Ford Ranchero/Chevy El Camino
Ladies, you may stop reading right now. Avert your eyes, if you must, because this post is about men.
Real men. Manly men. Who do manly things in manly ways, that only manly men can do them. Men who mow their own lawns, fix a leaky faucet, and change their own oil. Men who brew up a pot of battery acid every morning. Men who use after-shave, not "post-shave skin conditioner with aloe, seaweed extract and Vitamin E with a subtle scent of coriander." Men who wouldn't touch a quiche with a 10-foot fork. Men who only drink whiskeys that are named after animals or people. Men who only cry when their father or best hunting dogs die. Men who frankly, my dear, don't give a damn. Men who know every manly cliche from the last 30 years and aren't afraid to use them.
These men drive a particular type of car. A car that drips testosterone like a leaky gasket. A car that says, "I know what I need, and this is it." These type of men know that they'll never drive the length and breadth of the Kalahari, but they will sure as hell be hauling 4-by-8s home from the lumberyard (note: not the "home improvement store"). Men who don't need fine Corinthian leather or a station wagon dressed up as an Urban Assault Vehicle. No, this is the Steve McQueen of cars: no entourage, no workout video, and no froufrou drinks with umbrellas in them.
I jest, of course. The lack of a Y-chromosome doesn't disqualify anyone from appreciating these fine cars, let alone owning or driving one. There are no doubt many men who just don't have the ... um ... good taste to rate this kind of car, and plenty of women who do. It's far more about the mindset than which restroom door you come out of.
Now, I know what you're thinking. "Is he talking about one car or two?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. Read on, but only if you feel lucky, punk.
Generally referred to as utility coupes, these beasties are simply a standard coupe cabin with a cargo bed in the back. This most American of vehicles actually got its start in Australia in 1935 when Ford Australia put a cargo bed on the back of its new Ford Coupe body. It quickly went out of style Down Under but was resurrected by Ford in North America as the Ranchero for the 1957 model year. It was based on the Custom sedan and was produced on the same factory line as the regular models, but sold through Ford truck dealers.You could get one in either a very basic trim level--marketed mostly to those who would ordinarily buy a pickup truck--or a fully optioned version. And despite its origins as a car, it actually had a slightly greater cargo capacity than the half-ton F-series pickup; no slouch when it came to hauling.
The Ranchero was a hit with the press and the buying public and was so successful that it prompted GM to launch a ute of its own, the iconic El Camino. The El Camino ("The Street" in Spanish) was first produced for the 1959 model year and was based on the Brookwood station wagon. Like Ford, Chevy offered every option available on its normal car lines for the El Camino. Despite this, the El Camino did not sell very well, perhaps due to its rather flamboyant styling, which probably detracted from its utilitarian function. Chevy canceled the model after the 1960 model year after selling less than 37,000 units.
The El Camino was re-launched for 1964, and went head-to-head with the Ranchero for a number of years. In its second incarnation the El Camino was based on the Chevelle; throughout the 1960s and into the early 1970s it followed many of its siblings through the muscle car era. A Super Sport version was available using engines up to the 454 LS6. The Ranchero followed suit, though it was initially downsized in 1960 using the Falcon as its base, generally a much more utilitarian vehicle than the Chevy. But by 1968 the Ranchero was based on the Torino and received many of the muscle car options Ford was doling out, including the 428 Cobra Jet engine.
The Ranchero and El Camino followed their sedan bretheren out of the muscle car era and into the Age of Visual Excess in the 1970s. The Ranchero continued to be based on the Torino until that model was phased out, and it then switched to, of all things, the Thunderbird/LTD-II. How much do I love this one? A lot, thank you very much. Like everything else, power went down while luxury options went up, and the Ranchero quietly ended its life after 1979 as Ford migrated its truck business to the light-pickup line.
The El Camino stayed with the Chevelle through 1977 and then made the switch with the rest of the Chevy line to smaller designs, now based on the Malibu. It had the more sharp-edged styling of the New Chevrolet. Engines were generally small and didn't crack the 200 horsepower mark again. Unlike the Ranchero, the El Camino soldiered on until 1987, when it was finally laid to rest.
What killed the Ranchero and, eventually, the El Camino? Most likely the CAFE fuel mileage regulations. Both of these vehicles were car-based and thus came under mileage regulations; since they needed the extra weight for their cargo-carrying roles, there was little incentive to continue building them. This was especially true for Ford, which had already started to transition over to a light truck with their Courier and eventually the Ranger lines which were not covered under CAFE.
The El Camino is generally considered the archetype for this type of vehicle even though it wasn't the first. There were plans by GM to revive the type, though this time based on the Pontiac G8, itself an import of the Aussie Holden Ute, but these plans have apparently been shelved. At least one other manufacturer has had a go with this type of vehicle, in the form of the Subaru Baja, a utility version of the Legacy/Outback wagon. Generally, however, the market has concentrated on extended-cab small pickups which are not covered under existing CAFE rules ... yet.
Were utes a good idea? Well, maybe. They certainly were popular for quite a while, and they offered a nice combination of occasional hauling capability with the day-to-day driving niceties of a standard car. They were probably the best combination for the suburban guy/gal who used it mainly for commuting but occasionally had a load of brush to haul to the dump. They had better ride and handling than a pickup but were still practical. I really have no idea why these came to be known as "guy cars", but such is the automotive life.
Or should I say, the High Life?
--Anthony Cagle
Both of the El Camino photos come from El Camino Pictures and the Ranchero photo and poster are from MustangMonthly.com and Dream-Cars.org, respectively.
Alyssa Rachael on April 13, 2009 at 05:03 AM
I have to say that I like how the body of the car just flows. If these where still around in mint condition and I had an extra couple to spend I would purchase one. :)
Take a look at this rare one of a kind el camino... it screams your name...
http://cashinvader.com/elcamino.html
CJinSD on April 13, 2009 at 10:43 AM
Theodore,
The Rampage and Scamp may not have been big sellers, not that any of these things ever were, but they were very entertaining. They had resonator exhausts that made them sound faster than they were, and they were faster than any other small pickups of the day. Also than carbuteted 2002s. I think it was in a story about the Rampage that I read an explanation for why these car-truck hybrids never stay on the market for long. Once all the pool boys have bought one, the demand is satisfied.
SullyAg on April 13, 2009 at 03:45 PM
For me, an El Camino will always be the car Brad Pitt rented south of the border because he wanted a auto that was manufactured in Mexico.
Back in high school, a buddy of mine had a Chevelle-based El Camino with a 454. All kinds of wheelspin. Fun car. Earlier, he'd had a Falcon-based Ranchero. Smaller engine, same story.
2008 car reviews on April 14, 2009 at 11:08 AM
Reflecting back some years ago it seems if not hugely successful sales wise, they did at least start a trend.
Bowtie Guy on April 16, 2009 at 05:30 PM
Back in the late 70's I had a friend that owned a '69 SS El Camino with a 396 and a Borg-Warner Super T-10 4-speed in it coupled to a 4:10 posi-trac rear end. Talk about overkill!! It got _maybe_ 10 MPG but holy crap could it boil the tires!! Because it was so light in the back end, it could never be considerd a serious street racer, it simply spun the rear tires for blocks, even with ladder bars. Plus the bed was pretty small as trucks go but man it sure was pretty. Being a serious Chevy guy, I always thought the Raunchero was an ugly P.O.S. I wouldn't mind restoring an old El Camino but with gas costing what it does today, it would have to be a week-end only car. Great article
J. Martin on April 16, 2009 at 09:42 PM
I love MY Elky; she's a beaut.
What about the Dodge Rampage? Or the Royal Knight?
BTW The El Camino Means "The Royal Road" in spanish not "The Street". Also, they made them up until 1988 not 1987 like your article says; there were over 4,500 made in Mexico in 88. It says so on my title and it was really hard trying to register my truck with the DMV because of the commonly overlooked mistake.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on April 17, 2009 at 11:51 AM
J. Martin: you ask about the RAMPAGE! Chris Hafner wrote it up last year:
http://www.carlustblog.com/2008/02/incp--dodge-ram.html
Ingram Powell on April 20, 2009 at 10:25 AM
I have long since outgrown my childhood love for all of these overweight, under-engineered "mid-sized" monsters. And yes, that includes the SS454 coupe.
I could be tempted by a 1966 Ranchero, as only in a utility vehicle could I accept this rank crudity. And the Aussies eventually tamed the handling of the Falcon chassis (GTHO!!!).
But one memory of my old Peugeot 504 pickup would be enough to remind me that a load carrier needn't handle like a tank. Turbocharge it (it was NOT fast!), and I'd happily buy one today....
zoomerdaily on April 24, 2009 at 04:42 PM
I remember my grandpa owning a 57 Ranchero back in the days. I would have to own one too in the future, for good old time's sake.
MR Ranchro on June 13, 2009 at 08:44 AM
did thay make a ford ranchro sprint
Ben on October 03, 2009 at 08:48 AM
lets take all the jap crap and euro trash bail it up and haul it to the scrap yards in the back of our el caminos and rancheros. i own a 1977 el myself. nice web page i'll be back many times
Dan Pritchard on October 05, 2009 at 06:51 PM
1976 289 cu ranchero might have a cam I got it used, runs,for sale
make an offer
d_pritchard@cox.net
dotcalm on May 03, 2010 at 09:27 PM
Thats about as fair an assessment as anyone can confess to regarding that epoch of the detroit experiment fusing muscle with convenience. Not bad AC.
And just for the non-spanish speakers out there [starting w/'Butt F***s' post(is that a post-op description?)]:
...well, anyway, 'ugly hunk of crap' loosely translated to spanish comes out: "honda element" or "ford taurus" or "volvo" or "saab" or "prius" or "ford focus"....[spanish is an efficient language].
As a matter of perspective, I spent 20 years + working daily out of various 3/4 ton pick-up's, 4-WD's, minis, all retrofitted for Land Surveying. At the end of the day, the last thing I was interested in was dragging my tired ass back up into another truck seat, but I still needed a truck bed...for carting surfboards around...perfect.
Oh, before I forget, I'm on my third El Camino since freshman days at UCSD, when I had a '66-396 4 spd'; I used to actually drive it across the street [hwy 101] to carry my surfboard down to Blacks Beach, when Blacks was only known for surfing, [before the nudists, exhibitionists and perverts].
I bought my third in '95: a '70 Custom' I've restored and still carry my surfboards 1 mi. down to my local surfspot now at the age of 56. Even now, both young and old [girls and guys] like to look and comment: "like your truck" or "cool truck". So, by popular declaration, it's a truck, just a little lower than others.
Doug on January 02, 2011 at 01:25 PM
yes very nice artical,I think everyone has their own oppion on manly trucks.I own a 1970 Ranchero 500. Manly yes,I purchase the car/truck in 2002 and would break the tires loose in second with no problem.This one came the M code. that meant it came with the 351 cleveland 4v head.Drove it for few months and rebuilt the engine to belch out over 500hp.Things got wicked then.This thing became an animal and quickly I found out the brakes suck and the suspension.Took the thing off the road in 2007,stripted it down,pulled engine and said if 351 cubes was fun then more would be better.Scat handle the forged stroker kit,now it sports 419 cubes and is rated over 600hp.Ok! So,I am alittle sick and need mental help.But,I added Total Control coil over conversion in the front and their G-bar coil over conversion in the rear,Baer Handled the Brake package with their 6 piston cal. with 13"slotted,crossed drill rotors front and back.So,Manly? Yes and No..More like beastly.You will see me on the streets this Spring and should be gracing the pages of many rags
Dnasty on July 25, 2011 at 06:03 AM
El Camino means "the road"...not "the street"........
Elizabeth on January 22, 2012 at 02:02 PM
Funny how this starts out by saying these are "manly cars" my 15 year old daughter has wanted a Camino for at least 3 years!