1987 Chevrolet El Camino
Rumor has it that Mattel's Elliot Handler, (the 'el' in Mattel), spotted designer Harry Bradley's El Camino in the Mattel HQ parking lot and commented, "Those are some hot wheels," coining the new name for Mattel's line of toy cars, Hot Wheels. In fact, Elliot was so impressed by Bradley's custom El Camino, he insisted that Mattel use it as a model for the first line of Hot Wheels toy cars. And the rest as they say is history.
All starting from an Australian farm wife wanting a vehicle she could use during the week on the farm and then drive it to church on a Sunday, the concept of a car with a truck bed was born. The Chevrolet El Camino, (literally translated to "The Way"), is in our massive facility and stands out as a nice example. Dressed in burgundy, with silver rockers and chrome to delineate the two, it's a worker during the week, and churcher during the weekend, that Australian woman would be proud! This car...err, ummm truck comes to our Hallowed Halls with 52,278 title verified actual miles on the odometer and is retaining all of its charm since day one.
Exterior
Nice straight steel panels cover this car/truck example. The uppers are painted burgundy and on the lower portions of this vehicle, we have silver paint covering the rockers. Just a slight bit of rust on the driver's lower door and some fading of the paint on the hood, bed rails and driver's A-pillar. The remainder is rust free. The grille area is appearing to harbor a bit of dust, and the chrome plating is delaminating off of the surround of the egg crate portion. The bumpers show with some surface rust and pitting but the window trimmings are in good condition. A nicely curved B pillar runs rearward and forms the bed sides of the pickup bed on back. Here we see aluminum rails as a highlighter and also serving as a grip for any strapping or hold downs. The bed is left uncovered and is painted black on the ribbed reinforced steel. The tailgate is functioning and rust free. Below the rear bumper frames the back of the bed, and houses the horizontal tail lights. Polished 5-spoke 16-inch wheels are wrapped with Hankook blackwall rubber on all 4 corners.
Interior
Burgundy smooth vinyl which has plenty of padding, is covering the door panels. Some chrome trimmings are also on and a molded plastic armrest, power mirror and power lock actuators and mirror joystick can also be seen. Slipping inside the dash utilizes square and rectangle design so essentially a series of boxes form the instrument cluster, center radio and temp cluster, and the boxy design center console. These surfaces all utilize the burgundy plastic/molded vinyl, along with black panels to create the 1987 GM dash look. A padded cushion is on top of the glovebox which resides below a piano black insert panel. Burgundy vinyl covers the split bench which shows with no rips for tears or exposed padding. Deep pile burgundy carpeting covers the floors, and a burgundy fuzzy headliner is hanging tightly above.
Drivetrain
This truck/car sports a 305ci small block engine, topped with a 4-barrel carburetor, and a TH350 3-speed automatic transmission on back. All is looking unrestored and in patina with some dusting on all surfaces under this hood. A 10-bolt rear axle is on the back.
Undercarriage
Some surface rust and patina are present, but all in all structurally sound underneath. Surface rust is noted particularly on the edge of the rockers and some of the steel frame. Independent coil springs are on front and a 4 link with coil springs for the rear ride. Power disc brakes are in front and power drums for the rear along with power steering. Dual exhaust is noted with FlowMaster mufflers to provide a wonderful rumble from the V8.
Drive-Ability
A turn of the ignition and she fired up quickly. A nice accelerator on the test track, some bias free panic stopping, but we did note the transmission slipped when shifting into second gear. Our consignor notes the dash lights and radio are also "questionable". While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
Mostly original looking, worn but presentable paint in two tone style, and a vinyl interior. The bed is in nice condition, and just a smidgeon of rust is noted and it's mostly surface rust. A truck car combo for everyone in the family no matter what they are going to do.
3GCCW80H1HS900071
3-Mexico
G-General Motors
C-Chevrolet
C-4001-5000 GVWR
W-El Camino
80-1/2 Ton Pickup Delivery
H-305ci V8 4bbl
1-Check Digit
H-1987
S-Ramos Arizpe, Mexico Assy Plant
900071-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person. There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
