They were also aware, of course, that Ford was still very much in the game with the new compact Ranchero, which was selling well. They had liked the extra sales provided by the half car/half truck. Some Chevrolet dealers were disappointed with the El Camino being dropped for 1961. Skowronski's very first assignment: help Chevrolet Truck Sales Manager James Conlon and his product planners research a replacement for the 1960 El Camino. When Eugene "Geno" Skowronski reported to work at Campbell-Ewald Advertising, Chevrolet's ad agency, on September 8, 1960, it was the start of a career that would span more than three decades and include dozens of new-vehicle introductions. However, your author did locate a member of the original concept team who well remembers the story of how the intermediate El Camino came to be. The exact chronology of events and who did what to bring the El Camino revival to market have become murky with the passage of time. However, when Chevrolet unveiled a new El Camino in 1964, Ford was immediately put on the defensive. The Falcon Ranchero consistently rang up around 20,000 sales per model year from 1960 to 1963. Meanwhile, Ford was busy transforming the Ranchero into a much smaller offering based on its new-for-1960 Falcon compact. Chevrolet responded with its like-sized El Camino in '59, but would build it that way for only two model years. See more pictures of Chevrolet cars.įord, of course, had fired the first round in the sedan-pickup battle with its Ranchero, built from 1957 to 1959 on the full-size Ford platform. I wouldn’t mind parking it in my driveway, and I have to admit that I will envy the person who eventually does buy it.The 1965 El Camino combined the moderate size of a car with the performance of a truck. If it is half as good in the metal as it appears to be in the listing, then it is potentially a great and entertaining pickup. This 1970 El Camino is a vehicle with the “wow” factor. The upholstery on the bench seat looks good, and apart from the carpet showing some evidence of fading, this is yet another area that presents nicely. The dash and pad look really good, and the original factory radio still sits in place. The interior of the El Camino is very clean and original. The only down-side to this is that there is less weight over the rear wheels in an El Camino, which can make things pretty lively in the wet. An El Camino weighs in at nearly 100lbs less than the Chevelle on which it’s based, which makes for pretty decent performance. What makes the El Camino such a performer is the weight. The owner claims that the car only has 48,000 miles on the clock, and while he doesn’t offer any verification, if it is as original as claimed, then I find the claim to be plausible. This is backed by an M22 “Rock Crusher” 4-speed manual transmission, while the El Camino is also fitted with power steering, power brakes, and Cowl Induction. The original 402ci, 350hp V8 still holds pride of place. The news is just as good under the hood because this is a numbers-matching car. This is just one fantastically clean survivor. Looking over the El Camino, it is hard to find anything much to criticize. Both look to be in really nice condition, and the comprehensive photos that the owner supplies indicate that the car is extremely solid and rust-free. It wears its original Green Mist paint and black vinyl top. If the information in the listing is accurate, then this is quite a car. At the time of writing, bidding has reached $29,600, but the reserve hasn’t been met. This particular El Camino is a really nice survivor that is located in North Ridgeville, Ohio, and is listed for sale here on eBay. Meek and mild would hardly be the words to describe this 1970 El Camino SS 396 because relatively low weight and 350hp under the hood means that what you have here should truly qualify as a muscle car.
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