Riddle: “When is an El Camino not an El Camino?”
Answer: “When it’s a GMC Caballero!”
Or a GMC Sprint, to be fair. This past July 4th weekend found me in the metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona area to celebrate with some of my best friends, with most of us knowing each other from Chicago. Four of us were headed to downtown Chandler to check out a famous brew-pub that been on one of our lists to try. Yet another beautiful thing about my sobriety (the end of this week will mark seventeen months) is that I can now always be the built-in designated driver when needed. It didn’t take much straining for me to spot this bright red beauty from the car as we headed toward the parking garage.
These particular friends, part of a larger group, are especially close to my heart, as they were some of the first real friends I had made when I first moved to the Windy City in the early Aughts. We have all been and seen each other through some major life changes. Many of them grew up in the diversely populated south Chicago suburb of Park Forest, in an environment very similar to that in which I grew up in Flint, Michigan. After carefully feeling me out, they had then embraced me as one of their own, almost as if I had gone to high school with them. Indeed, I know so many of those stories like I had been there. Over the course of almost twenty years, some of us have moved away for new and different phases of life. An increased physical distance between friends does not need to translate to a loss of closeness. I flew into Phoenix from Chicago, and two in our group flew in from central Texas, so it really was a Chicago reunion in southern Arizona.
The Chicago theme seemed to run through much of what we did that weekend, including lunch at Portillo’s hot dogs in Tempe, not far from the campus of Arizona State University. I had last been to Portillo’s (pronounced por-TIH-los, versus por-TEE-yos or -jhos), a Chicago legend, maybe ten years ago at the suggestion of my cousin and his wife who were visiting for an extended weekend. It’s never not a good time for a Chicago-style hot dog, and I’ve already been to both Wolfy’s (open since 1967) and Superdawg (1948) since only this April. Chicago dogs have a very specific constitution: an all-beef hot dog topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, tomato wedges, sweet relish and a dill pickle spear, sport peppers (which are small, green, and pickled), with a dash of celery salt and served on a poppy seed bun. Under no circumstances whatsoever is there to be any ketchup anywhere near it.
A Wolfy’s red hot. West Ridge, Chicago, Illinois. Saturday, April 17, 2021.
The Chicago dog is also called a “red hot” among its assortment of nicknames. Speaking of red hot, the high temperatures in metro Phoenix on July 4th weekend averaged something like 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 Celsius). Even the water in my friends’ swimming pool registered in the upper 90s, according to the floating thermometer. It was only appropriate that the one, major classic vehicle spotting and photo op that occurred during the weekend was of this ’81 GMC Caballero finished in a color that could accurately be described as “red hot”. It wasn’t wasted on me, either, that this truck was parked on West Chicago Street in downtown Chandler. I believe that there are no coincidences. The accessories on this truck, including its custom wheels, blackout trim and cargo bed, look so correct and perfect to me, much like the toppings on a Chicago red hot.
This GMC’s “Caballero” model name also seemed extremely fitting for this setting. A Spanish word that can mean “gentleman” or “horseman”, it seems direct correlated to the English noun “cavalier”. All of this imagery jells perfectly with my ideas of the West. I haven’t spent a lot of time in this area of the southwestern United States outside of periodic visits to these friends (and to Las Vegas, which is a whole, separate thing), but this area has so far lived up to most of my mental pictures of what it would be like. There is the dust, majestic mountains, tons of cacti sprinkled everywhere, extreme heat, and things in the animal kingdom like scorpions and (rumored) road runners that actually look like miniaturized versions of the giant Warner Brothers cartoon bird. The only thing missing was Yosemite Sam, as seen on vehicle mudflaps warning other drivers to “Back off!”
The GMC double to the Chevrolet El Camino was called the Sprint when introduced for the ’71 model year. It sold fairly well, with solid first-year sales of about 5,500 units. (The highest production figure for any GMC coupe utility would arrive for ’79, when there were close to 7,000 copies made.) Being regularly outsold by a ratio of close to 10:1 by the Chevy perhaps gave GMC Sprint owners the bit of differentiation they were looking for. Following the redesigned 1973 – ’77 “Colonnade”-based generation, the downsized ’78s sported the new “Caballero” name, and sales of the GMC increased by about 10%, to 6,600 units that year. The front grille on this example is from an ’81, the last year of dual headlamps before a switch to quad lamps for ’82.
As with any vehicle of this era, it’s possible that the grille is a only replacement sourced from an ’81 donor vehicle, but if this example is an ’81, it’s one of about 4,400 produced that year (against about 36,700 Chevy El Caminos). Of these final-generation utes from GM, there was only one model year, 1983, in which the GMC version didn’t sell better than 10% of the combined total between GMC and Chevrolet. I wonder if I might have been one of the “GMC guys” in wanting to drive something different (in name) than the popular Chevy. GMC has long been marketed as being “industrial grade” versus its bow-tie wearing counterpart, but when I saw both Silverado and Sierra pickups being built nose-to-tail during a Flint Assembly plant tour ten summers ago, I saw nothing but what looked like near-complete interchangeability with only minor detail changes between the two makes.
An attempted license plate search proved fruitless, so I can’t say for sure what was under the hood. There were four engines available for ’81: two six-cylinder engines displacing 229 and 231 cubic inches (with the same 110 horsepower rating), and then two V8s, with one displacing 267 cubic inches with a two-barrel carburetor and 120 horses, and the other being a 305 with a 4-bbl. carb and 135-hp. A fun fact that has long fascinated me was that the bed of the downsized ’78 was the same length as that of the larger ’77, at about 79″ long. I’m a big fan of doing more with less, speaking of which, I never would have believed maybe even two or three years ago just how much more I would enjoy visiting with these friends without an adult beverage in my hand. You know you have found your tribe when you all love and support each other’s good decisions without judgement and give each other the freedom to evolve as life moves forward. That’s about as red hot as it gets.
Downtown Chandler, Arizona.
Monday, July 5, 2021.
I like it and Im not alone in that someone in NZ has a GMC very much like this in blue metallic, I cruised slowly past one on the motorway expecting to see a bowtie somewhere but it had a name I couldnt recognise from my mirror view on the grille, first one Ive seen, but there are plenty of El Caminos running around here, it has asn Aussie Falcon ute look about it especially the doors.
After looking up a similar-generation, ’78 Falcon XC ute, I see what you’re talking about – especially in profile, and around the doors.
I actually didn’t know GMC Sprints and Caballeros were that low of production, though it makes sense *derp, duhh*, as I almost never see them. I do remember one Sprint in particular… it was a owned by a high school aged guy who liked to hang out at my Dad’s sports card shop (remember wax pack baseball cards??). He usually brought his little sister, who was closer to my age, and she thought I was cute. At age 11 or 12, I was already capable of bumbling and stumbling like a fool when subjected to such grownup issues as puppy love. As such, I remember her a bit more vividly than the GMC. I vaguely remember it being a 1975, perhaps in a tan and brown color.
BTW- The GMC Sprint actually debuted for 1971.
Thumbs up for sobriety! =)
You are so correct – there was a pre-Colonnade Sprint! And now I have to fix it… Thank you!
I always knew that the GMC version was only fractionally as popular as the Chevy, but I never realized how really low the GMC numbers were.
Portillos has opened a couple of locations in my area, and I am a fan of the Chicago Italian beef sandwiches. As a hard partisan of the kind of coney island hot dog found in my hometown of Fort Wayne, I have studiously avoided the Chicago Dog, which has always struck me as the Carmen Miranda of hot dogs. (For those too young, she was a Brazilian performer from the Technicolor era of the 40s, famous for her always-outlandish headwear.) But perhaps I need to back up, take a deep breath, and consider the Chicago Dog afresh and on its own terms.
The “Carmen Miranda of hot dogs” is golden and will stay with me for a long time, JP! Very apt.
When you mention the Fort Wayne variety of coney island hot dogs, you bring to mind that many regions have a take on it. There’s a difference in Michigan even between Detroit dogs and Flint coneys.
Oh, man, to get a Chicago-style dog anywhere other than the Windy City just isn’t the same. Most other places don’t do stuff like the poppyseed bun or celery salt and it affects the experience.
In fact, the easiest way to enjoy a ‘real’ Chicago dog used to be anytime passing through O’Hare airport at one of the pushcart vendors. It’s been nearly two decades so I don’t know if it’s even still there (I only knew of one). I don’t recall which concourse it was located, but I used to make a special run to get a dog just in time before my flight left. Those were the days.
The lack of certain ingredients can detract from the experience, so I agree with you. Just the same, if enough of them are there, to where I can actually get a Chicago red hot in a place other than Chicago, it is still comforting (and usually still very delicious).
The cool thing about O’Hare is that they also have a Berghoff’s German restaurant outpost in the C terminal. I have yet to eat there before traveling, but I love eating at regular Berghoff’s in the Loop.
There are also kiosks selling Garrett’s gourmet popcorn and other Chicago-specific treats. It always feels like one last hurrah to get a bag of Garretts’ mix (caramel & cheese popcorn) for the flight. I love my city and all of its culinary delights.
Joseph – You too have noticed the Chicagofication of Phoenix.
In addition to Portillo’s and lots of retired people from Illinois there are multiple Lou Malnati’s pizza locations, Parkway Banks, places to buy Bell’s beer, one White Castle and of course the Cubs (east valley) and White Sox (west valley) all spring.
All they need to make it complete is Frazier Thomas with Family Classics on Sunday afternoons (if the Cubs are rained out) with commercials by Lynn Burton, your TV Ford man, for Bert Weinman Ford, located at 3535 North, on Ashland Avenue.
Chicagofication, indeed! The thing I’m still trying to figure out is how the super-hot weather in Arizona is palatable to so many Chicago transplants. Maybe there was just one snowstorm too many. My friends who live there seem to like it.
Me, I prefer the cold to extreme hot. I can always put on a thicker sweater in January. My time spent living in Florida taught me this much about myself: if given the choice, I’d rather be seasonally exposed to temperatures that are sometimes too cold than too hot.
Congrats on 17 months. (I just took 21 months today, & this is one of the first things I read today, speaking of coincidence.) Happy for you, Joseph!
Mya, thank you so much. Any please accept my co-congratulations to you, as well. We are in lockstep.
(And CC is also one of the first things I look at in the morning.)
As always, a geat writing, Joseph. And as always, I’ll comment on something other than the car. Congrats on your sobriety. I’ve been a designated driver since I got my license, as I’ve never drank alcohol. And, mind you, it’s not over any principles, teetootaling, abstinence, religion, or philosophy. It’s just that I don’t like it, save for a little very sweet wine in Passover or some Irish cream on the rocks when I know I’ll stay at home. Then again….I wish I could be 17 months without having chocolate or other candy, trans fat, or so many other things I shouldn’t eat.
Rafael, thank you so much. You also had me wondering what I might do if I had to give up “cheat day(s)” on weekends, when I eat pretty much anything and everything I want after maintaining a strict exercise and diet regimen throughout the week. 🙂 It all seems to balance out.
Badass find, Joseph. The color and the car could not be more perfect for that environment.
This post made me hungry. Although I’ve never been to Chicago (save for O’Hare and Midway layovers which in my opinion don’t count), my dad is a Chicago native and I have a special memory of him taking me to Mustard’s Last Stand in Boulder, which as far as I know is as close as one can get to a proper dog outside of Chicago. Most old Boulder establishments have disappeared, but Mustard’s still survives…
Corey, I had to look up Mustard’s Last Stand, and it looks like my kind of place! I especially liked the map for ex-Chicagoans where they can put a pin where they used to live. I love the setting of the actual restaurant, in full view of beautiful Colorado mountains. I would seek out places like this if I ever moved away. Good on your dad for taking you there.
This reminds me of that RED over chromes Caprice Coupe you bagged in Tampa. There was food in that one, too. I guess RED can do that to you!
Once that hood is fettled, the only thing I would change would be a chromed rear bumper. I’m hoping those LED(?) replacement headlights are quality units properly aimed. I like that they went with simple dual exhausts. Simple and clean, much more attractive than those Choo-Choo SS clones.
For me, the most striking feature of this makeover is the black-painted bed finish also fully extending into the interior of the sail panels and up and around the rear window. Boom!
From the rear three quarter and side views, I always found that body-colored area to be a bit distracting and somewhat awkward. This solves that distraction, and now I know why I always liked these, yet was never completely convinced for some reason.
Looks as if you’ve found your own way to see beyond the distractions to see a more attractive reality. It was right there all along.
From this distance it’s impossible to tell for certain, but they look like the GE-rebranded American-made Truck-Lite units, which were among the more respectable of the type. Of course, there was/is a mountain of counterfeits and knockoffs, neither American-made nor respectable. But from what I can see…probably the GEs on this car.
This is North America! Caring about headlamp aim is for Euro-weenies and Communists!
It’s a sensitive subject. I live in exurb bro-dozer land. Those that aren’t dozers are jacked Wranglers with “Angry Eyes” and “Daisy Dukes” (aggressive grille face replacements and teeny replacement fenders).
Most run the type of lighting sufficient for a cargo vessel, and yet front flat surfaces include white supernova LED light strips.
In order to satisfy my more base compulsions, I’ve been trying to decide whether to carry either duct tape or a small ballpeen hammer in the car with me.
Ugh. I’m fortunate to live where coal-rollers are not often seen, but on the occasion I do see one, I wish for a magic wand to route their exhaust into the passenger compartment, seal the doors and windows, and disable the HVAC.
I’m unfortunate to live where “upgraded” lighting is all over the place, and most of the LEOs don’t care. There are a few who do, and they issue citations when they can, but the prevailing vehicle equipment code here is an obsolete shambles that doesn’t give them much sturdy ice to stand on.
Those “angry eye” Jeep headlight masks are on the long list of evidence that humanity is too damn dumb to deserve a habitable planet. Also on the list: “Hurrr, derp! I blackened out my taillights so they work less!”.
I try my best to be a decent human these days, but will confess to occasionally hosing someone down with aircraft landing lights if they failed to dim their lights when I was younger. These days, it can be hard to tell whether you’re willfully being beamed by a jerk, or if it’s an innocent mom or grandpa who was misguided by the guy behind the counter at a parts store. The jackwagon using a light bar on the road is a cut-and-dry case, but I no longer have a vehicle with landing lights 😏.
@Daniel Stern -Is there anywhere left in the world where downgraded lighting isn’t a thing?
From what I have seen, childish vehicle lighting modifications are substantially nonexistent in Germany, France, Switzerland, and Great Britain. All those countries have stringent periodic roadworthiness inspections.
Great memory! I hadn’t even made that connection between that Caprice and this Caballero – brilliant.
I think I recall having seen a trivia question on a game show (was it Press Your Luck?) where it was said that the color that makes people the most hungry was red. This would make sense to me.
I also like the black-painted cargo bed. I think the owner put some good thought into these light mods, and it shows to great effect.
And on the last thing, so true. Sometimes things are right in front of us, but it still takes a leap of faith to do things differently to see them.
Those curved rear windows were prone to leak, even at the factory, This was a good size for this truck. One of my neighbors had two of these utes. My Dad had two Malibu Classic wagons of the same vintage. It must be something about these Chevys that escapes me. The Caballero and Camino were built nose to tail in Fremont Ca. of course some were produced with mismatched logos and nameplates. Oftentimes done on purpose.
Jose, it did also strike me that this Caballero was sized pretty perfectly for anything I’d want to use it for. Not that I’d want to use it for much heavy hauling if I had tricked it out as beautifully as this one.
As somebody who CANNOT STAND yellow mustard, that dog would be covered in ketchup
Gasp! Blasphemer!
https://youtu.be/gpGHNkQT63A
I’ve always heard that some options came standard on the GMC, but were optional at extra cost for the Chevy. Always did like this version of the Elky; the 73-up versions looked
awkward. 🙂
Cracking vehicle – if I lived in Arizona I’d have one, just like this.
I owned a ’79 Caballero I bought from my Dad after I helped him repossess it from a person he sold it to in 1987. Dad had purchased it new. It had 305, auto trans, AC. Light blue with blue interior. Didn’t realize it was one of only 7000 that year, quite rare. I do remember the owners manual explaining it was built on the same line as the El Camino, and stating quite clearly that it was the same as one minus the badges, thought it was interesting that GM wanted to make that clear.
Didn’t keep it very long, after a few months I sold it. It was pretty slow around town, ran OK on the highway and got decent MPG.
Great post as always, Joseph.
Congrats on making 17 months. That must’ve taken some will power. If I go to a new city, and end up in a brewpub, I must sample the brewer’s art. Having been a brewer, it’s a professional curiosity. Of course as I get older, the main reason I don’t drink much beer any more is health concerns. I haven’t made a batch of homebrew in years.
As for the Chicago Dog… Mmmmmmm… Problem is, I live in Baltimore and finding one of these culinary delights can be a Grail Quest. I’ve always heard the description from the few providers of these fine hot dogs that says that they’re “Dragged through the Garden”…
I like mine without the tomatoes, unless it’s August when Maryland Tomatoes are in season. If the proprietor is using local fruit, I will not have him hold the tomatoes. As to the Sport Peppers, well, like the aforementioned “Health Concerns” it depends on whether I’m up to the inevitable GERD effects of eating those on my dog. I realize that these peppers are part of the experience of the Chicago Dog, however.
We had two places where we could get one in Maryland. My first Chicago Dog was from a place called Rudy’s in the Rockville/Gaithersburg area. I haven’t worked down there in almost 2 decades, so I don’t even know if they are still there. Here in Baltimore County, there was a place called Zack’s Hot Dogs that did these perfectly. A poster above referred to Celery Salt and Poppy Seed Buns, and how outside of Chicago, they never get it quite right. I get that. For example, you can’t find a decent crab cake anywhere but here in Maryland, and not everyone here gets that right either, but I digress as usual…
But Zack’s Hot Dogs? Oh yeah… They did Chicago proud**, right down to the Skinless Wieners and Nuclear Green Relish, etc. These guys had the details dialed in! Sadly, they went out of business a while back. :o(
** Disclaimer – I’ve only been to O’Hare once, and I drove thru on I-94 once. I never got the chance to try a REAL Chicago Dog.
Oh, and I like the car, too. Oops… this site IS about cars… Sorry. ;o)
“Dragged through the garden” is something I’ve also heard in describing a Chicago-style hot dog! Hahaha! After moving here, I’m sure my visceral reaction to seeing what was on a Chicago dog was something along the lines of thinking I was being punked, or laughing at it. And I don’t super-love tomatoes (even though I do like them). But all put together on a Chicago dog, it was probably love at first bite, aided probably by some Chicago-specific environment in which I had first sampled one.
And thank you!
I always thought it was a shame they didn’t put a B-O-P front clip and interior in these GMCs, maybe a little differentiation would’ve gone a long way in sales. As it was the only reason to buy one rather than an El Camino was a relationship with a GMC dealer.
I’ll take mine without the garden please.
I liked Demon Dogs under the L and a place called Johnny’s in Hammond next to one of the rail yards. Pretty sure they are both gone now.
I do like the black bed/sail panels on the truck, bit would have kept all the chrome myself.
Devil Dawgs is alive and kickin’ – and recently expanded to a new location in Lakeview off the Belmont Red / Brown / Purple Line CTA station.
The chrome might also have worked for me, as well, since the custom torque thrust wheels are also chrome.
Is it the glare off the concrete that makes that red seem unusual?
The black around the rear window is a great improvement. It really sets off that long curve. Too bad GM didn’t figure it out in what was a two-tone era.