Mid-1959 powertrain availability was carried over with minimal changes for 1960: The base 283-cid V8 was detuned a bit for fuel economy and was now rated at 170 bhp (127 kW 172 PS), and the fuel-injected engines were officially gone. Floor coverings were in medium-tone vinyl. Available interior trim shades were once again gray, blue, and green. The seat was now covered in striped-pattern cloth with vinyl facings. Inside, Biscayne/Brookwood appointments also persisted. At first glance, the exterior once again had a Bel Air look, with that series' bright-metal 'jet' appliqué and narrow trailing molding used to accent the rear quarters. The similar but less flamboyant 1960 model started at $2366 for the six-cylinder model another $107 for a V8 with the two-barrel 283. That bested the count of 21,706 first-year Rancheros made in 1957 and the 14,169 Ford sedan pickups built in direct competition for the 1959 model year. Staff testers clocked 0-60 mph times of around seven seconds, estimated top speed at 130 mph (210 km/h), and predicted 14-second/100-mph quarter-mile performance with a rear-axle ratio suitable for drag racing installed.Ī total of 22,246 El Caminos were produced for 1959. Hot Rod magazine conducted a test of an El Camino equipped with the hottest powertrain combination available in early 1959-a 315 bhp (235 kW 319 PS), triple-carb, solid-lifter 348 V8 mated to a four-speed. Box capacity was almost 33 cubic feet (0.93 m 3).Īmong the performance engines offered were a 283-cid Turbo-jet V8 with two- or four-barrel carburetion, several Turbo-Thrust 348-cid V8s with four-barrel or triple two-barrel carburetors producing 335 bhp (250 kW 340 PS), and 250- and 290-bhp 283-cube Ramjet Fuel Injection V8s. Concealed beneath it was the floor pan from the Brookwood two-door wagon, complete with foot wells. The floor was a corrugated sheetmetal insert, secured with 26 recessed bolts. The 1959 El Camino was promoted as the first Chevrolet pickup built with a steel bed floor instead of wood.

The quirky Level Air suspension option, in its second and final year, was listed as available, but was almost never seen on any Chevrolet model, much less an El Camino. The somewhat soft passenger car suspension of the base model left the vehicle level without a load, in contrast the Ranchero, where standard 1100-pound rated heavy duty rear springs gave it a distinct rake when empty. The El Camino's payload rating ranged from 650 to 1150 pounds, with gross vehicle weights ranging from 4400 to 4900 pounds depending on powertrain and suspension.

The 119-inch (3,000 mm) wheel-base was 1.5 inches (38 mm) longer, and overall length for all 1959 Chevrolets was up to 210.9 inches (5,360 mm). Its chassis featured Chevrolet's 'Safety-Girder' X-frame design and a full-coil suspension, both introduced in the 1958 model year. It came in a single trim level, its exterior using the mid-level Bel-Air's trim, and the interior of the low-end Biscayne. Unlike the Brookwoods wagon and a sedan delivery variant, the El Camino was available with any full-sized Chevrolet drivetrain. Highly stylized, it initially sold 50% more briskly than the more conservative Ranchero, some 22,000 to 14,000. Like the Ranchero, it was based on an existing and modified platform, the new-for-1959 Brookwood two-door station wagon, itself based on the completely redesigned, longer, lower and wider full-sized Chevrolet. According to Chevrolet stylist Chuck Jordan, GM Harley Earl had suggested a coupé pickup in 1952. The El Camino was introduced for the 1959 model year two years after the Ford Ranchero.

1964 1967 el camino drag car