For more than 20 years, General Motors sold a curious half truck, half car, called the Chevrolet El Camino. Enthusiasts have been pining for its return since production ended in the 1980s, but their wish may be granted as GM has renewed its patent on the name.

El Camino is Spanish for The Camino

Some might remember the Chevrolet El Camino, the car with a pickup truck bed on the back. The El Camino, introduced in 1959, was actually made to compete with a similar vehicle, the Ford El Ranchero, which according to the great Fountain of Internet Knowledge, Wikipedia, was first released in 1957. The El Camino stayed in production until 1987, making it one of GM’s longest-lived vehicles.

Since then, a number of people have been pining for its return, as car ride, handling and economy with truck utility is a great combination. Merry Christmas, El Camino fans, as GM, according to AutoGuide, has re-trademarked the name.

Thunder from Down Under

General Motors has a habit of importing cars from Holden, it’s Australian division, and slapping Chevrolet or Pontiac badges on them. The car in question is the Holden Ute; such cars in Australia are referred to as “utes,” as in “utility.” It’s based on the Holden Commodore, which was rebadged some years ago as the Pontiac G8 and will soon be rebadged as the Chevrolet SS.

Vehicles like the El Camino were, in fact, an Aussie invention. The first was in 1932, according to Fastlane.com.au, when a farmer’s wife wrote a letter to Ford, asking for a car that could “go to Church on Sunday, and which can carry our pigs to market on Monday.” At the time, banks would only lend money for farm trucks, so cars had to be bought with cash. The ute, therefore, could get manufacturer versus broker car finance. Work began and the Ford Coupe Utility went on sale in 1934.

Today, Ford’s ute is the Ford Falcon Ute Mark II. However, Ford doesn’t appear to be mulling bringing back the Ranchero, so don’t expect to see one at a Ford dealer, say, Gus Johnson in Spokane. That might threaten F-150 sales.

Resurrection of former plans

According to AutoBlog, the Holden Ute was given Pontiac cladding in 2008 as an auto show concept called the Pontiac G8 ST with hopes of production but, according to AutoGuide, those plans were put paid by bankruptcy and the axing of Pontiac. It may yet come to fruition as a new El Camino. According to Fox News, GM has also trademarked the name “Nomad,” meaning the SS line may spawn a wagon as well as a new El Camino.

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The Holden Ute, in Australia, comes with three engines, a 3.0-liter and 3.6-liter V-6, or a 6.0-liter V-8. The V-8 model has a cylinder deactivation system, which cuts cylinder use to four when appropriate,  saving fuel. The 3.6-liter is featured in a number of current U.S. GM vehicles today.

Six-speed automatic or manual transmissions are available and it’s only available, thank heavens, in rear-wheel drive. Fuel economy is, roughly, a combined 24 miles per gallon for the 3.0-liter, 23 mpg for the 3.6-liter and just under 19 mpg for the V-8, after conversion from liters per kilometer.

According to Jalopnik, it could debut as a 2015 model, in 2014.

MCDE Editorial