The Chevrolet El Camino introduced in 1959 combined a car front with a pickup bed.
Chevrolet created the El Camino to compete with Ford’s Ranchero, which had appeared in 1957. The first El Camino used the body and styling of Chevrolet’s full-size passenger cars, while its rear section formed an open cargo bed.
The model was not a conventional pickup in the same sense as a Chevrolet C/K truck. It was a car-based utility vehicle, often described as a coupé utility. This layout gave it more passenger-car styling and road manners than a traditional truck.
Chevrolet discontinued the first version after the 1960 model year, then revived the name for a new Chevelle-based model in 1964. Later El Caminos became closely associated with muscle-car-era Chevrolet styling.