![]() The coupe pickup El Camino was based on the '59 Chevrolet models of the time. In 1959 the time had finally come, the first Chevrolet with the Spanish name "El Camino" (in English: "the road") saw the light of day and was ultimately considered the answer to the Ranchero from Ford that had been introduced two years earlier. At GM, the idea of such a sedan pickup had been on the table since 1952, but it was never implemented. It must have been particularly annoying for GM (General Motors) when their arch-rival Ford beat them here with their Ranchero (coupé pickup). While the Cameo was a truck in every respect, it already offered many elements typical of a passenger car - such as two-tone paint, a smooth V-8 engine, automatic transmission, a relatively luxurious interior, and power assistance. Then, in the mid-1955s, the manufacturer brought out the Chevy Pickup Cameo Carrier(a more luxurious truck model within the 3100 Series/Task Force) which eventually paved the way for the Chevrolet El Camino. And indeed, Chevy already had such a model in its range in the 1920s, which followed the trend that followed (mid-1930s) – on truck platforms to go over - but had to give way. The basic idea of turning a passenger car into a commercial vehicle is almost as old as the automobile itself. ![]() ![]() Unlike a regular pickup, the El Camino was built on a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and truck bed into the body. The El Camino was a pickup-style passenger car that combined the dramatic styling of Chevrolet cars of the time with a Half-Ton pickup. The Chevrolet El Camino (Gen.1) is a coupe utility vehicle that was produced and marketed from 1959 to 1960. Since the early 1970s, an identical sister model was sold by the General Motors brand GMC under the name Sprint, later as the Caballero.Ĭhevrolet El Camino - 1st Generation (1959-1960) The name comes from Spanish and means "the way". As such, a nice ’76 can fetch $15-20,000 according to Hagerty, even though nearly 45,000 of them were produced.The Chevrolet El Camino was an open-bed pickup truck produced by the American car manufacturer General Motors under the Chevrolet marque from 1958 to 1960 and again from 1964 to 1987. El Camino’s are popular with enthusiast as they escape some of the 1970 regulations due to being described as a truck. The interior is said to be rough, so assume a lot of time will need to be spent there. The pickup belonged to his brother who has since passed on and the family is no doubt cleaning things out, including the El Camino. The body looks straight, and we’re told there is some rust, although we’re not exactly sure where except the bed. We wish the seller had included more photos of the car rather than the stuff all around it. We don’t know which version of that engine is in the seller’s vehicle, but its paired by a Turbo-Hyrdamatic transmission. The 1976 editions, like the seller’s El Camino, could be had with two versions of the 350 cubic inch V8, could for 145 or 165 SAE net horsepower depending on whether you ordered a 2- or 4-barrel carb set up. The new styling featured hardtop-style doors and upper glass and the payload continued at a respectable 1/2 tons.Ī styling update for 1976 gave the El Camino aa set of rectangular dual stacked headlights, making the ’76-77 modeling instantly recognizable over the ’73-75 models. Along with anything else that GM built as an intermediate, the El Camino gained Chevy’s new Colonnade styling for 1973-77. ![]() From there, it would continue on through 1987 and ended up outliving the Ranchero. It only lasted two years but was resurrected in 1964 as a mid-size based on the new Chevelle platform. In response to Ford’s Ranchero, Chevy brought out the El Camino in 1959 as a pickup based on a full-size 2-door wagon. Located in Santa Rose, California, this Chevelle in pickup disguise is available here on craigslist for $2,500. It has been on the road in only two years, so maybe there’s a good foundation to work with. From its 4 th generation of production, this 1976 El Camino is offered as a restoration project out of an estate sale. The El Camino was considered a “gentleman’s pickup.” It was part truck and part car as those were the days before pickups and SUVs ruled the market.
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