is changing rapidly with electric vehicles and how important that is, the feeling I get in an SUV keeps me safe and secure. The power that this Tahoe has allows me to get to the gym but can deliver my costumes to the studios also. They’re really big sometimes. I look forward to Chevy creating an electric Tahoe soon!”

You heard it here first, Chevy guys. If you make it, then Kathie wants one. 

Chevy only made these two-door LT Tahoes for a few years and they are now starting to get popular like the Broncos. If you can find one, better do it soon. And if you happen to see Kathie or myself driving through town in King Tahoe, wave or smile. We may just have one of those chocolate items from Santa. 

Wait a tick… King Tahoe handing out Chocolate? Does the Malibu Life get any better than that?

The post What’s it like to drive the 1997 CHEVY KING TAHOE? appeared first on Fireball Malibu Vlog.

Join Fireball for the Daily Cool!