1959 Chevrolet El Camino

As the 1950s were coming to a close, the market witnessed some truly transitional cars, including the Chevy El Camino. Created for a brief two-year window starting in 1959, it disappeared until 1964. The El Camino was based on the growing popularity of the full-size Chevrolet model line, with similar body cues and styling. The early examples were GM's answer to Ford's Ranchero, the other prime contender in this unique market. The history of the car-truck concept is said to have originated around the early 1930s when the wife of a rancher wrote to Ford of Australia expressing her interest in an all-in-one vehicle that could be used around the farm, taken to market and used to attend church services on Sunday. Designer Lew Bandt was tasked with sketching out the design. Known as the Ute in Australia, it would inspire several other manufacturers to follow suit with versions of their own.

The 1959 Chevrolet El Camino was based largely on the full-size Chevrolet Brookwood two-door station wagon. Its B-platform, 'Safety-Girder' X-frame chassis featured additional reinforcements such as bracing in the roof and rear cab panel. The cargo box sides and tailgate were double-walled and the bed floor was made of 18-gauge corrugated steel. The El Camino was promoted by Chevrolet as its first pickup built with a steel bed floor instead of wood. While the Ranchero used existing passenger-car components, the original El Camino necessitated the creation of many specially tooled pieces, including the upper door frames, load bed, rear quarter panels, and inner paneling. The exterior trim was from the Bel Air and the interior trim was from the Biscayne. It could be fitted with essentially any option on the list, including any drivetrain available from Chevrolet, which ranged from inline 6-cylinders to 348 CID V8s.

The styling of the 1959 El Camino included a pair of jet-engine-inspired air intakes mounted into the leading edge of the hood, a pair of quad headlights separated by a wide grille of horizontal slats with polished bullets, and the so-called 'batwing' tailfins. The enormous rear deck sloped to a low 'V' in the center, and beneath each winged fin were the so-called 'cat's eye' taillights.

The El Camino proved to be more popular than the Ford Ranchero, selling over 22,000 examples in 1959.

by Dan Vaughan

Wagon

Chevrolet introduced their revolutionary El Camino in 1959, a vehicle that the company hailed as 'more than a car - more than a truck.' The El Camino had the general styling of the 1959 Chevrolet passenger cars but added a bed in the back with a cargo capacity of 1,150 pounds. The box had a volume of nearly 34 cubic feet, was of double-wall design, and had built-in steel skid strips.

Chevrolet offered the El Camino in thirteen solid and ten two-tone color combinations. During the calendar year, Chevrolet sold 306,237 trucks. Also in 1959, Chevrolet sold its seventh millionth truck.

This El Camino is powered by a 283 cubic-inch V8 offering 185 horsepower. It had a base price of $2,350.

by Dan Vaughan

Wagon

The El Camino made its debut in 1959 as a direct response to the 1957 Ford Ranchero. Featuring sleek 'Jet Age' styling combined with pickup functionality, the El Camino quickly became something of a cult car, finding a strong following among custom-car fans, hot rodders, and drag racers.

Like the Ranchero, the El Camino was a car/truck hybrid. It shared much of its basic architecture with the entry-level Brookwood two-door station wagon. The El Camino also utilized the Brookwood interior trim, but the exterior decor was shared with the midlevel Bel Air. The El Camino utilized the same X -member frame as the standard '59 Chevrolet passenger car.

This El Camino is finished in Crown Sapphire. It features the standard 135-horsepower Hi-Thrift six-cylinder engine and optional two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission. Factory options include AM radio, heater/defroster, right-hand sun visor, and right-hand armrest. The current owner has had this El Camino for over 40 years. In 2001, a frame-off restoration was undertaken, carefully supervised, and researched by the owner with a strict emphasis on authenticity.

Wagon
Chassis number: H59L197707

The Chevrolet El Camino, the company's answer to Ford's Ranchero series, was introduced in 1959 and promoted by Chevy as its first pickup built with a steel bed floor instead of wood. This particular example wears a restoration that was finished in a combination of two-tone Classic Cream over Highland Green. There are Classic Cream painted steel wheels with polished full-wheel covers and wide whitewall tires. The interior is done in Chevrolet's 'tri-tone' green upholstery with a cream and green steering wheel. The two-tone steering wheel frames a Space-Age dash in Highland Green. There is a 120-mph speedometer along with four other concave gauges. Above the factory-correct air-conditioning system is a pushbutton radio residing in the padded dash. Beneath the bonnet is a 348 cubic-inch 'Turbo Thrust' V-8 engine fed by a Carter four-barrel carburetor.

by Dan Vaughan

The Chevrolet El Camino was produced from 1959 through 1960 and again from 1964 through 1987. The vehicle could be classified as a small car but with a pick-up truck bed. The name, El Camino, means 'The Road' in Spanish.

Two years after Ford introduced their Ranchero, Chevrolet introduced the El Camino. The styling, both interior and exterior, and its platform were courtesy of the Impala. During its introductory year, 22,246 examples were produced. A year later sales slumped to 14,163 and Chevrolet made the decision to cancel production. The first generation did not achieve the success that the Ford Ranchero had accomplished. This had been unfortunate, especially since the El Camino had undergone extensive styling updates during its second year.

The Ranchero continued to sell well during the early 1960's so Chevrolet decided to reintroduce the El Camino in 1964. This time is shared the Chevelle platform and styling. Two engines were offered, a 283 and a 327 cubic-inch V8. Horsepower ranged from just under 200 to 250. Performance was given a high priority in 1965 with the introduction of the L79 327 cubic-inch V8 to the El Camino. The small block engine was capable of producing an astonishing 350 horsepower. The performance trend continued into 1966 when Chevrolet offered a 396 big-block cubic-inch engine on the El Camino. The horsepower rating skyrocketed to around 350 and gave the vehicle a mid 14 second quarter-mile time. To keep the vehicle stable at speeds, Chevrolet offered high performance shocks and springs as standard equipment. Also standard was the Synchro-Mesh three-speed gearbox with the four-speed or two-speed Powerglide automatic available as optional equipment. Just over 35,000 examples were produced during the 1966 model year.

1967 was the final year for the second generation El Camino. Little was done, or needed, to improve upon the aesthetics of the vehicle. The updates mimicked the changes that occurred on the Chevelle. A new grille and bumper adorned the front of the vehicle. A vinyl roof could be ordered as optional equipment. A performance suspension was standard equipment for all El Camino's equipped with the powerful 396 cubic-inch engine. All other El Camino's were given air-adjustable shock absorbers. This allowed the adjustment of the suspension depending on the cargo load.

The third generation of the El Camino, lasting from 1968 through 1972, brought about many mechanical and styling changes. The El Camino now rode upon a 4-door station-wagon Chevelle wheelbase. The hood was stretched and could accommodate larger engines, such as the newly introduced Super Sport SS396. Horsepower ranged from 325 through 375. The SS versions were given six-inch wheels. Of the nearly 42000 El Camino's sold during 1968, 5190 were equipped with the SS396 option.

1969 was similar to the prior model year; little was changed. A new grille and front bumper were placed on the front. Sales continued to be strong with over 48,300 examples being produced.

For 1970, the Chevelle was updated and the El Camino mimicked the changes. The 396 cubic-inch engine was enlarged to 402, although the emblems continued to read 396. New engine options became available. The LS5 454 cubic-inch V8 produced 360 horsepower while the LS6 454 cubic-inch V8 produced 450 horsepower. When equipped with the LS6, the quarter-mile took only 13.4 seconds. A close-ratio four speed manual or a Turbo-Hydromatic were the only available engines offered with the powerful 454.

Due to increase government safety and emissions regulations, the muscle-car era was coming to an end. This meant that the engines were detuned and horsepower began to decline. Horsepower ranged from 245 from the 350 cubic-inch engine to 365 from the LS5 454 cubic-inch. Visual changes included the grille coming to a point while single headlight replaced the double design. GMC rebadged the El Camino and sold the vehicle as a GMC Sprint.

1972 continued the decline of engine performance. Horsepower ranged from 165 through 270. There were very few aesthetic changes, the most visible being the removal of the Chevrolet bowtie from the grill and new turn signals. This was also the final year for the third generation El Camino with 1973 began the fourth generation. The El Camino was restyled, again following the changes done to the Chevelle. The styling updates continued mostly unchanged until 1978.

The fifth generation of the El Camino began in 1978 and continued through 1987. The El Camino shrunk in size and given a modern, updated styling. The Chevelle had since been discontinued, so the El Camino now shared its platform and design with the Monte Carlo and Malibu. With the smaller body and engine bay, the 4.3 liter V-6 engine did not look out of place. If more horsepower was required, a 5.7 liter small-block eight-cylinder engine was available.

In 1984 production of the El Camino was moved to Mexico where it continued until 1987.

by Dan Vaughan