CHEVY EL CAMINO : The Car That Thought it was a Truck

More than a car – but not a true truck . The Chevrolet El Camino was built tough enough to get chores done on the farm, yet sporty enough to cruise boldly around downtown. In its prime, it wasn’t uncommon in the summer to see an El Camino’s bed full of people on their way to the lake And then seeing the Chevy El Camino in the fall, powering through the field for harvest. THIS IS THE STORY OF THE CHEVY EL CAMINO Built in response to the Ford Ranchero, the original Chevrolet El Camino was introduced in 1959 and touted as the “Handiest helper a family ever had!” When introduced in 1959, Chevy’s new “half-car/half-truck” had a good first year of sales. Built on the 119-inch wheelbase two-door Chevy Brookwood station wagon chassis with BelAir livery outside and a Biscayne interior, Chevy surprised Ford’s ’59 Ranchero with better overall sales of 22,246 to 14,169, respectively. Considering Ford’s first Ranchero came out in 1957 and sold well at 21,706 vehicles, it surprised everyone who followed this novel car/