General Motors has experimented with the El Camino theme in nearly endless ways through the years. For example, check out this proposed 1962 Chevy II-based pickup.
For the product planners at the Chevrolet Motor Division, an El Camino-style pickup based on the 1962 Chevy II surely made all the sense in the world. After all, Ford had successfully launched a Ranchero pickup based on its Falcon platform in 1960, and the Chevy II was essentially a clone of the popular Ford compact. (See our feature on the ’62 Chevy II here.) So a full-sized clay model, presumably based on the same 110-inch unit construction platform as the Chevy II passenger car, was prepared for display on the styling court at the GM Technical Center. Rolled out for the GM brass at some point in 1961, the clay model proudly wears El Camino badges, as shown in the photos above.
The Chevy II pickup was as cute as a bug and, just like the Falcon Ranchero, would have made a nice little hauler for civilian or commercial delivery use. But as we have seen, Chevrolet soon developed other plans for the El Camino franchise. By November of 1962 (below) Bill Mitchell’s GM styling studios had worked up a handsome pickup proposal based on the larger Chevelle platform, and the production version was introduced to the public along with the rest of the GM A-Body cars for the 1964 model year. This intermediate-sized El Camino with body-on-frame construction would remain in the Chevrolet product line through 1987.
I wish Chevy and Ford would bring back the El Camino and Ranchero.
I am sick of the bloated behemoth new pickups that look ( & cost ) like a mini-Kenworth. All I want is something to haul the lawnmower over to my Mom’s house or bring a 4×8 sheet of plywood home for a project.
Ford has a hit on their hands with the new Maverick that’s already sold out its’ 2022 run. GM has to be paying attention, as is Ram (who already has something similar made by Fiat in Brazil and sold in Mexico as a Ram).
As much as I like that Chevy II mockup, I think the El Camino based on the Chevelle series was the right call. This may have caused Ford to re-think the Falcon Ranchero, as the ’66 model year saw the Ranchero move to the Fairlane series. Thanks for the article – new information to me, and a photo to boot.
The 1966 Ranchero was a Falcon. The difference was only trim and front sheetmetal. Falcon and Fairlane were essentially a single product line.
I stand corrected.