![]() From that point on, the El Camino was essentially a Chevelle/Malibu with a pickup bed. After two years, they dropped the idea, only to pick it up again on the mid-sized A platform in 1964. Runs/drives? Doesn’t explicity say, actuallyĪcross town, Chevy played catch-up with the El Camino, introduced in 1959, also based on a full-sized chassis. 1981 Chevrolet El Camino – $7,500Įngine/drivetrain: 305 cubic inch OHV V8, 3 speed automatic, RWD A cool collector car you can take to the lumber yard on weekends? Sign me up. Some scrapes and wear, and even a hint of rust, are evident in the bed, showing that this truck has earned its keep. It’s not pristine outside, though, and I like that. It has had recent brake and electrical work, as well as new tires, new exhaust, and a rebuilt carb, so in theory it should be “hop in and go” reliable. It appears to be in great shape, especially inside, and the seller says it runs and drives well. It’s refreshing to see a simple little truck in these days of wretched excess even Ford’s new Maverick is a hulking behemoth compared to this thing. Just enough to haul 800 pounds of stuff and a couple of people around, nothing more. This ’64 Falcon Ranchero features a 170 cubic inch version of Ford’s classic inline six, connected to a three-speed column-shifted manual. In 1960, the Ranchero shifted to the new, smaller Falcon body, where it remained for several years before growing in size again. (Or, arguably, in 1925, with the Model T Runabout Pickup.) The ’57-59 Rancheros were based on Ford’s full-size – and at the time only-size – cars, basically a sedan delivery with the top cut off and a bulkhead/rear window behind the seat. 1964 Ford Falcon Ranchero – $8,900Įngine/drivetrain: 170 cubic inch OHV inline 6, 3 speed manual, RWDįord was first out of the gate with utes in the US with the Ranchero in 1957. But we here all think they’re cool, so we’re going to show you a couple today. Both Ford and GM tried for years to get them to catch on (and Chrysler threw a tiny hat in the ring as well), but sales were lukewarm, and most buyers would rather just have a truck, it seemed. If you need to haul stuff but also have a modicum of comfort and decent driving dynamics, a ute will fit the bill quite nicely. The idea of a car-based pickup truck makes sense, especially if it’s going to be your only vehicle. Utes never caught on in the US like they did in Australia. Speaking of cars that do jobs, let’s talk utes. Hey, sometimes you need cars like that, that just do a job. Neither one is really all that exciting, both have some potential pitfalls, either one will probably get you around just fine. Six of one, half a dozen of the other, just about. But first, let’s see which of our nor’easters yesterday took you by storm: ![]() Welcome to another no-price-limit Friday edition of Shitbox Showdown! As you may have noticed, September has been Ute Month here at the Autopian, owing to Dave and Laurence’s Excellent Adventure, so I thought it would be fun to close out the month by looking at a couple of home-grown American utes. ![]()
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