What car was similar to the El Camino?
The Ford Ranchero is the best-known American counterpart to the Chevrolet El Camino, sharing the same concept of a car-based pickup with a stylish, coupe-like body and a truck bed. Globally, the Holden Ute in Australia offered a closely related approach, while a few niche models such as the Dodge Rampage provided a short-lived car-based pickup option in the 1980s.
Historical context
The Chevrolet El Camino is a distinctive blend of passenger-car comfort and pickup utility. First appearing in 1959–60 and then returning from 1964 to 1987, it carved out a niche as a practical, stylish alternative to traditional pickup trucks. Its closest peer in the United States was Ford’s Ranchero, which pursued the same idea from the other side of the market.
Notable examples of coupe utilities and car-based pickups that resemble the El Camino include the following:
- Ford Ranchero (1957–1979) — the era’s most direct American competitor, built to combine car-like handling with a pickup bed.
- Holden Ute (1951–2020s, across generations) — Australia’s long-running take on the same concept, adapting sedan-based platforms for utility use.
- Dodge Rampage (1982–1983) — a compact, car-based pickup derived from the K-car platform, representing a shorter-lived US-era alternative.
These examples illustrate how automakers around the world experimented with a car-based utility layout, balancing passenger comfort with light-loading capability across different eras.
Regional variants and impact
United States: the Ranchero as a rival
The Ranchero shared its market with the El Camino for several generations, appealing to buyers who wanted the practicality of a pickup without sacrificing the smooth ride and styling of a passenger car. While production ended in the late 1970s for the Ranchero, its legacy endures as the quintessential American counterpart to Chevrolet’s model.
Australia and the ute tradition
In Australia, the Holden Ute became the primary example of the coupe utility concept, evolving through numerous generations and remaining a staple of Australian automotive culture. The ute approach emphasizes a robust load bed paired with the comfort and driving dynamics of a sedan-based platform, a combination that proved enduring in that market.
Summary
The El Camino’s sedan-based, open-bed blueprint found resonance far beyond Chevrolet, most famously in Ford’s Ranchero in the United States and Holden’s Ute in Australia. While each region adapted the concept to local tastes and regulatory environments, the core idea—a stylish, car-like body with a practical cargo bed—remained the common thread that defined this distinctive vehicle class.
Final takeaway
For readers curious about similar cars to the El Camino, the Ford Ranchero stands out as the closest U.S. counterpart, with the Holden Ute representing the same philosophy in Australia. Other niche examples from the era highlight a broader, global curiosity about combining passenger-car comfort with light-duty loading capability.
