Post #1 — My 1966 El Camino
People tell me that I’m hopelessly romantic when it comes to my car and, honestly, they’re right. I tend to anthropomorphize it and describe its 55 years of existence in a similar sense to how I would describe my parents' lives. For example, I think about its journey over the past 55 years. How did it get to my driveway in 2021? What has it experienced since it rolled off the GM assembly line in Fremont, CA in late March 1966? Who have been its owners before me? Where has it been? I live in San Diego, CA, which is only about 500 miles from where its journey started in the Bay Area. I yearn to know what lies between those 500 miles and 55 years.
After reading that first paragraph, you’re probably not quite sure what to make of it. You might think that this dude is insane and is giving his car a human personality like a kid would do with dolls or action figures. Furthermore, you might be asking “why not putting an effort into learning more about the characteristics of actual people who are oppressed or minimalized in society?” Plus, why would he put so much effort into a car that is clearly outdated and provides no inherent value to society (including environmental emissions)? All of these sentiments are absolutely valid, which I also sympathize with. But this car is important. Not just to me, but as a symbol of the development and history of the United States.
This car is a time capsule. Just like a piece of art or furniture is a symbolic representation of the historical context in which it was designed. For the past 55 years, it has been remained unchanged but has quietly seen the world change and progress around it. The Chevy El Camino (produced from 1959 to 1960, then 1964 to 1987) was a unique car because the front half resembled a popular sedan model at the time, called the Chevelle, but the rear half of the car included a truck bed instead of rear seats and a trunk. This weird car/truck combination is no longer found in new cars. No current car on the road in the US looks like it. There was also a Ford car/truck vehicle called the Ranchero (produced from 1957 to 1979). The car/truck phase of US automotive history lasted only 30ish years, leaving the El Caminos and Rancheros out there distinctly in their own little niche of automotive history. That alone makes the El Camino important.
As far as this 1966 El Camino, there is nothing particularly special about it (at the moment). There were over 35,000 El Caminos produced in 1966. This is one of them. This particular car was produced at the GM factory in Fremont, CA (which is now where the Tesla factory is) in the 4th week of March 1966. It did not come out of the factory with a unique color scheme or powerful engine or specific options. After decoding the data plate on the firewall (below), this car was originally painted Sandlewood Tan and had Fawn (also tan) interior. It also came with a 327ci small-block Chevy V8 engine. It cost about $3,000 in 1966, which was an average car price. None of this is extraordinary in any way.
In the 60s and 70s, people wouldn't think twice when this car drove around. It was practically an every day, grocery-getter type of car. It performed a similar role to what a Honda Civic does for millions of drivers today. In the 80s, it started to become obsolete after developments in car design and technology (especially environmental considerations). These cars were a dime a dozen and could be bought for cheap. Then the 90s and new millennium came around, where these cars became more desired, but in a new life as a restored classic car. People who owned these cars as kids in the 60s and 70s had grown up, made some money, and wanted to restore them to their original state (along with updates of newer cars). Yet this car has continued to be a daily driver during those 6 decades. It is driving around on the roads every day as it did in 1966. When I drive it, I think about what this car has seen on the streets as the world has changed around it. What has it seen while it has gallantly performed its service?
The world was going through some turbulent times when this car first started its journey. The Vietnam War was in full swing and would soon see the peak of US involvement. Just across the Bay from where it was assembled, a progressive new movement was taking place on the streets of San Francisco in the Haight-Ashbury district. When it left the plant, it was only a short drive from the epicenter of the counterculture in the 60s, UC Berkeley. The Beatles were playing nonstop on its AM/FM radio. That was just the start for this car.
It saw the depths of human hatred in 1968, when Martin Luther King Jr and Robert F Kennedy were assassinated. It soon saw humanity reach new heights in 1969 when we landed on the moon. A few years later in 1974, it saw the Watergate scandal and witnessed the first US president to resign from office. As the 70s progressed, computers became more influential, further leading to the development of the internet. Both of which would soon become integral to crucial daily processes, as well as the rise of technology and the creation of the 5 largest companies in the world (Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft). Ultimately this technological development allowed me to easily find this car and purchase it (via Craigslist).
It saw the emergence of new diseases. AIDS in the 80s and now COVID-19 as I type this out. In the 80s, it witnessed some of the biggest tragedies in recent history, the Challenger disaster, and the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown. It closed out this turbulent decade with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the eventual ending of the Cold War, a 45-year-old conflict that brought humanity closest to self-destruction via nuclear weapons. This 1966 El Camino existed for more than half of the Cold War. It further survived to see a new millennium. It was still driving on the road when terrorists crashed planes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. It saw the outpouring of mourning and patriotism that followed. It witnessed a dramatically changed world that emerged from these ruins. In the following years, it witnessed other generation-defining disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the 2008 financial crisis. It has most recently spent the past year and a half seeing people wearing masks and social distancing during COVID.
During those 55 years, this car’s history to me is a mystery. The car was repainted silver at some point and the interior is now a light blue. It no longer has the stock 327ci engine and has had several other parts replaced as they’ve worn down. Some things on it are still original, like the body panels and the license plates. But the car has ultimately spent its whole life in the same state (given that it still has the original license plate). It has only traveled about 500 miles between homes in those 55 years. Heck the guy who had it before me lived in San Diego.
Its existence is a weird dichotomy. Its own history seems to be relatively uneventful. It started as a very average car and has fulfilled the last 55 years by dutifully transporting its owners from point A to B. It never strayed far from its roots. Yet as it lived out its duty, it observed the world and all its peaks and valleys over the years. I want to know so bad where it was at the moment in time when all the historical events above occurred. Who’s driveway was it parked in the night when Apollo 11 astronauts landed on the moon? Did it first hear the news of 9/11 over its AM/FM radio, the same one that was once playing the latest hits of the Beatles? I sadly don’t have these answers, nor do I think I will ever know. All I have is my imagination. All I know is that it was there and that it is still here.
So when did this time capsule come into my life? February 1, 2016. I was almost 21 and going to college in Nashville at the time. The only thing that I knew that I wanted at the time was a classic car of my own. My dad collected classic cars and had gotten me interested in them. However, I always felt bad pestering him into letting me drive the cars or take me for a ride. I started saving up money and combing Craigslist every day looking for potential old cars. El Caminos were a good candidate for me because they were relatively cheap compared to other classic cars. Whenever I saw an ad that I thought looked promising, I would send a link to my dad via email. I remember in late January 2016 coming across an ad for this El Camino on the San Diego Craigslist. It looked in good condition and the price was very reasonable. As a result, I sent it over to dad. A few days later, I remember getting a text from my mom saying “I hope you like this car” along with some pictures of the car. I was ecstatic and dumbfounded. It was the best 21st birthday present I could’ve asked for (and I hadn’t even seen the car in person yet). I got to drive it about a month later. It was so exciting.
I’ve owned this car for 5 years now and I can honestly say that it excites me just as much now as it did then. The awe has not worn off. This car is also closely connected to my own personal history over the last 5 years. So much has happened. I graduated from college. I got a job. Moved to New York City. Relationships came and went. New friendships were made. Now I’m going to law school in the UK. These feel like huge developments for me over 5 crucial years, but they are just a blip of time for the El Camino.
So what does the future look like for the El Camino? It’ll surely continue to see historic, world-changing events. But I feel like life is just getting started for this car. I kinda relate it to the main character in the movie “Up,” Carl. Carl is an elderly man who has spent his whole life stable and satisfied. He still lives in the same town he grew up in as a kid. He lives in the same house that he played in as a kid. He fulfilled his duty as a good, loving husband, as well as a diligent balloon salesman at the zoo. He spent his life his whole life in the same place, surrounded by the same people, without any life-altering events or adventures occurring. Carl ultimately decides to go on the adventure he never got to do, proving that it’s never too late to do something extraordinary.
I like to think that I’m giving this car a second life. It has spent its whole life basically in the same place, living out a dutiful existence. I think this car is ready to go on an amazing, epic new journey. Something far from what the past 55 years seem to be for this car. I am 26 years old now and am yearning to see the world. I want to visit as many countries as I can. I want to step foot on all 7 continents. I want to experience the wonders of this beautiful world. I am ready to go on an adventure; and I think the El Camino is the perfect way to see the world.
You heard me right. I want to drive the El Camino around the world. I love driving this car. It gives me nothing but joy and excitement. I think the ultimate experience would be to drive this car on an epic, round-the-world road trip through dozens of countries. This is the El Camino’s second life. It fulfilled its first life as a stable transporter in California for 55 years. It's time to really get outside the comfort zone. I just love the idea of driving this car, which has seen so much and yet so little, through icons of the world. Imagine in one picture seeing this 55-year-old American car parked in front of the Eifel Tower or Great Pyramids. I would get to explore and see the world through the comfort of the car that I love to drive. Sounds like a win-win to me.
The rough plan as of now is to ship the car from California to New Zealand, then drive around New Zealand. The next stop would be Australia, where the plan is to entirely circumvent the continent. After that, I would ship the car from Darwin, Australia to Indonesia. I will then drive through Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam), ultimately ending up in Hong Kong. The next step will be to ship the car to Tokyo, where I will then drive around Japan. After that, I will ferry over to Vladivostok, Russia and proceed to drive through Central Asia into Europe, eventually ending up in the UK. I will then drive down to Gibraltar and ferry into Northern Africa, ultimately ferrying from Tunisia to Egypt. After Egypt, the plan is to drive through Israel and Jordan into the Arabia Peninsula and visit the various Persian Gulf countries. The next step after circling back into Egypt, I will proceed down the Eastern part of Africa, ultimately ending up in South Africa, where I will ship the car from Durban. The final import will be Rio de Janeiro, from there I will drive down to Patagonia. Then I will proceed up the west coast of South America, ultimately ending up in Colombia. From there, I will cross over into Central America and drive through Panama, Costa Rica Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. Finally, I will cross into the US and complete the final 25-minute drive to my parents’ house in San Diego.
I know what you’re thinking. It is… ambitious. Who knows, maybe it’ll be downright unachievable. But this is what I want to do, spend 2 years exploring the world with the El Camino carrying me all the way. In my opinion, this is the ultimate adventure. I love the idea of taking this old, obsolete, but awesome, car around the freaking world. Again, at this point, it’s all just an idea. But I am motivated and that’s what’s most important. Who knows when I’ll be able to do it or if I’ll have the funds to achieve it. All I do know is that if it happens, it’ll be this 1966 Chevy El Camino carrying me all the way. Its already seen a lot in its life, but I’m ready to give it a new adventure.
d/s/f
