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Cowboy Cadillac: The Legacy of Chevy's El Camino

Trying to understand why pickups have such a big impact on our lives requires going back in time, way back to about the 19th century, when most people worked and lived on farms.
Cowboy Cadillac: The Legacy of Chevy's El Camino 9 photos
First Gen Chevrolet El CaminoFirst Gen Chevrolet El CaminoSecond Gen Chevrolet El CaminoThird Gen Chevrolet El CaminoFourth Gen Chevrolet El CaminoFifth Chevrolet El CaminoFifth Chevrolet El CaminoChevrolet El Camino
Considered to be family businesses and dispersed all over the countryside, these farms and their owners traded, transported and communicated with each other using carriages and one-horse wagons. When the term “urban” came to existence, it didn’t actually mean what it means today. It was more of a conglomeration of small towns and cities where there was no public transportation, few paved roads and most of the economy was still based on so called small businesses, ranches and farms.

In a country of such big proportions like the United States, one that comprises around 4 million square miles, the transportation and trading of goods brought people together. So imagine the excitement Ford created in 1917 with the launch of the first factory built pickup truck, the Model TT. It changed the way the country worked by expanding people's reach and their opportunities.

Pickups have a reputation of having been utilitarian in the past and for good reason. They largely used to indulge the needs while overlooking comfort. Even seating was limited to a single passenger and all elements of luxury were largely spared for the driver. It used to be that going with your pickup truck for a long ride was a test of endurance.

That's not the case anymore. The seats are now comfy and, depending on the cabin body type you can even get a pickup that provides seating for six adults, while still having space for transporting various stuff.

Considering all that, it’s easier to understand why today pickups are totaling an amount of 17% of car sales in U.S. But that figure was achieved only because manufacturers like Chevrolet realized that there’s potential there, and brought us pickups such as the El Camino.

First Generation El Camino: 1959 – 1961

Coming as a direct challenge to Ford's Ranchero, the El Camino did not do as well as Chevy predicted. Introduced in 1959 having the classical fins on its rear, the first El Camino drove and rode like a normal car while also serving to carry light loads for the gentleman farmer. To the surprise of everyone, GM’s designers went from rectangular designs that were popular back then, to full on rocket ships making the Camino longer, wider and wilder than anything anyone has done before in that segment.

The first generation did not last for long. It might have been the new flamboyant design, or perhaps Ford’s substantial stake in the market, but after just 2 years and little over 36,000 models produced, Chevy decided to discontinue the production for the model.

First Gen Chevrolet El Camino
Photo: Chevrolet

Second Generation: 1964 - 1967

While Ford continued to produce the Ranchero on the tight Falcon platform, Chevrolet waited until the Chevelle debuted with the new A-body platform to relaunch the El Camino. Sharing the same wheelbase as the four-door model, the new El Camino offered many of the same powerful V8 engine options as the more powerful brother the Chevelle SS, including the 396 big-block 6.5 L engine from 1966 that produced from 325 to 375 horsepower.

Two trim levels were offered, with the base version looking as plain as bare bones. On the other hand, the Custom El Camino that was available featured the Malibu’s bright work and stylish full wheel covers.

Third Generation: 1968 – 1972

Chevrolet introduced an even longer El Camino in 1968, the interior was remodeled adding cloth and vinyl or all vinyl bench seats and deep twist carpeting. Though if you opted for all vinyl Strato bucket seats and center console, you had to pay an extra $111 for the option.

Despite its larger size, it was lighter than the previous generation, and featured a frontend restyle with the new quad headlights. With this generation, El Camino managed to make the step from utility car, to a machine that could offer you sporty thrills. To that end, a few lucky owners managed to get their hands on models that were fitted with the LS6 454 engine which ramped about 450 HP.

Fourth Generation: 1973 – 1977

For 1973, the El Camino undergoes a serious redesign. Matching the Chevelle line and using the wagon chassis, it was again the largest El Camino in comparison to its older brothers. For this model, Chevrolet also debuted the energy absorbing hydraulic front bumper systems that also added a considerable amount of weight.

This generation was lucky enough to retain a Super Sport version, as Chevrolet dropped the Chevelle SS in 1973 and Nova SS after 1976. The SS included a black grill with SS emblem, body-side striping with bright roof drip moldings, colored dual sport mirrors, rally wheels and a choice between the 350 and 454 V8.

Third Gen Chevrolet El Camino
Photo: www.mecum.com

Fifth Generation: 1978 – 1987

The 5th generation had more sharp edged style. The new front of the car came with a single headlight design and metal trimmed doors, while at the rear the tailgate and bumper were shared with the Malibu station wagon. For the first time in its history though, the El Camino had a unique chassis shared with no other Chevrolet model.

Under the hood, V6 engines were available for the first time, and for a short period of time from 1982 to 1984, diesel engines sourced from Oldsmobile were also an option. In the final two years of production GM shifted the El Camino production to Mexico, ending its production quietly in 1987.

El Camino is a pioneering example of vehicles that attempted to tackle multiple car segments, offering sedan and truck customers with a mixed bag of comforts and utility features.

Chevrolet's truly stylish design and practicality means that El Camino helped pave the way for future car generations, being versatile in every sense and offering an unprecedented mix of power, looks and utility.

The cease of production for the El Camino was a somber one, but the fact that it wasn’t being sold in showrooms anymore didn’t stop people from loving it, and create a car culture around it. The El Camino is a folk hero in the car world and a solid performer who wasn’t afraid to get dirty.

Today, El Caminos can usually be found at car shows in the muscle car category, as the model created a culture around it. Early models are usually restored originals or transformed into Hotrods with modified engines, mag wheels and insane custom paints. Every way you put it, El Camino has a sort of panache around it, no wonder that the car has a list of 30 pages of movies that it was used in.
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