San Jose Street Sighting - 1972 Chevrolet El Camino

Every now and then I visit a friend of mine in San Jose, and we like to eat at a Carrows restaurant on the main drag in his part of town. Incidentally, someone often chooses that block to park an older vehicle with a for sale sign on it. The first such vehicle I saw was the 1962 Chevy Impala sedan I featured some months ago. One of the several I've seen over the past year was this 1972 Chevy El Camino.

San Francisco Street Sighting - 1959 Chevrolet El Camino

For some reason I have a completely irrational love for the 1959 Chevy full-size car lineup. Coupes, sedans, wagons, all with fancy "bat wing" tail fins and cat-eye taillights. But perhaps the most ridiculous finned car Chevy built that year was a brand new variation on the theme: the El Camino coupe utility pickup.

San Francisco Street Sighting - 1968 Chevrolet El Camino

I'll admit it, I've been hesitant to feature a Chevy El Camino here. Because I see so many of them, particularly of 1960s vintage, I generally pass them up. However, to date I've already done two Ford Rancheros, so it's probably time. Produced from 1959 to 1960 on the fullsize (Impala) platform, and 1964 to 1987 on the midsize (Chevelle/Malibu) platform, the El Camino is still a relatively common sight on California roads as a car-based alternative to a traditional pickup truck.