(WCF) - The legendary Chevrolet El Camino truck is carved into US car history in its very own, unique and special way. Its beginnings can be traced back to 1959 when the first generation, based on the Chevrolet Brookwood, was conceived to compete with the Ford Ranchero. Sales were not as expected, and in 1960 the El Camino was discontinued.
1964 saw the return of the El Camino, this time based on the Chevrolet Chevelle. Two more generations followed which were based on the Chevelle until 1978 when GM revealed the smaller, fourth generation El Camino based on the Chevrolet Malibu. In 1987 production of the Camino was discontinued once again.
Today, the El Camino has started yet another chapter with the unveiling of the Pontiac G8 Sport Truck (or simply the Pontiac G8 ST). Jalopnik got close to the new Pontiac G8 Sport Truck at a photo shoot of the pre-production model and dropped us a few shots of the new El Camino. PickUpTruck was the other lucky invitee.
The Pontiac G8 ST is based on the popular G8, which in turn is based on the Australian Holden VE Commodore. The Pontiac - Holden connection is not new of course since the legendary Pontiac GTO was derived from the Holden Monaro.
"Pontiac has never shied away from offering segment-defining vehicles, going back to the original GTO," said Jim Bunnell, Buick-Pontiac-GMC general manager. "There's simply nothing else like the G8 sport truck on the road today, and we definitely believe that there are customers who will be excited by its distinctive design, performance and cargo capabilities."
The Pontiac G8 ST will be powered by the 6.0L V-8 engine, producing 361 horsepower (270 kW) and 385 lb.-ft. (522 Nm) of torque just like the Pontiac G8 GT. In addition, the Sport Truck also comes with a 1.8 meter long cargo bed and 1208 liter cargo space.
