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1970 Chevy El Camino SS 4-Door Rendering Is Hard to Like, Impossible to Ignore

Every time somebody makes a truck rendering based on a normal car, journalists are shaken out of their creative ruts. They immediately tell you how the Chevy El Camino needs to make a comeback based on the Camaro platform. But by the time the story is nearly finished and the endorphins are all gone, the depressing truth comes out: nobody wants a 2-door truck coupe.
1970 Chevy El Camino SS 4-Door Rendering Is Difficult to Like, Every time to Ign 8 photos
Photo: wb.artist20/Instagram
1970 Chevy El Camino SS 4-Door Rendering Is Hard to Like, Impossible to Ignore1970 Chevy El Camino SS 4-Door Rendering Is Hard to Like, Impossible to Ignore1970 Chevy El Camino SS 4-Door Rendering Is Hard to Like, Impossible to Ignore1970 Chevy El Camino SS 4-Door Rendering Is Hard to Like, Impossible to Ignore1970 Chevy El Camino SS 4-Door Rendering Is Hard to Like, Impossible to Ignore1970 Chevy El Camino SS 4-Door Rendering Is Hard to Like, Impossible to Ignore1970 Chevy El Camino SS 4-Door Rendering Is Hard to Like, Impossible to Ignore
But what if we wanted to make the El Camino into a 4-door low-riding utility vehicle. It's a strange idea at first, but one that resulted in this unique rendering, created by artist Oscar Vargas. The piece also doubles as a self-portrait, since "wb.artist20" also put himself in one of the images, just to make the idea believable.

The idea isn't as controversial as you may think. Everybody knows about the Holden Utes, Australian pickups with LS engines that follow the El Camino design philosophy. But there's also the Holden Crewman from the 2000s, which did indeed look like a sedan with a bed. And although it had a short, impractical back end, nobody can forget the Subaru Baja either.

To make the 4-door, this Dr. Frankenstain of pickup renderers stretched out the middle of a El Camino SS. Thick door pillars appear, and the side windows aren't the size you're used to seeing. The hood no longer seems large, but the upside is that a whole family would fit inside, while dad would have room for all his tools and building materials.

For us, this is reminiscent of trucks from a different era, such as a Ford heavy-duty 4-door from the late 1970s or this 1979 Ford Bronco 4-door conversion. Either way, it's a thing you hate at first but grow to love over time or after the right mods.

The Chevy El Camino was first envisioned as the half-car, half truck version of the Brookwood station wagon. It went missing in 1960, but returned better than ever in 1964. That's when they started using the Chevelle platform, and as the muscle car upgraded itself, so did the 2-door truck.

By 1966, you could have an SS badge. The first big-block El Camino with the 350 horsepower SS396 became available when the Chevelle platform was re-engineered for 1968. That's what's in the rendering, though the 1970 model year spec also gives it access to the black sports interior, hood stripes, 5-spoke wheels and an optional Cowl Induction hood.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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