This is interesting

[Camino LS6]

Ugly.

But interesting.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1977-Lincol...1QQcmdZViewItem

[Robert Hall]

Interesting..a Lincoln pickup. Certainly more interesting than the Mark LT turd of recent years.

[capriceman]

is that a real production car?

[Robert Hall]

is that a real production car?

Nah..a conversion... I recall an ad years ago from a company did them and similar 'Cowboy Cadillacs'..kind of a civilian version of a flower car.

[balthazar]

There was a commonplace late '70s print ad for a CB radio, and the image used one of the Mirage Pick-Coupe deVilles, a beautiful pale yellow coupe shot from the rear. Eventually over 200 units were built. The Mirage was an elegant conversion on a stock-chassis'd CdV, yet the quarter windows 'looked' into the bed and the roof 'canopied' partially over it. I've yet to see one of these in person, but I have a number of pics and a build article on the process.

There were multiple companies building these in strictly limited numbers, ASC was one, Traditional Coach Works was another; the latter built a classy all-red, painted roof, no quarter window pick-up deVille for Evil Knievel. Traditional was also behind the 'Mirage' series. These also had a waterproof, carpeted under-bed cargo compartment.... sound somewhat familiar?

With both of these versions, one would be unlikely to notice the CdVs were other than stock at a quick glance, esp the Mirage. Unlike the Lincoln linked to above, which has numerous bed proportion issues.

[Robert Hall]

There was a commonplace late '70s print ad for a CB radio, and the image used one of the Mirage Pick-Coupe deVilles, a beautiful pale yellow coupe shot from the rear.

I feel old...I remember those ads.

[XP715]

Wow! And I thought ugly useless overpriced Lincoln pickups began with the Blackwood!

Learn something new every day.......

[balthazar]

You ARE old, old man. :wink:

I don't remember them per say, but I have entensive files accumulated over the years...

[Camino LS6]

There was a commonplace late '70s print ad for a CB radio, and the image used one of the Mirage Pick-Coupe deVilles, a beautiful pale yellow coupe shot from the rear. Eventually over 200 units were built. The Mirage was an elegant conversion on a stock-chassis'd CdV, yet the quarter windows 'looked' into the bed and the roof 'canopied' partially over it. I've yet to see one of these in person, but I have a number of pics and a build article on the process.

There were multiple companies building these in strictly limited numbers, ASC was one, Traditional Coach Works was another; the latter built a classy all-red, painted roof, no quarter window pick-up deVille for Evil Knievel. Traditional was also behind the 'Mirage' series. These also had a waterproof, carpeted under-bed cargo compartment.... sound somewhat familiar?

With both of these versions, one would be unlikely to notice the CdVs were other than stock at a quick glance, esp the Mirage. Unlike the Lincoln linked to above, which has numerous bed proportion issues.

The Mirage is exceptionally well done.

[Sixty8panther]

Still nicer and better looking than the Tundra,

Ridgeline & most modern Lincolns.

Unlike the Lincoln linked to above, which has numerous bed proportion issues.

Yes, I too think it's awkward from the rear, the

bed rails are disproportionate, & the two-tone

paint seemed to exasperate the awkwardness.

Cadillacs seemed to lend them selves well to this

kind of conversion... some of them do look quite

factory-stock, with production-level qaulity.

[Drew Dowdell]

Love it!

[gm4life]

That is pretty cool.

[Sixty8panther]

Speaking of craigslis hack-jobs....

Camino: how do you feel about '55 Oldsmobiles?

http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/cto/911271711.html

The B-pillar on this one, while neccessary, is most

unlpleasing to the eye... F- on the greenhouse.

[Camino LS6]

Speaking of craigslis hack-jobs....

Camino: how do you feel about '55 Oldsmobiles?

http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/cto/911271711.html

The B-pillar on this one, while neccessary, is most

unlpleasing to the eye... F- on the greenhouse.

I prefer the sweeping lines that have almost always marked the B pillar of El Caminos. That said, the vertical one on this Olds, while very trucklike, works proportionately unlike the ugly Lincoln conversion.

It isn't bad, just a bit boring.

[balthazar]

Agree w/ Camino on the '55.

I like the '64-66 El Caminos the best by far, in addition, of course, to the '59-60s. With the aforementioned 4-5-6s, the B-pillar is fairly vertical, but it's more visually weighty and looks spot-on. I could actually own a '66 El (w/ American Racing 200Ss...), but I never see that era Els anymore, sadly. I know they're out there.

[Camino LS6]

Agree w/ Camino on the '55.

I like the '64-66 El Caminos the best by far, in addition, of course, to the '59-60s. With the aforementioned 4-5-6s, the B-pillar is fairly vertical, but it's more visually weighty and looks spot-on. I could actually own a '66 El (w/ American Racing 200Ss...), but I never see that era Els anymore, sadly. I know they're out there.

I see them, but then again I'm always on the hunt.

I have a real soft spot for the '65.

[Sixty8panther]

I think my favorite 3 years for the ElCamino, in order, would be

'59

'60

'67

BUT

If I had the money I'd commission a craftsman to artfully sculpt

a semi-solid 1961 Biscayne into the best one that never was.

[Robert Hall]

If I had the money I'd commission a craftsman to artfully sculpt

a semi-solid 1961 Biscayne into the best one that never was.

Let's see...my favorite Elkies are probably the '68-69, followed by the '70. The GMC Sprint is neat also, saw a goregous silver '71 Sprint SP 454 at a car show a few years ago.

I always thought the taillights in the rear bumper were weird on the '73-77 and '78-87 models...though details I really like on the '78-87s are the rear quarter windows and the back window treatment.

About that '61, I plan to build a phantom '62 in 1:25th plastic scale using an AMT '62 Bel Air ht and an AMT '59 El Camino and some kitbashing..

[Sixty8panther]

Good stuff Moltar. "62 would be a fun phantom for sure.... :wink:

http://images.customclassictrucks.com/feat..._close_view.jpg

[Robert Hall]

Good stuff Moltar. "62 would be a fun phantom for sure.... :wink:

That's cool..the way I want to do is to preserve the '59's wrap around rear glass. Thought about a '61 also, using a Lindberg '61 Impala kit as the base. It's alot cheaper and easier to build custom cars in 1:25th scale styrene than in 1:1 metal..

Edited November 18, 2008 by moltar

[balthazar]

Damn- that phantom '62 'Camino is hot! The proportions are top-shelf / factory-looking; what a fantastic job. Why there weren't sibling 'Caminos back in the '60s... I do not know.

[Camino LS6]

Damn- that phantom '62 'Camino is hot! The proportions are top-shelf / factory-looking; what a fantastic job. Why there weren't sibling 'Caminos back in the '60s... I do not know.

Agreed.

I once saw a photo of a collection of dealer promo models and one of them was that car!

I never found out anything else about it.

The only reason I've ever seen for there being no '61-'63 Caminos was that GM said that the chassis was somehow "not suitable".

Lame and unconvincing.

[balthazar]

I don't get that either: '59-60 is an X-frame... there is little less appropriate for a cargo-based vehicle than that. Not sure what frame design Chevy used starting in '61- Pontiac went to a perimeter (NOT the same frame at all).

Everything I ever heard was that sales just weren't that great- but Chevy apaprently never released those exact totals.

Another probable factor was that Ford's Ranchero moved to the Falcon line for '60 and sold 21K units. Perhaps the 'chassis not suitable' referred to the intention to move the Camino to an intermediate, yet the Chevy II (tested) did not lend itself to the conversion, and the Chevelle was a few years away.

Read this fascinating tidbit:

>>"According to Skowronski, the planning team initially flirted with a somewhat El Camino-like concept featuring dual Corvair engines. Called the Trailblazer -- a name that would return at Chevrolet decades later -- it quickly came to naught."<<

God; to be inside GM in the '50s & '60s......

[Camino LS6]

22,246 in 1959

I have no numbers for 1960

[balthazar]

Cool- source I have distressingly has almost no Chevy truck totals except overalls.

22K is not bad at all, inline with the Ranchero.... unless that still wasn't enough for Chevy- I still don't get why the Camino went on that vacation...

[Camino LS6]

The numbers come from El Camino: A Source Book by Edward A. Lehwald.

I think he has every other year's total except 1960.

I may have 1960 somewhere as I remember seeing a total for all years combined.

Here are a pair of examples:

The year of my current project, 1977: 54,321

My favorite year, 1970: 47,707

Bonus #

Sprint in '77: 5,955