Chevrolet was on a roll during the 60s and 70s, churning out good numbers in terms of sales and brand loyalty. Chevy also had a keen eye on being the first ones to bring out new off-beat offerings and woo the general public. The 1960 El Camino was the very first of its off-beat series. It was a part-sedan part-pickup truck and vaguely started the trend of fusion offerings, that we today call crossovers. The El Camino is widely considered to be the first "sedan pickup" in North America which is actually not true. We say this because Ford had launched the Ranchero, which was also a pick-up layout based on Ford's Fairlane sedan in 1957.

This offering from Ford had actually managed to steal the show from Chevy's oddball pick-up truck, the Cameo. This caught Chevrolet's attention and they were quick to take inspiration from Ford's newfound success and bring out the El Camino. It was based on the Chevy Biscayne Brookwood station wagon that also used elements from the Bel Air towards the rear. Despite being inspired by a competitor, Chevrolet El Camino managed to form a fan-base of its own and sprout out to being a desirable classic now.

The 1960 El Camino was an interesting new take on utility and comfort. This part-sedan part-truck offering from Chevrolet has amassed a cult-following and is now a desirable classic.

A New Bodystyle, Born From Two Commoners Inspired From the "Utes"

1960 El Camino side view
Via: Grassrootsmotorsports.com

The Ford Ranchero might have had the first all when it comes to this unique Bodystyle in the US. But they weren't the ones that brought the sedan-pickup fusion to the scene. These utility ready coupe-styled pickups dated back to the mid-1930s in Australia. They were called "utes" and were made by combining a 5-window coupe with a pick-up box. These formed the base for the quirky form factor that was a whole lot practical and easy to live with than fully blown trucks.

GM's Australian division came up with a Cameo Carrier pick-up truck as early as 1952. In fact, this body style had run the longest with the latest being with the Australian Holden Ute (North America missed some cool Utes!) being the last of its kind that demised off in 2017 when Holden was decommissioned by GM. But back then, it didn't quite take off as expected in the States, and Chevy retracted from the concept for a while. It was actually the Cameo that inspired automakers like Dodge and Ford to offer sedan-truck hybrids of their offerings. But it was Ford Ranchero that stole the show in 1957.

Related: Here’s The Evolution Of The Chevy Camaro In Pictures

Performance And Utilitarian Abilities Went Hand-In-Hand

1960 El Camino engine bay view
Via: 60impala.com

Ford rode high on the attention-wave of providing with a utilitarian new car that could take you in comfort with an equal effort for hauling capabilities. But that's when Chevy hit back at the Ranchero with the El Camino in 1960. It was based on the 2-d00r Biscayne Brookwood Station wagon and added design cues of the Bel Air, at the rear quarter.

Chevrolet offered a variety of engines in the El Camino that includes a 235 cu. in. Inline-6, a 283 cu. in. V8 and a 348 cu. in. V8 that ranged in power output from a humble 135 hp to a then truck-worthy 315 hp. The brawny V8 could be ordered with three 2-barrel carburetors and a floor-mounted 4-Speed manual gearbox.

Related: These Are The Most Stunning Restomod Vintage Trucks We Could Find

This Mixed Bag From Chevy Had Eye-brows, And A Bel-Air Sweep

1960 El Camino front third quarte view
Via: Autoinfluence.com

The first generation El Camino was based on the Biscayne and had the iconic quad-split headlamp unit along with a filling front chrome grille. It was quite the quirky mash-up and the highlighting cue was the wing-shaped rear end that was taken from the Bel Air. Because of this added focus on design, the bed was 6 feet long but could hold 34 cu. ft. of cargo. It had a payload capacity of 1150 lbs.

The rear swept cabin shape was also note-worthy and had a slanting rear windshield. But this design language, as classy as it looked was plagued with a lot of practicality issues. In 1960, Chevy heavily tweaked the exterior to let go of its artistic appeal and brought in changed it for a more practical approach. The eyebrows over the headlights were gone and the Bel Air inspired side profile was simplified for a compact approach.

Became A Cult Classic, Courtesy Of It's Quirky And Utilitarian Image

1960 El Camino at a household in the US
Via: Hotrodgarage.com

The first fused model might have only stayed around for a year between 1959- 1960 but its classic design cues are what makes it a cult-classic. The first generation, despite the reworked exterior, had the same fate as Ford's first-gen Ranchero. Chevy pulled the plug on the 1960 El Camino because of lackluster sales. But it is the first-gen model that has managed to start a cult following and it's mainly because of the bold move that Chevy took in the first place. Well, it also includes the fact that the rear end looks quite dramatic, thanks to the Bel Air approach.

Will The El-Camino Make A Return?

Future renderings of the El Camino
Via: Motorious.com

The first wave might have been a dull one, but Chevy bounced back in 1964 with a much-improved version of the El Camino and was built on the much more muscular Chevelle platform. It also paved way for the power-oriented Chevllelle SS-based El Camino that was quite a performance machine. Chevrolet eventually sold a million El Caminos through 1988 and leaving the Ford Ranchero in the dust!

In 2021, this body style would make very little sense as we have fully-fledged SUVs and trucks that offer the comfort of a cozy sedan, all the while being backed with brute force. But we would be the ones to jump about in excitement if the El Camino makes a comeback as it sure has the nostalgic tinge to it.

Sources: Automobilemag.com, Auto.howstuffworks.com, Hhclassic.com, History.com, Autoinfluence.com

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