From the 1964 through 1987 model years, General Motors built small pickups based on the wagon version of the midsize Chevelle/Malibu.
These were the Chevrolet El Camino and its GMC-badged twin, the Sprint/Caballero (there was an earlier El Camino based on the full-size Chevy as well, just for 1959 and 1960).
Of all those cartrucks (or truckcars, if you prefer), the most beloved today is the third-generation El Camino, built for the 1968 through 1972 model years. That’s what I’ve found on a street in Denver, parked not far from the 1979 Ford Pinto Runabout we saw a few months back.
I’m calling this a 1968 model, because the front fenders are from a ’68 and the front bodywork comes from a ’68 or ’69 El Camino… or a Malibu, or possibly this vehicle is a mashup bolted together from a dozen members of the 1968-1972 Chevelle family. There’s really no telling with vehicles like this, because a lot of parts-swapping can take place over a half-century-plus.
That goes triple for the engine: The 307-cubic-inch small-block Chevrolet V8 was one of the least-loved of all small-blocks, combining the skinny bore of the 283 with the 327’s crankshaft in an effort to improve exhaust emissions. Most 307s got thrown away decades ago and replaced with 327s or 350s, so I’d be surprised (and impressed) if the original mill still dwells under the hood of this cartruck.
The brake lights in the tailgate tell us that it came from a 1969-1972 El Camino (or even a 1970-1972 Sprint). Feel free to put forward your arguments about the real model year for this El Camino. I’m just happy that it still gets regular street use. By the way, it’s parked directly in front of the 1996 Mitsubishi 3000GT we saw in this series last summer.
1968 Chevrolet El Camino Parked in Denver
