1959 EL CAMINO MODELS YELLOW DRIVER

If the new owner wants to beef up the engine, there is a wide selection of V-8s that will fit under the hood.Įl Caminos were practical vehicles in their day. So are exterior (inner fenders to rear-view mirrors) and interior appointments (carpet sets to door handles). Specific El Camino parts, from taillights to emblems, are available. However, it has a unique aft from the front windshield. The orange “El Camino” above shares much of the front sheet metal with other Chevrolets. This “El Camino” is a homemade job based on a Nova station wagon. eBay Motors has a page of them, and some home-built examples not created in a GM factory. Today, any of the early El Caminos is a sought-after classic. Nonetheless, the model was back in the lineup for 1964. That beat the 14,169 Rancheros that Ford moved.īut orders plunged in 1960 to 14,163. The El Camino was a modest hit, with 22,246 produced in 1959, its first year. 1959 El Camino Craze: It’s Highly Collectible It was even seen as a drag-racing candidate. The El Camino was lighter than a sedan or coupe with a back seat.

In that form, with a four-speed manual, seven-second zero-to-60 times were possible. It has a Bel Air interior and bare-bones Biscayne trim.īut the drivetrain option list was long and included many V-8s, right up to the Turbo-Thrust 348 with carburation yielding as much as 335 horsepower. The ’59 Ranchero, based on the Brookwood two-door station wagon, came in only one edition. The inspiration for the new category was the cute Australian “utes,” dating back to the 1930s.

El Camino Historyįord led the way into the car-based trucks with the Ranchero, first appearing in 1957. The only worrying sign in the photos is the slathered-on undercoat. The car has 58,799 miles on the odometer. That’s enough to make it look cool but no less drivable. It’s lowered 2.5 inches in the rear and two inches in the front.

1959 EL CAMINO MODELS YELLOW DRIVER

The 1959 Chevy El Camino is now a daily driver in Rosemead, Calif. By Hugh Llewelyn from Keynsham, UKCC BY-SA 2.Under the hood is a 235-cubic-inch six, with three on the tree. The final El Camino rolled off the assembly line without much of a fuss in 1987. The last generation of the El Camino began production in 1978 using the GM G-Body platform. The El Camino continued to use Chevelle styling on a wagon chassis through 1977. The LS6 454 CID engine made 450 hp and pushed the El Camino through the 1/4-mile in the upper 13s at about 106 mph.

In 1970, El Camino buyers could opt for Chevrolet’s most powerful engine straight from the factory for the first time. This in part led Chevrolet to discontinue the model until a Chevelle based revival hit the market in 1964. Only 14,163 1960 El Caminos left the lot, compared to some 21,000 Fords. While Chevrolet outsold Ford for 1959, the next year would flip flop. It featured mid-level Bel Air styling on the outside and a lower class interior based on the Biscayne. While the vehicle could be dealer equipped with any Chevrolet drivetrain, just one trim level could be had. The first year El Camino was a success, outselling the Ranchero approximately 22,000 to 14,000. Chevy responded with the release of the El Camino, which was based on the 1959 Brookwood two-door station wagon. It wouldn’t be until 1957 that a coupe truck would come to the States when Ford introduced the Ranchero.

1959 el camino models yellow