In Spanish, El Camino means “the road.” In 1987, the Chevrolet El Camino arrived at the end of its journey.
If you’re a fan of the breed, you probably already know where this story begins, and when and how it ends. Introduced in 1959 as a direct competitor to the Ford Ranchero, the Chevrolet El Camino remained in production, off and on, all the way through 1987. But by then, there was no longer a profitable place for a sporty and luxurious car/pickup hybrid in the North American pickup market. The rival Ranchero had been dropped years earlier, back in 1979. (See our feature here.) Fully loaded, truck-based vehicles now ruled the category.
For its final generation of 1982-87, the Elky was based on the prolific General Motors G-body platform, shared with a multitude of cars across four GM divisions. But as the mid-sized, body-on-frame package was phased out in favor of front-drive products, by 1984 there were only two Chevrolets based on the G-body, the El Camino and Monte Carlo. For 1985, El Camino production was consolidated at GM’s Ramos Arizpe plant in greater Monterrey, Mexico, and the product line was now whittled down to a single model.
Optional appearance packages were offered to vary the exterior look. The Conquista package (RPO D91) included two-tone paint and extra bright-metal trim, while the El Camino SS shown above (RPO Z15 SS Sport Decor package) borrowed the aerodynamic nose of the Monte Carlo SS. A van conversion outfit in Chattanooga, Tennesse, Choo-Choo Customs, also offered an El Camino with an SS-style front fascia along with some other extras, sold through participating Chevrolet dealers.
Engine choices for 1987 were limited to two. A 4.3-liter Vortec V6 with 145 hp was standard, while an optional 5.0-liter (305 CID) V8 provided 150 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque. Either could be coupled to a three-speed or four-speed automatic transmission; the manual gearbox choices had disappeared from the order forms years before. Payload capacity was 1,250 lbs, a specification few El Camino buyers ever cared about.
On the other hand, interior choices were plentiful: bench, split-bench, and bucket seats, cloth and vinyl, while the full range of Delco audio systems was available. But there were fewer and fewer takers for hybrid car/pickups, as ’87 proved to be the lowest production year in El Camino history at 13,473 units, including 861 chisel-nosed SS models. The El Camino was quietly dropped at the end of year and never returned.
When we moved to California in 1970, my father asked the young man next door to help him pick up a sofa he had bought. The fellow had a 1970 El Camino with a 454 and was happy to help. My dad was a conservative Canadian who prefered six cylinder Ramblers as his mode of transportation so when he came back he was out of breath. “Wow! That thing is crazy!” he said. He had never been, nor ever again was in a vehicle with that kind of power. I think the young fellow had buried his foot in it a few times…
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Thank you for the kind words. We try to provide substance without too much opinion or carrying on.
The better translation for the Spanish expression “El Camino” is the pathway, the footpath or the trail rather than the road.