Random Car Wednesday: 1968 Chevrolet El Camino

Can it really be December already? It's hard to believe how fast the year has gone by, but as the temperature drops we get the perfect excuse to stay inside with our friends and family. For the first RCW of the month, let's check out this classic cruiser from Austin, a 1968 El Camino. The part-car/part-truck design first originated in Australia as the ute, and later made it to America in 1957 when Ford introduced the Ranchero. Chevrolet followed suit in 1959 by introducing the now-iconic El Camino. The premise of these vehicles was to offer all of the comfort and practicality of a car, but with the utilitarian features of a pickup truck. Instead of taking a pickup and making it more luxurious, manufacturers took cars and made them more truck-like. This El Camino is a 1968 model, which was a huge step up from the previous year. The design was brand new, and was still based off of the Chevelle platform. This one has been lightly modified by the owner. It sits a bit lower to the ground, and all excess trim and badging has been removed. Coupled with the simple black paint, this El Camino looks pretty tough, and it appears to be a regularly driven vehicle. Seeing as how the El Camino was designed for getting things done, I'd say that serving as a daily driver is the perfect role for it.

1968 Chevrolet El Camino