alternative to Chevrolet's traditional step-side pickup box.

1959 Chevrolet El Camino

The original El Camino introduced for 1959 combined the dramatically finned styling of that period's Chevy cars with half-ton pickup utility. After 1960, the El Camino went on a three-year hiatus.

Chevrolet revived the El Camino "personal pickup" concept for 1964, with a new version based on that year's new mid-size Chevrolet Chevelle. During the muscle-car era that followed, El Camino buyers could order their trucks with a Chevrolet high-performance big-block V-8 powertrain, creating a sport pickup that could "haul" in more ways than one. By 1968, a complete Super Sport package was available.

The Chevelle El Camino enjoyed a devoted following and was produced through two more styling generations (1968-1972 and 1973-1977).

For 1978, the El Camino was successfully transitioned to that year's new, smaller Chevrolet Malibu platform. The final El Caminos were 1987 models.

A quarter of a century later, the