1971 CHEVROLET EL CAMINO PICKUP
Designer: William “Bill” Mitchell (VP GM Styling)

Estimate: $20,000 ­- $25,000

Chassis Number: 136801L121283
Decoded: 1=Chevrolet Division; 36=Chevelle Malibu; 80=El Camino pickup; 1=1971; L=Los
Angeles (Van Nuys), CA assembly plant; 121283=21,283rd 1971 Chevrolet scheduled for
production at the Los Angeles plant
Engine: 454 cid OHV V8
4-­barrel Carburetor / 300 bhp
4-­Speed Manual Transmission
Power Assisted Four Wheel Hydraulic Disc Brakes
Mileage: 63,144

● Factory Muscle­ Car Pickup
● Chevelle Styling, Performance and Comfort
● Outstanding Workmanship

The Model: When the El Camino was first introduced for the 1959 model year, it was Chevrolet’s answer to the Ford Ranchero. Like the Ranchero the first El Caminos were based on the full­size passenger car. For 1960 Ford moved its pickup to their new compact Falcon chassis, for 1961, Chevrolet pulled the plug. Fast forward to 1964, the El Camino returns based on the new mid­size Chevelle platform. When first born, few could envision this little pickup as a performance vehicle, but as the Chevelle grew in popularity and became a respected member of the muscle ­car scene, gears started turning in the heads of a number of builders and aftermarket performance versions started appearing on the streets. By 1968, Chevrolet authorized factory versions of performance pickups. When the mighty 454 cubic inch big-­block V8 was introduced in the Chevelle SS, the El Camino SS was born.

The Car: With the beautiful Chevelle as its basis, the El Camino is perfect for a performance build. This example finished in a bright blue with wide­ white stripes, is an immediate eye­catcher with the basic body featuring excellent fit and finish with smooth sheet metal and body panels lined up at or above factory specifications. Under the hood is where the magic lives with that professionally built “454” V8. Helping feed the engine fresh air is an original “Cowl Induction” hood, which when combined with the Edelbrock aluminum intake and AFB carburetor, lets this pickup move with the best of them. Power steering and brakes make driving an easy chore and helping you to keep cool is a factory original “R12” air-­conditioning system under the hood. Completing the outside picture are the original era Rally wheels with the raised white ­letter radial tires. Performance and utility all rolled into one great vehicle.