To some the Chevy El Camino was a thing of beauty. To others, it was an awkward quasi-car/truck monstrosity that lasted longer than it should have. What happened to it?
The El Camino had a number of different types of fans. There were those that thought the vehicle was intriguing to look at and completely unique. Why not have a car that was unlike most of the other vehicles on the road? Others believed it to be a very functional vehicle, as it handled like a car while possessing the functionality of a pickup truck. Another group viewed the El Camino, when properly fitted, as a true muscle car, specifically the El Camino SS, which had a 454 big-block V-8.
Whatever the reason for wanting/needing an El Camino, the desire to purchase them declined and Chevy was forced to stop production. Numerous factors ultimately contributed to the demise of this interesting vehicle, both domestic and international issues. No one is to blame, including Chevrolet.
They did everything they could to keep the car around. Who is to say, perhaps at some point in the future, Chevy will bring back the El Camino for a new generation to enjoy? Should the El Camino make a return, perhaps the mullet will make a comeback as well.
Brief History Of The El Camino
In order to keep up with Ford and its production of the Ranchero, in 1958 Chevy began production of the El Camino, a combination of a car and a pickup truck. This attempt by Chevy was not successful, as production only lasted for two years. Chevy had a second go at producing the El Camino from 1964 until 1987. In the late 1960s, a muscle car version of the El Camino was produced, which proved to be quite successful within the muscle car realm. Alas, all good things come to an end, and the El Camino was not exempt from changes within the automobile industry.
Why Production Was Stopped
The introduction of small 4-cylinder pickups, as well as economic factors, led to the demise of the El Camino. Trucks such as the Ford Ranger and the Toyota pickup provided similar functionality to the El Camino, yet with greater fuel efficiency. Why have an 8-cylinder vehicle when a 4-cylinder would do the job just as well? Worldwide gas shortages had an impact across the automobile industry.
As with other muscle cars of the period, the El Camino experienced the squeeze when it came to reducing engine sizes for economic purposes. Coupling this with competition from the newly introduced small pickups, the muscle car niche for the El Camino was too small to justify continued production.
Will It Make A Comeback?
Companies have stopped and started production of small pickups, take the Ford Ranger for example. Is there the possibility of a niche for the El Camino in today's world? There are rumors of a new El Camino, but the question is, if this were to happen, who would Chevy be directing their marketing efforts towards? Would it be to recapture some muscle car glory days? Or would it be to fulfill some void with a unique car of bygone days?