1977 el camino car full#

The 1970 ‘SS-396’ model displaced 402 cubic inches and 360hp the ‘Turbo-Jet’ appealed to muscle car fans who wanted the practicality of a pickup truck. Its ¼ mile was faster than 1965, with mid to upper 14s as opposed to low 15s.Īir shocks remained standard on the 1967 El Camino. Without the Chevelle’s more powerful engines, it sported three straight sixes with 194-250 cubic inch displacement, with 159 maximum horsepower, a 200hp-226hp 283cid, and an optional 327cid V8 with 300hp.Ī powerful big block L78 396cid V8 with 375hp was added in 1966.

The 1964 El Camino was marketed as a light utility vehicle on a smaller 115in wheelbase. Over the course of two years, Chevrolet produced 36,409 El Caminos. It cost $2,366 for a six-cylinder, with $107 extra for a V8. The base 1960 283cid V8 was detuned to an economical 170hp, without fuel injection.

1977 el camino car full#

It was lower, with a longer 119in wheelbase, 26 cubic inch feet bed volume, tryex cord tyres, improved full coil suspension, and safety-girder X-frame construction, both new for 1958. Rochester Ramjet fuel injection was optional for V8s.ġ959 transmissions included standard three-speed manual, optional four-speed, and two-speed Powerglide automatic. The Chevrolet El Camino debuted with a standard 135hp, 235cid Hi-Thrift I6, 154hp 261cid Jobmaster I6 with 235 lb-ft torque, 185/230hp 283cid Turbo-Fire V8, and a more powerful Turbo-Thrust 348cid V8 with 335hp. The success of the Chevrolet S-10 pickup contributed to the El Camino being discontinued in 1987. In the spirit of the times, it was restyled almost every model year. The high-performance Super Sport boasted exclusive engines like the legendary 454 V8. Just as the Ranchero transferred from the full-size Fairlane to the compact Falcon, the second and third-generation El Camino was based on the Chevelle. The El Camino was revived amidst the muscle car wars in 1964. The recession and demand for smaller cars meant the first-generation production lasted until 1960. Combining a “passenger style car” with “the cargo capacity of a pickup,” its “dramatic slimline” appearance was “the handsomest thing that has ever happened to hauling.”Ī smart coupe utility was more respectable in a 1950s suburb than an industrial design: “This new combination of glamour and utility makes the El Camino an ideal vehicle for busy suburbanites who have both an eye for style and weekend work … it’s just right for hard working farmers, ranchers, or businessmen.” 22,246 El Caminos were sold in its first year, surpassing the Ranchero’s debut and 14,000 sales in 1958. The Chevrolet El Camino was introduced on October 16, 1958, for the 1959 model year. While Chrysler was unmoved by this unexpected new rival, GM designed their own two-door car-based truck. Practical and nice to drive, it sold 21,706 units. Adapted from a two-door station wagon, the 1957 Ford Ranchero established a new market segment. However, the 1955 Chevrolet Cameo Carrier pickup truck was a forerunner of the El Camino, featuring passenger car styling, luxurious interior and optional V8 engine.įord, Dodge, and Studebaker offered flush-side cargo boxes on several 1957 pickup trucks before the coupe utility body style appeared in America. GM Australia produced a Chevrolet coupe utility in 1935, before Studebaker’s 1937-39 Coupe Express and Holden’s 1951 sedan-based model.Īutomotive designer and GM executive Harley Earl proposed the coupe pickup concept in 1952. The improving economy led to a preference for comfort. A coupe utility with a fixed roof was developed by Ford designer, Lew Bandt, for an Australian farmer in 1932/4. The 1920s American roadster utility or ‘roadster pickup’ was the first two-door vehicle based on a passenger car that incorporated a rear cargo tray.

This is our comprehensive review of the Chevrolet El Camino. From 1959-87, the Chevrolet El Camino was a vehicle hybrid, combining the practicality of a pickup truck, passenger car comfort, stylish design, and, with the Super Sport package, high-performance muscle.Īccording to The Drive, the El Camino is “the world’s most loved car/truck.” ‘El Camino’ translates from Spanish as ‘the path’ or ‘the way.’ It is an appropriate name for a car that signalled a new direction f or General Motors (GM).