Filed under: Coupes, Trucks/Pickups, Chevrolet
Rendered Speculation: The El Camaro
click above for more high-res renderings of the Chevy El Camaro
We're relatively certain that General Motors has no intention of reviving the El Camino nameplate. Fans of car-based trucklets should be happy that the General has given the green light to produce the Pontiac G8 ST and leave it at that. Of course, the mind wanders regardless and comes up with such interesting ideas as this, the El Camaro. While these renderings provided by Autoblog reader Bo Z are a bit stylized, we imagine that developing such a vehicle wouldn't require a large investment. Much like the G8 ST is simply the front end of a G8 sedan grafted onto the body of Holden Ute, the El Camero could be produced by doing the same thing with the front end of the new Camaro. We know, we know... new, more stringent CAFE regulations are right around the corner, the truck market is shrinking, etc. This is not the time to be dreaming of a Camaro with a bed. At least we've got Photoshop to help express our fanciful whims.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mike m. 9:10PM (2/13/2008)
It says in the rendering that its the El Camero not El Camaro. You did use the correct term once, but the rest of the time you used El Camaro.
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blake 9:35PM (2/13/2008)
they did it on purpose...
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Jay 9:46PM (2/13/2008)
thats frucking ugly
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oby 9:58PM (2/13/2008)
For pity's sake, don't show this to GM or they will build it!
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Polly Prissy Pants 10:02PM (2/13/2008)
So let me get this straight: The Pontiac G8 ST El Camino thing is a go for production but they're not interested in a Trans Am. Really? You know, it's stuff like this that makes you think they WANT Pontiac to fail. If they're trying to kill Pontiac just kill it already. Don't puss around by stuffing the line up with crap nobody will buy and bleed it to death.
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Taylor 10:07PM (2/13/2008)
Someone, uninstall their copy of photoshop and break the disc. QUICK.
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Matt Keller 10:14PM (2/13/2008)
@Triple P: *Reply button not working*
The ST would've been faster than a new TA anyway. And more practical, because seats in the Camaro will be useless. Atleast the ST can haul.
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MajorGeek 10:20PM (2/13/2008)
Of course, considering the old El Camino, it would be based off the Malibu.
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paul34 10:26PM (2/13/2008)
If they refuse to develop/build a new GTO, then don't bother with this.
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Level 10:40PM (2/13/2008)
Who the hell wants a El Camino anyway??? The same nut bags that wanted the Chevy SSR??
That car is not going to sell one bit, save the resources for something else...
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Tiger350 10:42PM (2/13/2008)
GM is not making a fire bird because it would be a rebadged camaro also taking sales aways from the camaro. The g8 is a sedan where the camaro is a coupe so they are in separate markets. They don't need zeta-platform cars competing amongst one another. An addition of a smaller alpha-platform car would seem more likely for chevy (nova?) if they do add another rwd car.
Also, the g8 st can't hurt pontiac, only help fund the zeta-platform costs. Plus, gm is testing the waters with the g8 st, seeing what the market is like for it, cause if it's a hit like in Australia , we might be seeing the denali xt concept soon.
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mark 11:00PM (2/13/2008)
okay, the el camino was cool back in the day. sure, it would be interesting to revive it with all these other muscle cars that are being redesigned, but honestly...who is getting paid to think of a name like that?!?? el CAMARO??? el camino is spanish for "the road," it might have been a dumb name, but at least it translated! if they're going to bring it back, it needs to be named properly instead of being given this dumb crap.
im seriously thinking that there are monkeys at GM HQ.
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Mario 11:10PM (2/13/2008)
For crying out loud. It was never stated that these renderings were from GM. Hence the El Camaro name, GM would never name it that. It's just an amalgamation of the two names.
This was probably done by some 19yr old in his parent's basement.
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Esprit bird 11:23PM (2/13/2008)
The performance division of GM is getting the pick-up truck...so like when you walk into a dealer and ask for Pontiac performance...they do not point you in the direction of a sleek speedy Trans Am, or a big heavy GTO...they point you in the direction of a pick up truck....there ya go...Performance!
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TBlueMax 11:49PM (2/13/2008)
The old El Camino SS models were actually pretty sharp cars in spite of their redneck reputation. This rendering looks like a pretty faithful interpretation of what a modern-day El Camino SS would probably look like. If you don't like it, that's fine - not everybody likes everything. However, if you think for a second that a modern day 427ci El Camino SS wouldn't leave you sitting at the tree on the strip, you likely don't know much about cars.
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TBlueMax 12:02AM (2/14/2008)
Further, for the folks that grew up describing their engine displacement in liters instead of cubic inches, a 427ci V8 would displace a tick over 7 liters. To relate 7 liters of displacement to a modern engine, you only have to look at GM's LS7, the same 7.0 liter engine found in the Corvette ZO6 rated at 505 hp and 470 lb.-ft. of torque.
http://www.gmperformanceparts.com/EngineShowcase/index.jsp?engId=LS7&engine=LS7&sku=17802397&engCat=ls
I learned how to drive on a car with a 400ci big block V8. I thought that was a pretty big engine until I saw an old Cadillac motor sitting on an engine stand in a friend's auto shop. The Caddy motor displaced an even 500ci and is, to this day, the largest non-truck, non-race motor I've ever seen, in or out of a car. God Bless America.
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C.W. 12:04AM (2/14/2008)
Well, I'm glad others share in my feeling that it isn't that great of a loss that this thing isn't an actual production vehicle. GM doesn't need to dilute the Zeta line they have with their models in the past. Nissan is one of the few automakers that can pull off basing several models off the same platform. The SSR was cool, but at the same time overpriced, overweight, and impractical, leaving it only for those who had more money than sense.
On a CAFE note...I picked up a random issue of Motor Trend today for some bathroom reading and found a comment made my Maximum Bob back in late 2006 or early 2007 comparing the use of CAFE as a means to control fuel problems like mandating size 3 dresses to control obesity. Oh Bob, what will you think of next...
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Zeus.:God 12:12AM (2/14/2008)
I LOVE IT!
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TriShield 12:13AM (2/14/2008)
So a muscle car with a bed that could achieve 25mpg freeway and 16-18mpg overall per tank is worse for CAFE than endlessly rebadging trucks, suvs and pod-shaped crossovers that nobody cares about?
A Camaro rebadge for Pontiac with a big flaming chicken graphic on the hood is better for the brand than a G8 variant with an open tray?
Alrighty then.
As for this render, it's a million times better than the Camaro-based GMC Denali XT POS GM came up with on their own. I'd rather see GM build this than the Denali concept any day.
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C.W. 12:41AM (2/14/2008)
Funny how never in your post do you say you'd buy one over the other, just that you'd rather "see" it...
It comes down to GM will build what people will buy and in the process make them money, regardless of what it may be.
Oh and which "pod-shaped crossovers" that nobody cares about are you referring to? Oh, maybe those that leave dealers' lots before their engines cool down from getting off the transporter.
Why do all these naysayers come to AutoBlog? Go upstairs from your basement bedroom and moan to mommy...
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