Photo: bigousedcars/eBay
The Chevrolet El Camino is arguably the most iconic car-based truck produced in the U.S. It's closely followed by the Ford Ranchero, but GMC also built its own version of the El Camino from 1971 to 1987.
GMC's car-based truck was original sold as the Sprint. The brand produced the Sprint over two generations from 1971 to 1977. In 1978, GMC decided to rename the truck for the third-generation, dropping the Sprint badge in favor of Caballero.
Based on the fifth and final generation El Camino, the Caballero shared V6 and V8 engines with the Chevy-badged truck. They were also very similar design-wise. But while Chevy was selling more than 50,000 El Caminos per year in the late 1970s, GMC was delivering fewer than 10,000 units. As a result, the Caballero is the rarest car-based trucks produced in that era.
This doesn't necessarily mean that buying such a classic is overly difficult nowadays. But since they weren't that many back in the day, well-maintained examples are a bit harder to find. This 1979 example we just found on eBay is one of those rare Caballeros that look really good. However, the truck isn't entirely stock.
Although it was originally fitted with a 5.0-liter small-block V8, the GMC now packs a massive, 7.4-liter block. There isn't a lot of info about it in the ad, but the seller says it was installed in 2016 and it's mostly stock. Assuming it's the 454 big-block that Chevy offered in the 1970s, it should generate at least 300 horsepower.
The Caballero was also fitted with a long list of brand-new parts, including fuel pump, water pump, radiator, and exhaust system. The Turbo 350 transmission reportedly "shifts out great."
The interior looks rather excellent, with minor traces of wear. The red upholstery complements the exterior nicely, while the white seaming adds a vintage, 1970s vibe to the cabin. All instruments work accordingly and the odometer shows almost 9,000 miles. However, there's no word as to whether this is accurate. Most likely this truck clocked more than that since 1979.
The Caballero is being offered on eBay by "bigousedcars" and bidding starts at $10,000. There's just one bid with almost five days to go and reserved hasn't been meet. There's a "buy it now" option at $14,000, so it's safe to say that the reserved auction price is probably close to that number.
Although it's not an all-original Caballero, it's a solid vintage truck with a more powerful engine under the hood. It could be a good base of a restomod project powered by a more modern and potent crate engine. Or you could just drive it to the market and smile as people are asking why there's no bowtie badge on your El Camino.
Based on the fifth and final generation El Camino, the Caballero shared V6 and V8 engines with the Chevy-badged truck. They were also very similar design-wise. But while Chevy was selling more than 50,000 El Caminos per year in the late 1970s, GMC was delivering fewer than 10,000 units. As a result, the Caballero is the rarest car-based trucks produced in that era.
This doesn't necessarily mean that buying such a classic is overly difficult nowadays. But since they weren't that many back in the day, well-maintained examples are a bit harder to find. This 1979 example we just found on eBay is one of those rare Caballeros that look really good. However, the truck isn't entirely stock.
Although it was originally fitted with a 5.0-liter small-block V8, the GMC now packs a massive, 7.4-liter block. There isn't a lot of info about it in the ad, but the seller says it was installed in 2016 and it's mostly stock. Assuming it's the 454 big-block that Chevy offered in the 1970s, it should generate at least 300 horsepower.
The Caballero was also fitted with a long list of brand-new parts, including fuel pump, water pump, radiator, and exhaust system. The Turbo 350 transmission reportedly "shifts out great."
The interior looks rather excellent, with minor traces of wear. The red upholstery complements the exterior nicely, while the white seaming adds a vintage, 1970s vibe to the cabin. All instruments work accordingly and the odometer shows almost 9,000 miles. However, there's no word as to whether this is accurate. Most likely this truck clocked more than that since 1979.
The Caballero is being offered on eBay by "bigousedcars" and bidding starts at $10,000. There's just one bid with almost five days to go and reserved hasn't been meet. There's a "buy it now" option at $14,000, so it's safe to say that the reserved auction price is probably close to that number.
Although it's not an all-original Caballero, it's a solid vintage truck with a more powerful engine under the hood. It could be a good base of a restomod project powered by a more modern and potent crate engine. Or you could just drive it to the market and smile as people are asking why there's no bowtie badge on your El Camino.
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