Long before pickup trucks displaced sedans and SUVs to become the daily transportation of choice for millions of Americans, domestic automakers helped get the ball rolling with car-based pickups that combined pickup-truck utility with the creature comforts and ride quality of a passenger car.
Models like the 1969 Chevrolet El Camino SS now available on eBay proved immensely popular with buyers, offering the best of both worlds in one handy package. Based on a Chevrolet Chevelle station wagon, the El Camino featured a pickup bed grafted onto the rear of a two-door, single-seat cab.
The First Muscle Truck
The original owner of the El Camino featured here opted for the SS 396 with its 325-horsepower, 396-cubic inch V-8. El Camino SS models also got cosmetic upgrades including a unique hood with twin power bulges, a blacked-out grille, and lots of SS badging inside and out. In another nod to performance, this car was ordered with the optional four-speed manual transmission and floor shifter, along with a limited-slip positraction rear axle to help get all that power to the ground.
Finished in desirable Marina Blue, this El Camino SS has a cleaner look than many others. That’s largely because it doesn’t have a vinyl roof. A popular option in 1969, many El Caminos were so equipped. But it is a look that has not aged well. And, vinyl roofs tend to trap moisture and create rust over time. An absence of the wide tape stripes common on period SS cars further accentuates the El Camino’s smooth lines.
Ready to Drive
A California vehicle since new, this El Camino SS is free of rust and presents as a completely original and honest example inside and out. Original trim, badging, and factory equipment are in place, including the engine and transmission. The older paintwork has some nicks and blemishes from a lifetime of use, arguably adding character rather than detracting from its appeal.
Underneath, things are just as solid and almost as clean as the rest of the truck. Firestone Wide Oval raised-white-letter tires further contribute to the period performance look, and are mounted on correct five-spoke chrome SS wheels.
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The interior looks original, with a matching blue vinyl bench seat and carpet that looks free of rips or tears. Full factory instrumentation includes a tachometer and gauges for temperature and oil pressure. SS badging remains on the dash, doors, and steering wheel, and the original radio is still in place. One concession to modern life is a Vintage Air air-conditioning system mounted beneath the dash.
Ready to be driven as is, this exceptionally clean El Camino SS would also be a perfect restoration candidate if the new owner chooses to go that route. It sits at the intersection of two hot classic car markets: muscle cars and vintage trucks. With few examples remaining and even fewer equipped as nicely as this one, this is as desirable an El Camino as you’ll find.
