Today, any of the early El Caminos is a sought-after classic. Nonetheless, the model was back in the lineup for 1964. That beat the 14,169 Rancheros that Ford moved.īut orders plunged in 1960 to 14,163. The El Camino was a modest hit, with 22,246 produced in 1959, its first year. 1959 El Camino Craze: It’s Highly Collectible It was even seen as a drag-racing candidate. The El Camino was lighter than a sedan or coupe with a back seat. In that form, with a four-speed manual, seven-second zero-to-60 times were possible. It has a Bel Air interior and bare-bones Biscayne trim.īut the drivetrain option list was long and included many V-8s, right up to the Turbo-Thrust 348 with carburation yielding as much as 335 horsepower. The ’59 Ranchero, based on the Brookwood two-door station wagon, came in only one edition. The inspiration for the new category was the cute Australian “utes,” dating back to the 1930s. El Camino Historyįord led the way into the car-based trucks with the Ranchero, first appearing in 1957. The only worrying sign in the photos is the slathered-on undercoat. ![]() The car has 58,799 miles on the odometer. That’s enough to make it look cool but no less drivable. It’s lowered 2.5 inches in the rear and two inches in the front. The 1959 Chevy El Camino is now a daily driver in Rosemead, Calif. Of course, nothing beats a personal inspection when it comes to assessing the merits of any car, but on face value, it would appear that someone will potentially be scoring a vehicle that represents a nicely preserved older restoration.Under the hood is a 235-cubic-inch six, with three on the tree. ![]() The overall presentation of the car is extremely good, and identifiable faults are pretty few and far between. The owner’s claim that you won’t find finer than this 1959 El Camino would appear to have some merit. It isn’t clear how badly the vinyl has deteriorated, so hopefully, this can be repaired. The original radio remains in place in the dash, and the only real fault that I can identify is some lifting of the upholstery on the very lower edge of the driver’s door trim. This is an interior that is pretty hard to fault, but that is a fact that is easy to understand given the limited use that it has seen since the restoration was completed. The combination of two-tone red and cream cloth, along with red vinyl, gives the interior a very classy appearance. The interior of the El Camino was originally trimmed in Gray cloth and vinyl, but the restoration process brought a change that looks pretty impressive. If this is an indication of mechanical health, then the news should hopefully be quite good. The owner provides no informtion on how well the El Camino runs and drives, but as with so much to do with this vehicle, the engine bay does present nicely. The tri-power setup remains in place, and while it isn’t clear what sort of power the engine now produces, I think that an answer somewhere along the lines of “plenty” would be a pretty fair estimate. ![]() It has been bored and stroked, and with a 427 crank, its capacity has been increased to 414ci. The owner says that the original transmission and rear end remain in place, but the 348 that rests under the hood is date-correct, but not original. With 315hp on tap when new, this allowed the El Camino to accelerate from 0-60 in approximately 7 seconds, while a sub-15 second ¼ mile was also pretty easy to achieve. The fact that it rolled off the production line equipped with the tri-power 348ci V8, backed by a 4-speed manual transmission and 3.70 Posi rear end meant that the original owner wanted a vehicle with a bit of serious performance. When it was new, this particular El Camino wasn’t all about practicality. To me, these late-1950s pickups such as the El Camino and the Ranchero have spectacular styling, and even though I admit to having a strong leaning towards the blue-oval products, I can’t help but really love the styling of the ’59 El Camino. The external chrome and trim look to be close to flawless, while the same would appear to be true of the glass. It would appear that nothing has found its way into the bed since the restoration, because there isn’t a scratch or mark to be seen anywhere. ![]() The panels are arrow-straight, while the paint continues to hold a nice shine. In the decade since this work was completed, the paint has shown no signs of any deterioration. Bidding on the classic Chevy has made it to $26,200, but the reserve hasn’t been met.ĭuring the restoration process, the El Camino was refinished in its original Roman Red. If you agree with this claim, then you will find the El Camino located in Shelton, Washington, and listed for sale here on eBay. Its presentation is mighty impressive, and the owner makes the claim that you won’t find one finer. This 1959 Chevrolet El Camino underwent a frame-off restoration 10-years-ago, and since then it has only managed to accumulate 1,153 miles.
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