Son Number Two and I drove into town this past weekend to look at a 2002 Ford Ranger XLT he was considering, only to be beaten to the purchase by literally minutes. Peeking out from behind the lot shack was the nose of this El Camino, which I’ll peg as a ’74 model based on the grille.
The fourth-generation El Camino was based on the Chevelle’s A-body platform, and was available with engines ranging from a 250 cu in (4.1-liter) six to a 454 cu in (7.4-liter) V8 mated to a three-speed automatic. Unfortunately, whenever one tries to be “all things to all people,” they usually end up falling short. Even so, over 50,000 El Caminos were sold in 1974.
Our subject car appears to have one of the V8s (from the last pre-catalytic converter year) and clearly has seen better days—the paint appears to be all that’s holding the rust molecules together at this point. The Z-28 wheels certainly give it a jaunty, sporting look, though. It’s not quite sure what it wants to be: Comfy car? Pickup truck? Sporty car? Hmmm.
Believe it or not, there was also a GMC version of this car/truck, called the Sprint. A whopping 4,873 were sold in 1974. Now that would be a rare find today!
Given the preponderance of lower rear-end rust, trailer-light plug and marine-grade tie-downs in the bed, I suspect this car may have spent a bit too much time near the water…but at least someone’s making the effort to keep it on the road a while longer.
This is a vehicle that I never cared about when colonnades covered the roads, but that I rather like now. I do not think that the solid white color scheme does it any favors, though. Do people paint bumpers now because chrome plating is getting expensive, or just for the look?
The styling of these is much more fluid than on the Ford Ranchero. I remember a lot of these on the road back then. So, when do you bring it home? 🙂
I’ve got a photo of a ’73 around here somplace. I’m with you, Jim — I wasn’t crazy about these when they were new, but the style has grown on me. I actually like it the best of all the Colonnade bodies now.
I currently drive a ’73, it was a marriage of convenience when I bought it, but now after 2 years, the style has grown on me and I love how it looks. Fun to drive too. I’d love to add it to the website if anyone were interested.
I and I’m sure others would like to hear about your Elky. Use the contact button above to talk to Paul about it.
We most certainly would be interested!
I actually saw a Sprint for sale recently, 1972 model, but pretty similar.
If anyone is interested in the rare Collonade GMC Sprint, there’s one for sale near me. http://northmiss.craigslist.org/cto/3740750801.html
I’ve known about these forever, but seeing the ’68-’72 Chevelle (-ish) nose with a GMC logo on it never stops being weird!
It would’ve been cool if GMC had gotten into the car-based pickup game a few years earlier and offered an El Camino SS equivalent with a hi-po version of one of their big block V6s.
I would love to see one of those big-block V6s must have been like a 4.1 or something…
Sometimes the difference between Chevrolet and GMC is meaningless like in this case just to give those dealers something to sell since they were built on the same assembly line and GM probably made money on them anyways.
If I were to get an El Camino, I would buy one of the last from the 80s with the Monte Carlo SS nose and drop a mild 350 in it and 700R4 made it very nice mildly performance yet streetable fairly economical and good looking.
Those V6s were much bigger than that, the small one was 305 CID and there was a 351 version.
I always wanted to stick those emblems on a Chevelle and make a “GMC car”.
Sean,
They did with the Sprint SP in the early ’70s, though try finding one today. They were V8, not V6 though. More info here: http://blog.cardomain.com/2009/07/27/cardomain-obscure-muscle-car-parking-lot-the-1971-72-gmc-sprint-sp/
What, we can’t get no Packard love? I’ve seen car show convertibles of this vintage and thought they looked good. But seeing this one makes me understand a little more why people were shying away from them.
I like pre-war Packards (like most everyone else), and the ones from the 50s (not the Studebaker one but its not too bad). My grandfather had a Caribbean convertible in the 50s. These immediate post-war versions not so much. I guess maybe because they were too rounded the pre wars and 50s cars had a certain classic edginess about their lines that made them easily identifiable as Packard.
Packards are cool,make mine a triple tone 55/56 Caribbean.
This was a car made to fill a slot set up by the previous body style; it’s neither successful in style in truck form, nor, with the odd bed shape, particularly useful. Even handling is going to be harmed with the extreme lightening of the rear end.
I suppose it’s good that some survive; and it’s well to look back; but these things were utterly without redeeming social value.
Speaking from experience (see earlier post), the handling is not harmed in my opinion, in fact, I find the handling quite satisfying. There are also no real traction issues, the only time the wheels slip is when I intend for them to. In addition, when you do get the back to step out, it comes right back to position in a very fluid, smooth, fashion. You see, the rear end hasn’t been all that lightened, underneath all the el camino bodywork is a station wagon’s floor pan, add on top of that all the thick gauge double walled bed sides and there isn’t a huge difference in weight between the el camino and the wagon.
Not seen one of these since about 1983 ish in the Rayleigh area of Essex on my way to see Hanoi Rocks at Crocs.This one looks like it’s had a hard life, perhaps you should have run it with the Colour of Money article!It looks big bucks to do a restoration,there must be better ones still around.Not as nice looking as a Ranchero
Back when these were still being built, they were the boss’s car on any construction site. I don’t spend any time at construction sites anymore. What does a successful building contractor drive today? Explorer? Grand Cherokee? Lexus RX? King Ranch F-150?
Late model F250 Powerstroke.
IS there a “successful building contractor” today?
The banksters who hold the titles…they drive Land Rovers. But they don’t spend a lot of time looking at what they buy.
Nowadays they are remodeling contractors….
The BT50/Ranger you originally went to look at would be better than this, just sayin.
There is actually a Sprint in Gallup, NM but then Rico Motors (GMC/Buick) has been in business for a long time and does seem to sell just as many GMC vehicles as the Chevy dealer can sell Chevy trucks and SUVs. Judging by the old fellow I see driving it the Sprint is likely still with its original owner.
….and didn’t Bill Clinton tell us once that he had owned a 1974 El Camino with indoor/outdoor carpet in its bed?
I have a ’71 Sprint sitting in storage right now- a junkyard rescue I snagged 3 years ago. It’s got some cancer in the lower rear quarters and the passenger side floorboard is shot, but is solid otherwise.
It’s a complete, running vehicle. It was obviously someone’s recent driver before it ended up in the boneyard. The day I picked it up, the tow truck operator was able to drive it to the rear entrance and onto the flatbed. I occasionally start and move it to work on my other project sitting next to it.
It will eventually be up for sale if anyone’s interested.
I’m late to this post, but one question I’ve always had about these is why don’t the bumpers fit widthways? They’re far too wide and look like they were added from something else. There’s a Chevelle wagon locally, and that darn over-wide bumper kills the looks.