1960 Chevrolet El Camino

1960 Chevrolet El Camino

1960 CHEVROLET EL CAMINO BACKGROUND
Following Ford’s success with the 1957 Ranchero, Chevy wanted a piece of the action. Ford created this new niche in the market, catching the rest of the industry flat-footed, and it took Chevy two years to respond. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? The same thing happened again with the Mustang and the Camaro 8 years later. Chevy’s seminal Tri-Fives (1955-57) were followed up by the one-year-only ’58 Impala, but for the 1959 model year, a whole new platform was being built. Chevy too this opportunity to launch a pickup version to compete with the Ranchero, and they called it “El Camino” which means “the path” in Spanish. From the A-pillars forward the new ’59 El Camino shared everything with every other car in the 1959 Chevy lineup. It was actually based on the Brookwood 2-door station wagon. Of course, the 1959 bodywork is swoopy and doopy and you either love it or you hate it. But the 1959 Chevrolet El Camino outsold the ’59 Ranchero 22,000 to 14,000. The styling was toned down slightly for the 1960 Chevrolet El Camino, which would be the final year of this initial 2-year run. The El Camino disappeared from Chevrolet’s lineup for 3 model years, only to reappear in 1964, now based on the midsize Chevelle platform. The 1959 & 1960 Chevrolet El Camino remain popular 50+ years on not only because they were the first of their breed, but also because of their polarizing Batman-styling.


1960 Chevrolet El Camino SPECIFICATIONS


Production

Assembly Plant

Base Price

Wheelbase

Track, Front

Track, Rear

Overall Length

Overall Height

Curb Weight

Tire Size

Fuel Capacity

ENGINE SPECS:

Engine Type

Engine Family

Displacement

Bore & Stroke

ENGINE OPTIONS:

Base Engine

Turbo Fire 283

Super Turbo Fire

Turbo Thrust

Super Turbo Thrust

Turbo Thrust Special

Super Turbo Thrust Special

14,163

Arlington TX, USA

$2,366.00

119.0″

60.25″

59.25″

210.9″

56.3″

3,454 lb (6 cyl)

8.00″ X 14″

17 US gallons

OHV inline 6-cylinder

Chevy Stovebolt-Six

235.5 cubic inches

3-9/16″ X 3-15/16″

135hp / 217 lb/ft

OHV 90-degree V8

Chevy Small Block

283 cubic inches

3.875″ X 3.00″

170hp / 217 lb/ft

230hp, 1 X 4bbl

OHV 90-degree V8

Chevy 348/409

348 cubic inches

4.125″ X 3.25″

250hp, 1 X 4bbl

305hp, 3 X 2bbl

320hp, 1 X 4bbl

335hp, 3 X 2bbl