(first posted 10/18/2016) Nothing looks like an El Camino. Unless it’s a GMC Caballero – the lesser known of General Motors’ half-car/half-pickup vehicles. For 17 of the El Camino’s 26 model years, GMC offered a badge-engineered version of its own, but with only a few thousand being sold each year, they never became well-known. This slightly modified example is from the Caballero’s final production year of 1987 and can shed some light on one of GM’s rarest models of the 1980s.
El Caminos and their GMC twins held a unique place in North America’s automotive landscape, being among the few car-based pickups to endure in a marketplace that was generally ambivalent about the concept. But endure they did – with nearly a million copies having been sold. Throughout the decades, the concept stayed remarkably true to its original intent. Along the way, these vehicles became known as “Cowboy Cadillacs” – and that nickname was as true for our featured 1987 model as it was for the first El Camino nearly three decades earlier.
The El Camino story dates to 1959, when Chevrolet first added the cross-bred car/truck to its lineup. Based on the Bel Air, Chevrolet hoped to bridge the wide gap that existed between comfortable cars and utilitarian trucks. That gap, after all, suggested great opportunity for a niche vehicle.
“El Camino” (literally The Road in Spanish) was meant to evoke the El Camino Real mission trail in California. GM first used the name on a 1954 Cadillac concept car, and noted that cars bearing that name were envisioned to be trailblazers, similar to their historical eponym. But if it was blazing a new trail, the El Camino got off to a shaky start; after two years of mediocre sales, the model was discontinued.
The car/truck concept was still alluring though, and in 1964, El Camino returned, this time based on a Chevelle chassis. Chevy’s rationale for the El Camino in the above ad is revealing – it was intended to be:
“…a vehicle that could not only work hard but look like a million dollars doing it.”
As opposed to the tradesmen shown driving other trucks in the ad, the El Camino driver is shown wearing a shirt and tie. This presaged El Camino’s marketing approach for the next quarter century – a vehicle for white-collar buyers who had an occasional need for hauling cargo, but wanted a more comfortable and presentable vehicle than a typical pickup.
Whomever its customers wound up being, the car/truck concept found modest, but stable demand: Between 1964 and 1977, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation El Caminos sold on average 47,000 copies per year. Along the way, the El Camino attracted another clientele – the muscle car enthusiast. While the Elky’s performance credentials peaked in 1970 (with a 450-hp 454 V-8), El Camino retained both its muscular persona and its muscle car following until the end of its long production run.
For 1971, a new GM family member joined the now-established El Camino. GMC dealers received their own version to sell – the Sprint. From the outset, the GMC differed from its Chevy twin only in the most minor details – badges and trim. Throughout the remainder of the 3rd generation and throughout its 4th, Sprints sold about 5,000 copies annually.
In 1978, the El Camino entered its 5th and final generation, and a GMC version tagged along for the ride. Its name changed, though, with GMC ditching Sprint for Caballero. “Caballero” was intended to complement the El Camino’s own Spanish nomenclature – caballero being a Spanish term for gentleman (GM originally used the name on a model of Buick station wagon sold in 1957-58). Befitting its gentlemanly name, the GMC was promoted as a refined and distinguished vehicle for buyers who wanted the best of both worlds – comfortable cars and useful trucks.
5th generation El Caminos / Caballeros were based on Chevy Malibus, similar to how earlier models were derived from Chevelles. In a departure from previous generations, the underpinnings became somewhat unique, with a 117.1” wheelbase exclusive to the El Camino / Caballero – and 9” longer than that of the Malibu. This was done to ensure a usable bed size and to keep key dimensions similar to those on its larger Chevelle-based predecessor. Though overall length was shorter by nearly a foot compared to the 4th generation vehicles, bed length shrunk only 1” (to 79.5”) and interior dimensions generally grew larger. Caballero’s bed, though, was shallow at 13.6” – more than two inches shallower than that of an S-15 compact pickup.
With their only direct competition, Ford’s Ranchero, discontinued after 1979, the GM twins were left all alone in the car-based pickup market. Since that time, the El Camino and Caballero have been unique fixtures on American roads. These cars have always stood out – despite not standing above – in a crowd.
In 1982, the 5th generation El Camino / Caballero received its most significant appearance change – a redesigned front clip, again courtesy of the Malibu, featuring quad headlamps, as well as revised interior trim. As shown on the two El Camino examples above, the redesign provided a slightly more modern appearance, though this was hardly a cutting-edge design in 1982.
GMC’s Caballero brochure that year called it an “elegant pickup.” Promotional photos reinforced this notion, as Caballeros were shown taking their owners antiquing, to the tennis club and on a romantic night out. Caballeros are rarely shown hauling, towing or getting dirty.
With a range of V-6 and V-8 engines available and a pickup box capacity of 35.5 cu. ft., Caballero’s work threshold was in line with other lighter-duty pickups of its time, but heavy-duty use is not what these vehicles were intended for.
source of production numbers: www.chevelles.com
Sales of the post-1982 models dropped to their lowest levels since the El Camino resumed production in 1964. It must have seemed that time had run out on the car/truck concept, particularly with the Malibu itself discontinued after 1983. Yet amazingly the El Camino / Caballero still had another several years of production left. For their last 6 model years, combined sales averaged just below 24,000 units. About 11% of those sales were Caballeros. With only 2,500 units sold each year, there wasn’t much obvious benefit to keeping the Caballero around.
Sometimes, Caballero was even left out of GMC family portraits. In theory, its presence could attract a broad range of customers to the car/truck fold, with GMC dealers often co-located with Pontiac or Buick franchises. However, by the mid-1980s, it’s doubtful that many customers cross-shopped an El Camino or Caballero with anything. For better or worse, they were in a league of their own.
For 1985, these twins became Spanish in more than just name. GM shifted production from Arlington, Texas 600 miles south to Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, and these cars became among GM’s first vehicles imported to the US from Mexico.
Our featured car is from 1987, the Caballero’s (and El Camino’s) last year. As in previous years, differences between El Caminos and Caballeros were wholly cosmetic and consist almost entirely of interior and exterior badges – virtually defining the term “badge engineering.” And with the final generation produced for 10 largely similar years, by 1987 these cars were virtually Curbside Classics while still in production.
1987 Caballeros were available with a standard 4.3-liter fuel-injected V-6, or an optional 5.0-liter 4-bbl. V-8. This car features the V-8 option, which developed 150-hp and 240-lb. ft. of torque. Payload was rated at 1,250 lbs., within the range of GMC’s S-15.
This particular car probably started life as a Diablo model, GMC’s equivalent of the El Camino SS Sport Decor Package. Essentially a sport-trim package, the Diablo featured a subtle front air dam, sport mirrors, rally wheels, some blacked-out trim and other appearance enhancements.
Despite its sinister-sounding name, the Diablo was not a skull-and-crossbones type of vehicle – the above picture is the Diablo image from GMC’s 1987 brochure. Mechanically, Diablos were identical to other Caballeros.
Our featured car differs from its stock appearance however, having been enhanced by features mimicking a limited edition El Camino SS. Between 1983 and 1987, El Caminos were available with an appearance package created by Choo Choo Customs, a car and truck customization firm in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Choo Choo grafted on a polyurethane front clip similar to that on the Monte Carlo SS, and augmented that with a power bulge hood, side moldings, and special graphics. The Choo Choo package proved popular (and spawned many imitations), but curiously was never available on Caballeros.
This car shows some aftermarket additions similar to the Choo Choo design, notably the hood bulge and similar side moldings, though the front end retains its unaltered Caballero appearance. Several “SS” badges also adorn our featured vehicle, and those are aftermarket additions as well, since there was no official “Caballero SS.”
The maroon interior retains its original appearance. A well-equipped car, this Caballero features power windows and locks, cruise control, air conditioning and the optional GM/Delco cassette stereo with equalizer. A 55/45 split bench seat provides an upscale seating surface, with pillow-style “Comfort Level” upholstery (a non-split bench and bucket seats were also available).
In between the Malibu-sourced front and rear lurks some interesting, and often overlooked bodywork. Unlike on pickups, there is no vertical separation between the cab and the pickup box; one flows seamlessly into the other.
Speaking of seamless, notice the graceful flying buttress B-pillars. The swooping pillars became a hallmark of El Caminos since 1968 and remained so ever since.
The pillars are augmented by triangular quarter-windows that give the side glass area an almost symmetrical appearance. With all of those styling details, one can see why GM billed the El Camino / Caballero as “one racy looking vehicle.”
The curved glass, though, did contribute to one minor reduction of the Caballero’s functionality – the front corners of the bed were similarly curved, rather than squared-off as on other pickups.
Despite these styling touches, by the mid-1980s, it was clear that the car/truck concept trail was nearing an end. El Caminos and Caballeros were pure profit for GM by that point (tooling had long since been paid for), but the sales volume did not justify a replacement.
Much had changed since the concept was first introduced, notably a blurring of the car and truck distinction. However, it didn’t blur in the Caballero’s favor. Ironically, the 1988 Dodge Dakota parked next to our Caballero demonstrates this change – trucks increasingly took on car characteristics and amenities, rather than cars sprouting pickup beds.
After the El Camino and Caballero ended production, the car/truck concept slowly receded from memory in North America. Today, even though pickups have thoroughly permeated the mainstream marketplace, the Caballero seems like an oddity – a pickup designed around car-like comfort without any pretension of overbearing arrogance.
Perhaps because of its rarity, the Caballero is a car that lived up to its name: A gentleman. In a world where true gentlemen seem rarer than they’ve ever been, it’s even more of a standout now then it was three decades ago. ¡Hasta la vista, Caballero!
Photographed in Fairfax, Virginia in June 2016.
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1982 Chevrolet El Camino — Every Day Is Satyr-day J P Cavanaugh
Nice looking ute, GMH Australia built Chevy utes from the early 30s right thru to the early 50s model then stopped to concentrate on their homegrown Holden and Vauxhall models.
I think the ’70s Holden utes were sold in South Africa under the El Camino name, if I’m remembering right.
Yes the HQ Holden and earlier Holden based utes were called El Caminos, the later/last models based on the Holden Commodore were badged as Chevy Lumina Utes. This is a scruffy ‘HQ’ El Camino.
A second to last model Lumina ute. These were nearly sold in the USA as the Pontiac Sport Truck, with the G8 grille.
I like the inside off the El Camino . Nice how it is.
You mentioned the Ford Ranchero but forgot about the Dodge Rampage and Plymouth Scamp. Only reason I remember the Dodge is because, when I was a kid, my neighbour across the street had one and I was forced to look at it every time I went outside 🙁
Yes — or the VW Rabbit pickup! Though I didn’t view the subcompact pickups as direct competition for the El Camino, you’re right, the Elky/Caballero weren’t ALL alone in the car/truck market – the Scamp was nipping at its heels for a few years.
I’d love to find a Scamp or Rampage for a write-up, but their survival rates are pretty low.
And let’s not forget the Subaru BRAT, or the later Baja
Or the Ford Durango. A few hundred were made, and presumably sold to the public?
We seem to average about one Rampage article a year, so we’ll be due for one in 2017!
2012: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-capsule/cc-capsule-lido-went-on-a-rampage-one-day/
2013: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake-1984dodge-rampage-when-the-days-work-is-done/
2014: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake/cc-outtake-1982-dodge-rampage-a-forgotten-page-in-dodges-history/
2015: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake-dodge-rampage-losing-the-battle-to-moss/
2016: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1982-dodge-rampage-no-thanks-we-like-our-pickups-large/
An ’84 Rampage also makes an appearance among an ensemble of oddball Mopars here:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cohort-sightings-chrysler-cordoba-ls-and-other-mopar-goodies/
Also the Argentinean Mercedes W114 ute/pickup. An official vehicle. Not quite so evocatively named, however, just 220D in a place where everyone spoke Spanish. Those crazy MB guys. Still, the ultimate gentleman’s working car.
Wasn’t a big part of the popularity of cars like the Caballero is that in an earlier generation a wife would not be embarrassed to be seen getting in and out of it. So a few married men were allowed to have one where a pickup would just not have passed muster. The truck just implying a red neck. As the stigma lessoned, so did the need for these hybrids.
Some of this must still exist and I am guilty of it myself. There was an old 90s Chevy pickup my wife and I passed yesterday on our walk in front of a B & B. It had just married written all over it. I told my wife that the guy considered hiring a Rolls for his wedding car. Then he thought better and took the old truck on the theory that he shouldn’t promise a life he won’t deliver.
It isn’t just a question of social nicety. When car-trucks started in the US, standard pickups were crude and brutal by modern standards. You were sentencing your passengers to a pretty unpleasant experience. Even in 1987, GM was still selling a relatively rough full size truck that dated back to 1973.
I agree on the “wife factor”, John C.
Because of parking regulation in New Orleans’ French Quarter and truck allowed freight zone parking; my Father had several Ranchero models, one El Camino and then small Toyota trucks.
My always stylish suburban housewife Mother would happily drive one of the more loaded Ranchero trucks that Dad owned; but would not even move the Toyota trucks out of the way to get to her car….much less be seen driving a “workman’s grade pick up truck” (her words).
What you and Hubba have noted is what lead to the creation of the ute in Australia.
Even today there are those who refer to the Japanese pickups as “kidney smashers” (due to the heavy duty suspension to allow 2200-2800 lb payloads) and prefer a Holden or Ford ute. I expect they are making arrangements for their final rest-of-life utes now…
A bit of CC effect here: right after having read this (excellent) article, I saw a 1st gen VW Golf pickup passing by (known as Rabbit pickup in America).
The El Camino and similar cars/trucks are a true rarity over here in Europe. Europeans didn’t really have the kind pickup trucks as Americans and the ‘truck-vs-car’ dilemma was never there.
The closest thing to El Caminos were small cars tranformed into ‘mini pickups’ , like the aforementioned VW Golf. This was anyway more popular in Eastern (and perhaps Southern?) Europe a few decades ago, I remember seeing a lot of such mini pickups based on small cars, such as Škoda Favorit from Czechia or Zastava 128 (Fiat-based) from Yugoslavia. And these were never regarded as cool vehicles, they were simply tools for small tradesmen who needed basic transportation for their businesses.
Ditto on the CC effect, as we followed a late-50s or so Ranchero for a few miles on the way home a couple days ago.
I like it, and really really want a red 1959 version.
Nice history on something Europe just doesn’t do, never has and probably never will.
At the Motor Trend International Auto Show this past February in Baltimore, there was a 1960 El Camino, in the same exact red as the pictured ’59. They have a vintage and custom car section to give you a break from all of the new cars to see at the show. I had never seen a first generation El Camino and always thought that they started in the mid sixties with the Chevelle body. The proud owner was surprised when I recognized the vintage of his car when I asked him whether it was something he custom modified from a ’60 Chevy. I told him I was of the same vintage. He and my Dad just laughed.
Morris Marina came in ute in England so did Commer express but Armstrong Siddeley utes and the Ford Anglia/Zephyr utility range never got offered nor the Vauxhall Wyvern/Velox utes ever make the reverse emigration officially.
Very nice! These GMC versions are hard to find, so good spotting.
I don’t think it’s possible to overstate the effect of the S-10 on El Camino sales. However attractive a package that was more car than truck might have been earlier, by the 80s trucks were becoming cool and the S-10 hit a sweet spot in the market.
Agreed!
They were always a tough sell on the used car market. Either you wanted one or you didn’t. Most didn’t. Truck buyers didn’t think they were trucks. Car buyers thought they were weird. Kind of like eating turkey, some people like the white meat, some like the dark meat, then there occasionally one who wants the neck.
I always liked Ford’s Ranchero better. Higher hauling capacity and often a much more luxurious, quieter interior than the same generation El Camino. The last generation Ranchero could have the same interior, dashboard & quietness of a Thunderbird.
I did drive the last gen El Camino, unfortunately equipped with a V6 engine and 3 speed automatic tranny. Even empty & unloaded, that pig was pathetic! It literally couldn’t get out of it’s own way. I shudder to think how dangerously s-l-o-w it must had been with a load in the bed.
Well except for the front. I hated the LTD II front end. But your right, the Interiors were VERY nice.
Ford ran out a lot of 1979 Rancheros with leftover Tbird/XR7 seats and door panels. Very, very spiffy.
Agree on the LTD II grille. A swap to an aftermarket “billet” grille made a world of difference on the front end styling.
I’ve seen several with the ’77-’79 Thunderbird nose swapped out; most appealing.
Yeah, I’ve seen some of those T-Bird clips as well. They look good. But I prefer the “bolder” looking 79 T-Bird grille.
My memory isn’t what it should be (I think) but I seem to recall that El Caminos et al were so popular in the early 70’s because they weren’t choked by the pollution standards that destroyed car performance. Later, when mileage became a thing because of the oil shock, they ended up with the same weak-sister engines as their car-cousins. However, I also believe that the SUV craze came from the same roots. While cars shrank like Rick Moranis trucks and SUVs remained large enough for, ahem, growing Americans, and powerful enough to haul them and their
potato chips and beerStuff.Finally, although ugly compared to the El Camino, couldn’t the Honda Ridgeline be considered a Japanese imitation of the concept?
It’s hard to categorize the Ridgeline as anything close to the El Camino. A Honda El Camino would be an Accord coupe with the rear seat and trunk modified into a truck bed.
The new Ridgeline looks very much like a proper truck to most American eyes, and it seems the market is hungry for trucks smaller than full-size. The new Ridgeline roll-out appears to be going well for Honda.
The old Ridgeline looked awkward. The new Ridgeline is a very attractive vehicle. It should sell very well.
I wonder if this will eat into Toyota Tacoma sales as most Taco owners are weekend dump/home depot folks and parts and other delivery service companies, they are seldom seen at job sites or really working for a living like an F150.
El Caminos and Rancheros had the same engines as that year’s passenger cars, including catalysts in 1975 and after. They also had passenger car 5mph bumpers despite being exempt as trucks.
I think I would consider the Old Subie BRAT or the later Baja to be a Japanese Elcamino
It is interesting that in Australia these types of vehicles(called Utes) were/are so popular and beloved while pickup trucks were not very popular. Yet in the USA the ute was not popular but the pickup truck was. I wonder what the reason for this is? Australia like the USA is a big country with wide open expanses and miles of highways and the Aussies love horsepower as much as the Americans but the paths diverge. In Australia you could get a Holden Maloo (a 400hp ute based on the Manaro) and in the USA, you can get a 400hp Ford Raptor pickup
Australia always had full-size pickups for sale up until around 1990 for Fords, the others were withdrawn earlier, but they were a lot more expensive than utes.
From the early 1970s (or earlier) smaller Japanese pickups came and gained popularity with currency gains that Holden dropped their ute in 1984 (they were in a similar situation to the ElCo/Caballero having continued on after their passengeer car base was replaced) and Ford nearly did in the early 1990s, and while they had a resurgence they were still out-sold by ‘conventional’ pickups as a whole.
After about 1982 I was surprised to learn each year that the El Camino and Caballero were still in production. As JPC noted, the S-10 did much to make them irrelevant, and the luxury big truck was going strong at GM by the late ’70s. Still, these were among GM’s least screwed up vehicles of the ’80s in terms of styling, drivetrains, reliability and fitness for intended mission as a fun little truck. The bespoke stampings were a sunk cost after 1978, so I suppose that it didn’t cost GM much to keep pushing them down the G Special assembly lines.
My 1984 El Camino Conquista. An elegant, and slightly overdone, trim package. The name in sticker form on the upper right of the tailgate (which I did remove as I found it a bit much. But slathers of wide chrome, a hood ornament. 2 tone Gunmetal Blue exterior, Blue Velour look and feel interior seating. fully loaded with all mid 80s automotive amenities ;whitewalls and wire wheel covers…..I called it “GQ”,….”Gentlemens Quarterton” Though it was able. with the factory adjustable air chocks. able to haul such things as the replacement 351 for our 72 Mustang when the original threw a rod. Another I wish I had kept.
Those are the most beautiful and most elegant motorcycle haulers made. And they’ll handle everything up to an including a Gold Wing/Electra Glide. Always wanted one, never found one in nice enough condition to bother picking up.
Funeral homes liked them for flower cars. If any are still using them, a well cared for example might be found there.
I’ve seen quite a few well-kept El Caminos around RVA, though never one with a “For Sale” sign. Sprint/Caballeros? Not so much.
Last year I finally parted with my ’84 Caballero. My favorite part of ownership was the response I’d be able to give to those who would complement the pretty (maroon and clean) car by saying “nice El Camino”: “It is not an El Camino; it’s a Caballero”.
I was the fourth owner of the car which was always owned locally; I knew or met all the previous three. Mine was a 305 so its performance was just fine for around town. It was reliable and quite pleasant to drive and much more modern than the ’72 Ranchero it replaced.
Thanks for the comprehensive Caballero story; I enjoyed it.
I have always liked these, but its hard to find one in decent shape. Nice find and write up!
Ah the forgotten GMC version. There is a guy with a 1980’s Caballero here in my area. He is a member of the bank I go to. Every Saturday it be seen in the parking lot. It has regular Maryland tags and they are the pre Maryland crest plates with the http://www.Maryland.gov at the bottom.
At first I thought it was a Elco until I saw the GMC badge on the back and on the wheels.
I think GM really dropped the ball not marketing this vehicle to delivery services. In the area I live in, most parts or supply delivery services are using small pickup trucks (such as older Ranger/S-10, Colorado/Canyon and new ones such as the Frontier)
These would have been a most cost saving vehicle for those companies then the big van or full size truck.
If I recall Leer did offer a bed cap for this truck so you could keep your cargo safe and covered.
I know that the bed of the Elco/Caballero was not totally solid and that there was a spare tire storage well in the bed area where it met the cab. How deep was this storage space?
There was definitely a bed cap available for this generation. I also found a previous generation El Camino wearing a somewhat unorthodox bed cap:
CC effect to the max. My first 5th gen, caught yesterday with a cap.
Wow, that’s remarkable. Looks like it has LHD and new California plates, too, so I assume someone recently imported it? That’s a Conquista model, which was the luxury version with two-tone paint. In my opinion, those later 5th generation Conquistas were the best-looking El Caminos – my dream Elky would have wire wheel covers, though.
There was an equivalent Caballero model called the Amarillo, which has the same paint and equipment as the Conquista. Great find!
Yep, it would have to be a very recent import. I had no idea of the Conquista spec until I read Jason’s post above. My dream Elky is this gen, but not two-tone.
The black Caballero is wildly attractive. Perfect size and an unbelievable level of equipment, trim and condition. Around where I live these are highly sought after and that black gem would fetch pretty penny. Excellent write up, had no idea these were ever made in Mexico.
Around 1985, Car & Driver did a ‘short take’ on a new El Camino. Someone at GM said ‘the tooling is paid for, so why not?’ when asked about keeping them in production after the Malibu was dropped. But the Monte Carlo also lasted as long, until late ’87.
Caballero Diablo – does anyone else see the irony of having a “Gentleman Devil” as a model name? 😛
Gallup’s GMC dealer has always been fairly popular and well regarded and there are a few old SPRINTS around town but not a single Caballero, a bit strange given that so many residents speak Spanish.
It wouldn’t be ironic if the owner had a license plate that ready SYMPTHY, or more overtly, LUCIFER.
FALLIN1
I will second the points made by others about compact pickups mostly replacing coupe utilities.
The original Australian Utes were purportedly designed based upon a letter received by Ford Australia. A farmer’s wife wrote in, requesting a vehicle that would haul during the week, but could be driven to church on Sunday.
The implication there is that one did not want to be seen going to church in a traditional truck.
Along with the rise of the compact pickup in the late 70s-early 80s, the other factor that killed the coupe utility is that it was no longer socially awkward to be seen arriving at church in a pickup truck.
Or just as likely, far fewer people were worried about going to church!
If you are looking for rare find the diesel version.
I had a ’79 Caballero for a few months. 305 4 bbl, THM 350, AC, PS, AM radio. It was a light blue color with blue interior, bench seat. Parents had bought it new, dad bought it for his tool business (to replace his ’75 Dodge 225 no AC cargo van) and equipped it with a fiberglass Leer top. He sold it to a work partner in 1985, and in late ’86 he asked me to go with him to repossess it, the guy hadn’t made a payments for almost 7 months, He did give us the keys when we met up with him. Dad offered it to me for $1500.00, it had about 70k miles on it, so I bought it.
It had the typically crap paint job of this era, when it was 6 months old the paint started to peel off the roof. That was repainted under warranty. The now 7 year old GMC had paint peeling off the tailgate and the paint was faded to a chalky mess. But the body was straight and the interior still perfect. The Leer top had been sold by the guy we got it back from, and it was running on 7 cylinders. One plug wire was laying on the exhaust manifold and burned away. After a tune up with new cap, plugs, wires and rotor the engine ran smoothly, but had no power. The convertor was plugged from the engine running for so long on 7 cylinders. I took it out on Hwy 14 early on a sunny Sunday morning, and once I got past Lancaster I floored it, the air cleaner was removed and I poured an additive in the gas tank that was supposed to clean out plugged convertors. The instructions said to remove the aircleaner assembly and floor it on an open road until it ran OK. At first it would only go 60, after a few miles it began to wake up, and finally pegged it’s 85 MPH speedometer. After about half an hour it was probably going about 100 MPH. I backed off, pulled into the right lane and slowed to 55. A few miles later a CHP caught up with me. I explained what I was doing, had the additive bottle and air cleaner on the floor of the car. He said he had been after me for about 15 minutes, I had no idea, he was out of mirror range and never saw him. Wound up getting a ticket for going 68 MPH, anything over 70 was a huge fine back then in the 55 MPH days.
The car was pretty slow around town even after this, although it ran well on the freeway, and got mid 20’s MPG on the highway. Replacing the stock air filter with a open style cal custom type made it run a little better. It probably had the 2.29 or 2.41 rear axle, which killed it’s off the line performance, and it would have been a poor choice as a tow car, it would have needed at least a 3.23 and external trans cooler to tow my 21 ft Kenskill trailer I was living in at the time. It was a tough decision, but I decided to keep my ’70 C10 and sold it a few months later, made a good profit on it. I wanted to paint it a dark blue and put some nice rims on it, it would have looked great.
Today, of course I wish I still had it. If circumstances didn’t require a bigger truck at the time, I might well still have it today. I wound up keeping the old C10 until 2006, 30 years in total. Today the Caballero would be all the truck I need, since I don’t tow anymore.
Always liked the dual headlamp front end a little better than the later cars 4 lamp design.
Nice write up.
Spotted this “Royal Knight” Chevy cousin at our veterinarian’s office a couple of years ago.
(Edit – Whoopsie Daisy! 😉 )
That one’s a bit of a hybrid–AFAIK the Royal Knight package was only available during the first few years of production, before they went to the quad-lamp design. And if you look closely the header panel is a different shade of white than the rest of the car…truck…vehicle. I wonder if it’s a haphazard replacement for collision damage, or if the owner just preferred the quad-lamp look? I distinctly prefer the older style (had one of each on my ’79 and ’82 Malibus) but to each their own.
The Royal Knight was actually sold until 1984, but I think their numbers were tiny by that point, since the “bold hood graphic” (as GM called it) was no longer in fashion by that time, and buyers who wanted a special look opted instead for the Choo Choo model.
IINM, a more literal translation of “cabellero” would be “knight”, so that’s presumably where “Royal Knight” comes from.
Every now and then, I see a Malibu coupe with a quad headlight front panel. (The coupe was dropped before the quad styling was adopted, so any coupe with quads didn’t originally come that way, but has been retrofitted with a front panel from a later sedan or El Camino.). This seems to be a relatively popular conversion, although I like the 1978-81 look better myself.
I had read somewhere that another potential origin of Royal Knight came from the Royal aspect, since “El Camino Real” translates as “The Royal Road.” That might be pure conjecture, but regardless “Royal Knight” was a pretty distinctive name.
In 1954, the Cadillac El Camino show car had a twin called the La Espada (The Sword). Given that, I’m surprised that the GMC twin to the Chevy El Camino didn’t end up being the GMC Espada…
Lamborghini may have had the name first for a production car, not sure when (if) they would have trademarked it in the USA.
I forgot about the Lamborghini. I’m sure you’re right; they probably had the name trademarked.
I really dig Elkys…especially the 3rd and 5th generations, those are the best looking to my eye. The ute concept in general is one that I really like. Im completely baffled that these didn’t take off instead of minitrucks which seem so horribly compromised by comparison. These are so much better looking, sporty and muscular or even classy depending on how you wring them out and yet have all the payload capacity of small pickups with nice sized cabs that allow a tall guy like me to stretch out and allow some usable storage space. Minitrucks OTOH always come off like cheaper, more ill proportioned shrunken versions of big trucks…and the cabs are miserable unless you opt for an extended cab which makes it look like a limosine (yuck) and needs twice the space to maneuver.
As a Mopar fan, I was always disappointed that the only thing like this from Dodge/Plymouth was the Rampage. Neat looking little trucklets but the low output engine and fwd make it more of a novelty or a toy than anything else…although Ive always wanted one with SRT-4 power. Down in Australia, Chrysler made some pretty sweet Valiant utes though…
How does the idea of a Mirada ute strike you? Sounds like a missed opportunity for Chrysler to me.
Interesting. Wouldn’t be my first choice though. The Duster/Demon seem the most likely to morph into a ute. Maybe the Aspen/Volare.
The modern take would have been the Magnum done as a ute. Supposedly theres a company–Smyth Performance-who does Jetta/Golf ute kits and is coming out with one for the LX based Charger The pics I saw don’t look half bad, and ex-squads are the obvious choice to get one of these things going.
And while googling that, I found this….and I absolutely LOVE it.
Ugh, and THIS. Even though its based on the Avenger and not the Charger, this looks REALLY good. The proportions are just right. Give that a Hemi, 6 speed and optional awd…Id be in!
The modern iterations look surprisingly good, but the ’66 Charger ute is in the kill-it-with-fire category…
That Avenger-based Rampage is truly a silk purse made from a sow’s ear.
So rare, it makes Bentleys look like Corollas.
I always wanted to take the grill & emblems of the GMC version one of these and put them on a Chevelle-Malibu. Then cobble a Caballero emblem and make a GMC “car”.
The neat thing was the ’78 and ’79 versions could be had with a 350, unlike the Malibu that was limited to the 305. Thank the fact that the El Camino/Caballero was a ‘truck’.
Chrysler should have made a LaBallero or Dodge Diplomino. Perhaps Plymouth Gran Furina or Caravello?
Anyway, a very slick looking “antique” GMC. I’ve always loved the quad lamp style of the ’82+ Malibu.
I have to wonder whether the GMC version would’ve sold better if they’d used B-O-P front sheetmetal – most likely Buick since the Pontiac and Olds grille splits would’ve interfered with the “big red letters” GMC branding – and interiors, rather than made such a blatant badge job.
Well back in 1978 when the 5th generation Elco and GMC Caballero debuted, Pontiac wanted their own version.
They made at least one using the Grand Am/LeMans front end but GM nixed it
Here is some info on it
https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2008/03/11/a-little-bit-more-on-that-pontiac-grand-am-amino/
I personally like the vehicle with the Grand Am/LeMans front clip as it makes it look more aggressive.
I thought I was a walking car encyclopedia in my teens, but my first encounter with a GMC version of the El Camino was with my sister’s father-in-law’s Colonnade Sprint in 1976. In Canada, in fact. In hindsight, I suspect that in those days we may not have had a GMC dealership in town despite having all the other domestic brands plus Saab, Volvo, BMW etc. If locals wanted a GM truck they just bought a Chevy; certainly El Camino’s were ubiquitous. And I don’t think GMC advertised Sprints, at least not in the mainstream car magazines. By the time the Caballero name was adopted, the GMC variant seemed to have become more popular, but by then I had moved to the suburbs, in fact to Fremont California where they were built and pickups of all kinds were more visible.
Would like a new Elio truck, loved my ford ranchero.
Looking for a supply chain for a set of rails (not moulding) for a 1987 GMC Caballero.
Trucks have come a long way.
My ’79 Bronco Ranger XLT had, uh,
air conditioning and some of the inside’s painted steel had some metal trim added.
Plus some outside trim that was effective in helping the rusttake hold.
By the time I had it it was a Bondo-mobile anyway.
So fancy!
This time, I finally realized that the El Camino and Corvair pickups were offered simultaneously. What a truck lineup Chevy had for ’64!
What the #@$!. I’ve Lived my whole life in the midwest and never seen or heard of this vehicle until now. This caruck wins in my book just for its cool name and funky font. Caballero just rolls off the tongue so naturally.
Never realized the origin of the name. I always thought it was a concoction of “cab” (emphasizing pickup truck) and “aero” (more aerodynamic cab than a pickup truck) and maybe an “el” in between from it’s sibling.
Was there any difference at all from its sibling besides the badging?
The El Camino wasn’t just the prominent one over these two, but the industry. How many times have people called a Ranchero an El Camino? They owned the car based truck name, much like an army type Jeep, or Blazer.
After having engine problems with my ’73 Ranchero I bought a fixer upper ’75 El Camino off the back row of our Chevy dealer in 1982. It was actually a good vehicle but needed some attention. Rust had gotten it behind the rear wheels due to all the cement slag on the chassis. The former owner was also owner of a concrete supplier. The AC only needed charged. I fixed that and had a body shop take care of the rust and I was ready to go. I drove it for several years through a career change. Finally it developed bad bushings in the front end and I decided to park it and use my Malibu. A friend bought it, and since he ran a car service shop, rebuilt the front end and anything else it needed. He drove it for several years before someone hit him and totalled it. Ironically, he bought a GMC Sprint and put all the good suspension and drivetrain parts on it. He drove that one for a long time before trading for a ’79 El Camino. Yep, we both are fans of those car/trucks.