By the end of the 1950s, Chevy had proven fairly definitively that it had its finger on the pulse of pickup truck styling, but competition was still fierce from other automotive players like Ford. This may be why, in 1959, Chevy decided to invert its thinking a bit for a new innovation. Rather than trucks that were closer to cars, the brand attempted to make a car that was closer to a truck. Thus, the mysterious and iconic Chevrolet El Camino was born.
The original experimental run of the El Camino only lasted one year from 1959 to 1960, but a few years later in 1964, the vehicle really hit its stride — starting a production run that would last for over 20 years. The most distinctive feature of the El Camino is, of course, its bed, swooping out from the back of a body that would normally belong on a traditional sedan. The first two generations of El Camino were marketed as utility vehicles, but with the third generation in 1968, it became more of a sports car, packing a powerful V8 engine.
While the El Camino wasn’t quite robust enough to pull the same kind of labor as a full pickup, the mere addition of a bed to a sedan-sized car gave it some extra utility. It was basically a hot rod that you could also use to help your friend move out of an apartment.
