This was done to ensure a usable bed size and to keep key dimensions similar to those on its larger Chevelle-based predecessor. In a departure from previous generations, the underpinnings became somewhat unique, with a 117.1” wheelbase exclusive to the El Camino / Caballero – and 9” longer than that of the Malibu. Befitting its gentlemanly name, the GMC was promoted as a refined and distinguished vehicle for buyers who wanted the best of both worlds – comfortable cars and useful trucks.ĥth generation El Caminos / Caballeros were based on Chevy Malibus, similar to how earlier models were derived from Chevelles. “Caballero” was intended to complement the El Camino’s own Spanish nomenclature – caballero being a Spanish term for gentleman (GM originally used the name on a model of Buick station wagon sold in 1957-58). Its name changed, though, with GMC ditching Sprint for Caballero. In 1978, the El Camino entered its 5th and final generation, and a GMC version tagged along for the ride. Throughout the remainder of the 3rd generation and throughout its 4th, Sprints sold about 5,000 copies annually. From the outset, the GMC differed from its Chevy twin only in the most minor details – badges and trim. GMC dealers received their own version to sell – the Sprint. While the Elky’s performance credentials peaked in 1970 (with a 450-hp 454 V-8), El Camino retained both its muscular persona and its muscle car following until the end of its long production run.įor 1971, a new GM family member joined the now-established El Camino. Along the way, the El Camino attracted another clientele – the muscle car enthusiast. Whomever its customers wound up being, the car/truck concept found modest, but stable demand: Between 19, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation El Caminos sold on average 47,000 copies per year. This presaged El Camino’s marketing approach for the next quarter century – a vehicle for white-collar buyers who had an occasional need for hauling cargo, but wanted a more comfortable and presentable vehicle than a typical pickup. “ …a vehicle that could not only work hard but look like a million dollars doing it.”Īs opposed to the tradesmen shown driving other trucks in the ad, the El Camino driver is shown wearing a shirt and tie. Chevy’s rationale for the El Camino in the above ad is revealing – it was intended to be: The car/truck concept was still alluring though, and in 1964, El Camino returned, this time based on a Chevelle chassis. But if it was blazing a new trail, the El Camino got off to a shaky start after two years of mediocre sales, the model was discontinued. GM first used the name on a 1954 Cadillac concept car, and noted that cars bearing that name were envisioned to be trailblazers, similar to their historical eponym. “El Camino” (literally The Road in Spanish) was meant to evoke the El Camino Real mission trail in California. That gap, after all, suggested great opportunity for a niche vehicle. Based on the Bel Air, Chevrolet hoped to bridge the wide gap that existed between comfortable cars and utilitarian trucks. The El Camino story dates to 1959, when Chevrolet first added the cross-bred car/truck to its lineup. Along the way, these vehicles became known as “Cowboy Cadillacs” – and that nickname was as true for our featured 1987 model as it was for the first El Camino nearly three decades earlier. Throughout the decades, the concept stayed remarkably true to its original intent. But endure they did – with nearly a million copies having been sold. This slightly modified example is from the Caballero’s final production year of 1987 and can shed some light on one of GM’s rarest models of the 1980s.Įl Caminos and their GMC twins held a unique place in North America’s automotive landscape, being among the few car-based pickups to endure in a marketplace that was generally ambivalent about the concept. For 17 of the El Camino’s 26 model years, GMC offered a badge-engineered version of its own, but with only a few thousand being sold each year, they never became well-known. Unless it’s a GMC Caballero – the lesser known of General Motors’ half-car/half-pickup vehicles. (first posted ) Nothing looks like an El Camino.
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