Thanks to badge engineering, somewhat common Curbside Classics can be found in unique flavors. Such is today’s discovery, a 1977 Chevrolet El Camino in GMC livery (I’m basing the model year on the grille texture, the only exterior change from year to year). While El Camino production ended back in 1987, a quick search through the CC archives turns up many El Camino sightings through the years, including 5th generation models spotted in both Israel and Japan, making them fairly common content.
However, this fourth generation model sports an uncommon nameplate (In 1977 GMC sold 5,955 of these Americanized Aussie Utes). We’ve written up a ’72 Sprint and an ’87 Caballero, but this appears to be the first of the 1973-77 generation Sprint captured “in the wild.”
As you can see, there’s very few Sprint specific parts. You’ll occasionally run across a claim that GMCs use “heavier duty components” compared to the Chevy version, and a co-worker once told me “They use more spot welds when building GMC cabs,” but beyond using GMC motors under-hood (a practice that died out in the sixties), I’ve seen no evidence to support these claims. Outside of the badging, we’re looking at an El Camino.
Because of this common heritage, assigning a generation to this truck becomes a bit murky. GMC only started selling Sprints in 1971, four years into the Camino’s 3rd generation platform. The fourth generation El Camino arrived in 1973, and the Sprint carried forward on this platform. Based on that information, do we call this ’77 Sprint a second generation model, or fourth generation like the El Camino? To add to the confusion, GMC changed “Sprint” to “Caballero” in 1978, so is that truck another new 1st generation iteration or just a 5th gen Camino? Enquiring minds want to know…
Already an exercise in badge engineering, GMC also decided to badge engineer the badge. GMC cast this badge for a number of vehicles, and to differentiate them, glued a model label on below the letters. Looking carefully at the passenger side badge (in the blue box), We see that time has removed a portion of the ID plate, exposing the blank box.
Here’s another example of a GMC badge. In this example, the insert gives us both model and trim level. It seems during these years GMC used Professional Grade badge engineering!
Enough nameplate discussion, let’s take a look at this particular truck. The angle of the sun and the truck’s windshield shade worked together to obscure my interior picture, but the overall condition is impressive. No massive cracks in the vinyl, and all the interior panels appear to be in place.
No under-hood shots to be had, but Sprints came with a number of engine options. From ’73 to ’75 this platform offered the 454 big block, but by ’77 buyers were limited to the 250 L6, and 305 or 350 cubic inch V-8s.
I’m betting this one is equipped with the ubiquitous 350/350 combo (5.7 liter V-8 with a THM 350 backing it up). Revisiting the topic of badge engineering, in the early seventies GMC chose to re-label the Chevy “Turbo-Fire” V-8 into a GMC “Invader” V-8. While they seem to have abandoned this practice by 1977, I found this example for a 350. I’d imagine GM let the Invader trademark lapse, as it is out of step with modern marketing themes.
Here’s a final shot showing the truck’s overall condition. Outside of this bed rust and a few spots behind the wheels, it shows few signs of age. Since the rims have Chevy hubcaps, I’m guessing someone changed over to a set of Chevy rally wheels. Beyond that, our Sprint appears to be original and unmolested. A perfect candidate for Curbside Classics.
Before wrapping up, I do have one final thought. While Sprint is an uncommon name for this platform, It’s not an uncommon choice for other vehicles. Off the top of my head, I can think of several models, trim levels, and even an engine using the Sprint name. In fact, another GM brand used Sprint around the same time as this truck. I could provide a list, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, I’ll ask all of you- How many other Sprints can you recall?
Additional Reading:
I could totally see a GMC 2500 Invader pickup. Blacked out trim, standard roll bar in the bed, more LED lights than a Sylvania factory, and maybe a hatchet mounted below the side fender badge. It’s certainly more likely than the GMC 3500 Care Bear edition, no matter how strong bears are…
I don’t often think about (or realize) that there were five generations of El Camino, the first and second usually escape my mind first, then this one. The 3rd, and 5th generations somehow occupy my brainspace far more.
I agree “Invader” fits the current truck culture, but I’m guessing a sentiment analysis across the general population would generate a negative score. Not to the level of “Dictator” mind you, but certainly not a sunshine and flowers score.
Even if it scored positively with potential pick up buyers, a negative score with people outside that group would lead GM in a different direction.
It’s fascinating to see that they did do such a lazy job with these even though slapping on a Buick, Olds or Pontiac front clip would’ve been plug-and-play. That’s real dedication to badge engineering.
On these pages exists the El Oldsmopile, where some enterprising person put a Cutlass clip on a Camino.
That’s actually a popular customizing thing, which occasionally extends to the power train to build a Pontiac GTO amino or Buick GNX amino.
I think somebody has even stuck a Pontiac G8 front on a Holden ute.
Elsewhere I just a saw Lincoln front on a Ranchero
Pontiac G8 front nose were a factory option on the SS Holden’s I think as I’ve only seen them in person on LS (V8) powered Holden’s.
I’ve only seen G8 fronts on ute’s which seem to the most common and wagons which seem to be rarer but not as rare as the sedans.
They would be a great investment especially a manual LS wagon which is the most attractive 21st century Holden and perhaps one of best styled product of any GM nameplate around 2010.
Also I think later V6 Commodores are unreliable, the Buick 3.8 was a great motor in a 89 VN that weighed 1300kg but abusive in a 1700kg 99 VT and the 3.6 Alloytec that replaced the 3.8 seems to have a habit of leaving you stranded on the side of the road.
I’m also incredulous that Holden didn’t fit 4200 Vortec straight 6 from the Atlas family of engines instead of the Alloytec.
Which I only became aware of a year or so ago due to a US Youtube video lightly dissing the Barra, why import a motor from Australia when there’s a local alternative.
My 3.6 Alloytec has 230,000 km on it. It’s had one water pump, two sets of plugs, a couple of coil packs, and a starter. Touch wood I’ll get many more years from it.
Somewhere in all my reading of different car magazines I remember seeing an article with pictures of El Camino that had received not just a Pontiac front clip, but even the instrument panel had been swapped for a Pontiac assembly.
I can’t remember if this was a factory proposal or a very enterprising car customizers ” toy “.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Google Images had pictures of ” alternative ” versions of the El Camino, If someone knew how to find them.
Howard: I was going to make the same comment. The one we’re thinking of actually had the Gran Prix instrument cluster, and IIRC seats, door panels, and console. 🙂
Sometimes they didn’t even get the badge engineering right, like the steering wheel on my friend’s GMC which said Chevrolet
I’m having some difficulty with this. I’m sure you meant 1977, but how do you reckon these are Americanised? As far as I know they’re 100 per cent American, with no relation to any Australian model. The coupĂ© utility (“ute”) body style was certainly popular in Australia, and might even have originated there, but I’m still not seeing how that makes the El Camino, Sprint, Caballero, and Ranchero Americanised Australians.
You’re correct about the date, which I’ve updated.
As far as Americanized, I meant to refer to an American platform using an Australian body type but I see your point.
Thanks for this post. I previously wrote about the Israeli E-Caminos and also uploaded a Sprint within that article:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-capsule/cc-capsule-the-israeli-tax-deductible-el-camino/
Despite being pretty car-savvy I had never seen, or at least never noticed, that there was a GMC version of the El Camino until Boxing Day, 1976 when I rode from Toronto to Niagara Falls with my sister and her husband and dog, in his dad’s Colonnade Sprint. Also white like this one. It was pretty cramped for the three (four?) of us and I remember that the defroster had trouble keeping up. Elkie’s were certainly common enough in California, but when I saw this one I thought it might be a Canada-only offering.
Going OT…..It’s odd how long it took buyers in northern climes to catch on to air conditioning not only cutting the Northeast humidity along with the heat in the summer, but make the defrosters work way better in cold weather as well. Also car manufacturers, who didn’t design even integrated AC to dehumidify the defroster air for years.
You could cheat with Chrysler late fifties to early sixties systems because they used defroster vents flipped up as upper AC vents. If you pushed the Defrost button the air was directed through them without the compressor running. But you could push the Cool button and not flip them up and get dehumidified heated air out of them, and close the lower vents if you wanted all the air to go to the defrosters.
Air conditioning cost the 2021 equivalent of two or three thousand dollars back then, but in Arizona where we lived (even at 5000 ft elevation) no one would buy a new car without it by at least 1960. We were driving across NY on the Thruway in summer 1965 and even then the other cars with their windows closed were almost all only luxury cars.
We were doing that on our Volvo in 1974, since the AC was controlled by a separate rocker switch. I don’t think any prior car had either the right controls or a sufficiently powerful air conditioner
IIRC, the last generation of the GMC Sprint was renamed Caballero and one of the models was actually called Diablo.
What I can’t figure out is why the same bible-thumpers that made Chrysler rename Dodge’s Duster-clone from Demon to Dart Sport didn’t get similarly riled up over the Diablo.
Bible thumpers may have complained to Chrysler about the Demon name, but they didn’t “make” them rename the product. Low sales led to the Demon’s demise.
Things also change over time- Dodge seems to have no problem selling the current Demon, so perhaps enough time passed before the Diablo arrived that such concerns faded away.
It’s too bad sales of the Demon weren’t better. I wonder if Chrysler would have changed the name on a successful product.
And there were other differences. The Demon was a mainstream model. The Diablo was a package available on the Cabellero.
Then there was the whole Spanish name thing. It might have been the ‘Devil’, but since it was in another language, I guess GMC got a pass.
Still thought it was curious.
Arkansas, at least, had no problem applying the Diablo name to a sandwich.
The seats look like the ones from our ’73 Buick Century wagon.
Makes sense because it’s the same platform.
To answer the sprint question here in Canada ( don’t know if it was stateside) a Suzuki Swift rebadged as a Chevy Spint. There was also Ă Ford Falcon Sprint and I think the Tempest/Firebirds performance OHC was called a Sprint.
And to finish off useless trivia night I’m positive I remember a great aunt having a early 60’s Canadian Acadian sedan and the engine was called the invader six.
Hall-Scott had a massive 1091 cubic inch six called the Invader. It was used in rescue boats and landing craft in WWII, then in fire trucks in the 1950s. It was not known for fuel economy.
You know, I can’t even recall the last time I saw an El Camino of this gen, never mind a Sprint. I’ve always liked the styling of them though. I’d like to find a model or diecast of one, but it seems no one has ever made one.
I’d also like to find a model or diecast of one, but it seems no one has ever made one.
Here’s a link to an earlier article on swapping front clips:
https://barnfinds.com/el-caponcho-1977-pontiac-grand-prix/