Throwback Thursday: Happy birthday, El Camino

Oct. 16, 2014 marks the 56th anniversary of the debut of Chevrolet’s El Camino. The El Camino was Chevrolet’s response to the Ford Ranchero, which had been on the market two years prior.

Car-trucks were no new idea (Australians had been driving ‘utes’ since the 1930s) but they were only just beginning to catch on in the Americas.

Chevrolet advertised the El Camino as a vehicle that would drive “like a convertible” but also haul “like the workingest thing on wheels.”

At first, the El Camino didn’t catch on, and it was discontinued after just two years. In 1964, Chevrolet reintroduced a newer version based off of the Chevrolet Chevelle (as opposed to the Impala) and then, in 1968, Chevrolet added a powerful SS engine, turning the El Camino into an iconic muscle car through the 1960s and ‘70s until its discontinuation in 1987.

GM has tried in recent years to put the El Camino back into production, and it may be coming back as soon as 2015.