As we close the book on Forzalopnik Week, it’s time to reveal one last machine: The Jalopnik editor’s pick. Half of it is a car. Half of it is a truck. Could it really have been anything else?
Predictable though our answer may seem, we did not take the decision lightly. When Turn 10 Studios approached us with the opportunity to create a Forza Motorsport download car pack, we were wary. The good Jalop name carries a lot of weight in the world, and we had no desire to attach it to something that sucked. We wanted an ace in the hole. We asked for a small piece of sure-thing awesome, and because the Turn 10 crowd is a friendly bunch, we got it. In fact, they have this to say:
“It’s been a long week of very short nights, too much coffee and not enough sleep. It was a sacrifice well worth the results – the commentariat triumphed and a truly Jalopnik car pack has been chosen by the masses. We at Turn 10 are nothing if not giant car nuts like yourselves, and though we accept the results, great cars did fall off the ship (no Alfas?!). Some of you will be overjoyed at the final list, some of you might be crying foul as your favorite car dropped off in the earlier rounds – rest assured weary travelers, your cries did not fall on deaf ears. Stay tuned…”
Although the Internet came in and got all HARHARVOTEStuF in the polls, your hissing and stomping repelled the invaders. And while you may not believe the list of cars that resulted is perfect, it’s still pretty damn good. And it needs one more addition to make it great.
Say hello to your 2010 Forzalopnik Editor’s Choice: the 1970 Chevrolet El Camino 454 Super Sport. This is what we stand for.
Jalopnik latecomers may not understand the community’s fascination with all things -amino. Truth be told, at one point, I didn’t either. I started reading this site in the long-ago days of the Uphill Both Ways in the Snow Prehistrionic Internet. Spin was king, Wert was still in Detroit and the Bumbeck/Johnson duo ruled the West Coast. Jalopnik was a small, vibrant community of freakheads with a hard-on for automotive Weird. I loved the bare-knuckle passion of the early days, and while I didn’t get the whole car-truck thing at first, the true meaning soon set in: Simply put, the El Camino makes no sense. And that’s why it makes enormous sense.
To most of the world, the truckcar is a silly thing. (Australia, with its ute-happy car culture, is the shining-star exception.) It’s the automotive equivalent of the spork — it combines two unique tools but offers the full talents of neither. The truckcar is an acquired taste, and while redneck yabbos and slobbering meth queens have done their best to dim its luster, it still shines brightly for a select few.
The 1970 El Camino 454 SS is the high point of Chevrolet’s car-as-truck endeavors, but it was not the first of its kind. 
The model was introduced in 1959 as a response to the strong-selling but nerdy Ford Ranchero. It was based on the outlandish-looking Chevy Impala, and while the Impala was a success, the El Camino was not. It was pulled from the market shortly after.
When the El Camino returned in 1964, it was a wholly different car. The flash-and-dazzle approach was gone, replaced by a slab-sided, functional aesthetic. Curb weight was down, and the chassis, taken from the period Chevelle, was more oriented toward work. Sales picked up. As the Chevelle’s styling matured, so did the El Camino’s. By the time the Age of Muscle rolled around, Chevrolet’s compact pickup was a solid member of society. 1970 was inarguably the El Camino’s peak. Styling reached a pre-Malaise pinnacle that year, and for the first time, the bow-tie boffins gave the model the biggest engine in the Chevelle lineup: the 450-hp, 454-cubic-inch LS5. (The 375-hp 396 had been available for two years, but it was never GM’s sharpest stick.)
The LS5 was a monster. It spit out an ungodly 500 lb-ft of torque, enough to catapult the SS to 60 mph in just over six seconds. The quarter-mile arrived in just 13.4 seconds. If that doesn’t sound appealing, then you are a dishwater chowderhead and the world will piss on your grave.
Still, the 454 SS’s appeal goes beyond mere speed. As our man in Detroit once said, “this is a car you get into trouble with. It’s a leather-jacketed, chain-smoking, knife-wielding “screw you” to proper society.” It represents an America that we desperately long for, an America where laws are merely rules, rules are meant to be broken, and music is played loud enough to explode small birds. It is a beer-stained Gibson Les Paul in a world of soulless Korean Fender copies. It is early Led Zeppelin, Jawbreaker, the GC5, and every Social Distortion record that sounds good while drunk.
El camino is Spanish for “the road,” but the word encompasses more than that. Witness what pops out of SpanishDict.com when you plug in the name:
El Camino
masculine noun
1. path, track (sendero); road (carretera)2. way (ruta, vía)
3. journey (viaje)
* nos espera un largo camino -> we have a long journey ahead of us
* ponerse en camino -> to set off4. (expresiones)
* abrir camino a -> to clear the way for
* abrirse camino -> to get on ahead
* van camino del desastre/éxito (figurative) -> they’re on the road to disaster/success
Could a definition be more perfect? That last expression — van camino del desastre/éxito — offers a bit of remarkably appropriate humor: We are disaster. We are success. We are a road to nowhere, a long journey begging to be taken. We go everywhere and nowhere all at once, driving for the sheer hell of it, and we do it gladly.
We are big-block muscletruckcar. We are Los Jalops. And we demand to not be taken seriously.
Photo Credit: Flickr/RichardSmallbone, JackSnell, ASurocca, Feedmeshow
@twinturbo2: Thanks. Back at-cha.
Novaload
gawd i love this site
gdm426
@Novaload: Sorry, will a heart clicky help?
twinturbo2
@gabeedwards – Jalopnik is dead! Long live Jalopnik!: There can never be enough muscle cars in video games.
twinturbo2
@gochomoe: I’ve always told myself I wouldn’t. It’s not worth the extra money. You have a computer it’s good enough.
But now…
Now things have changed. Suddenly not necessary extra has turn into necessity. I couldn’t agree more sir.
Crash_it_into_a_lake_why_dont_ya
This article is Epic. You did a remarkable job at describing why us Jalops have a fascination with all things car/truck, ute, camino, etc.
Great job sir, I couldn’t have said it better myself!
the_garynator
Fuck yeah!
RuBBa_cHiKiN: Rollin’ in my Lada, ridin’ Spetsnaz
Hmmmmm…454 El Camino.
I would’ve figured Lancia Scorpion or maybe Triumph Stag or TR8. Perhaps the Corvair Turbo or Sunbeam Tiger.
But, given the year the Detroit 3 have had, I’m all for a little flag wavin’, tire shreddin’, V8 snortin’ all-American sortofa truck. I personally won’t have much use for it, but like mom, apple pie, and whatever that other all-American thing is, at least I’ll know it’s always there to remind me we’re not like everybody else.
Thanks for the ride.
ThinkFast
Wow, great story Mr. Smith. I’ve been a Jalop lurker for a few years; recently vowing to become an active member. When I read this it all made sense. You see, 15 years ago I bought a large parcel of land so I would have a place to (really) drive my prized possession, which I still treat lovingly to the present day:
doctorq
@ShantJ: Well they can have that too… y’know, if they swing that way.
underwear-ninja
@gabeedwards – Jalopnik is dead! Long live Jalopnik!:
Clearly, we need to talk.
DoctorNine
Good Christ almighty. Between a surprisingly excellent (c’mon, cut the DMC-12 a break–it ought to be hilarious with all the upgrades) final selection, the Revenge of the Nerds-esque final golden-ticket ram-down, and the surprise Camino, Jalopnik has just been given an epic drama swirly not seen since the introduction of the star system or the departure of some of the O.G.s.
To the new folks…we’re not always this rabid. (Well, maybe half as rabid.) Once the initial burning sensation fades you oughtta start liking things more than you originally figured. Welcome aboard.
Piloter
@P161911 probably shoudn’t have: Sucks to have to owe the devil your soul for that one piece of knowledge. It didn’t even make you rich…
gabeedwards – Jalopnik is dead! Long live Jalopnik!
@twinturbo2: Because those video games always have stacks of muscle cars.
gabeedwards – Jalopnik is dead! Long live Jalopnik!
I have never seen any Jalopniks having a fascination with amino acids…
gabeedwards – Jalopnik is dead! Long live Jalopnik!
Perfect, thanks for remembering who you are.
TRAMS_AM
@P161911 probably shoudn’t have: Yes, I gathered.
My point was, it makes way too much sense. An El Camino drive must involve alcohol and reckless endangerment of minors – who will absolutely love every second of it.
At least, those are my memories of El caminos and Rancheros during my childhood.
Grive
@Grive: No, I remember hearing a story of someone autocrossing a mini-truck of some sort. The spare tire fell out during a run. A girl working the cones runs out to pick up the tire only to find that it had been filled with water for a little extra (illegal) ballast.
P161911 probably shoudn’t have
@P161911 probably shoudn’t have: What are you talking about? water? On the tire?
If there’s a Camino-worthy weight balancing upgrade, I say it should be small nieces/cousins on the bed.
As far as I know, that’s the recommended performance upgrade.
Grive
@acarr260: SHO wagon!? How have I missed that?
/me add that to his list of future project cars.
BuddyJ
@JC Whitless: No Matt is on the up side. Anyway thanks
BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ
@invincible-delta-88: I just can’t help myself. This one’s the best there is:
invincible-delta-88
A choice that reminds me of when I started reading last fall and a little less so of when I started commenting last march. It reminds me of why I started posting here. In short, I don’t know if the awesomeness manifesto will be short, but making this decision in what is most definitely the most commercial thing jalopnik has ever done gives me at least a little more hope. In much, much shorter, thanks. I hope we get to do this again.
To Turn 10, if you read this, and Olds 442, 71 Mach 1 with shaker hood and Cobra Jet and a 64 Impala, along with some other bat out of hell as long as your going in a straight line pieces of Americana pack woudl be fantastic.
pj134
@deathbyPSI:
Rockford Brodie would take a red pig over a stainless slug any day of the week
@Novaload: seconded. i think i have a man crush on sam.
ømg grip
Let’s celebrate this most “amino” of nominations. Shall we?
invincible-delta-88
Nice choice.
detroit9000
@VeeArrrSix: I caught that, too. Even so, I believe this nomination is cause for “celebration”:
invincible-delta-88
@P161911 probably shoudn’t have: Or lead.
Novaload
@beercheck: I say primer instead, preferably gray, but let us forget our small differences and go have a drink and weep over the lost Novas.
Novaload
@captainpabst: And yet you still have it. That is love. Or extreme laziness. Or near Buddha like patience.
Whatever the case, I salute you!
Novaload
@TexanIdiot25: II The Return: True. On the bigger cars, like my Grand Marq, and all its ancient rwd kin, there’s a big emphasis on grunt off the line–a little fade in the middle–and then overdrive at the far end to infinity and beyond.
Novaload
Well played, Sam. In fact, a standing ovation and free drinks all night!
Novaload
@twinturbo2: Please don’t mention the Novas. It’s much too painful.
Novaload
You all know why I’m leaving a comment. I don’t even need to tell you. Just look at my avatar.
invincible-delta-88
Thank you Sam and Editors. This almost makes up for the loss of my MR-2 SC. At least I still have one in GT4.
discontinuuity is tentatively testing the waters of Murlopnik Weekend before plunging again into the fridgid waters that are Jalopnik proper
@BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ: ǝɯosǝʍɐ-pʇoɔ
JC Whitless
I saw this exact camino, only red, in my store’s parking lot Wednesday night, and I distinctly wondered “How the hell did that thing not make the list? It’s the quintessential Jalopmobile.” Now I know why. Thanks for a great list, with a load-hauling cherry on top.
chathamh
@TowMe: I get my cod piece stuck in some pretty crazy places.
jbownsabmw- Koopas Beware
@cobrajoe: Yeah, I think this thing will make you think twice about hard corners and how much throttle you give it.
I bet it would have a tendency to lead back bumper first if given the opportunity.
JC Whitless
You guys did well!
Thank you for the sleepless nights and all the effort!
Lost in the age of Aerostar
@beercheck: and rusty.
lopey
That last statement says it all “We are big-block muscletruckcar. We are Los Jalops. And we demand to not be taken seriously.”
Now I have to go get an xbox so I can drive all these cars.
gochomoe
So, why the muscle car hate? No Trans Am, no Nova, no ‘Cuda, no Gran Torino, no Buick…
I just hope Turn 10 adds them in eventually.
Also, +1 on the lack of Alfa love, I voted for the GTA touring car.
twinturbo2
Well, at least we mostly managed to avoid the Amerigasm with the cars that the readers voted in. But it really shoulda been the 6.3 Merc in with the Editor’s Pick.
elwood
@TwinTurbo Gokart: come over and drive my 69 el camino.
captainpabst
I’m glad this was the editors’ choice because I feel it sadly wouldn’t have made it had it been part of the vote. Yay editors!!
William Panik
@irishman72: the movie cars sold on ebay. i recall seeing them on there, they had holes in the floor for the movie lights. “el camino”
captainpabst
le swoon
stevezilla
@I love me some cleavage: ive got a 1969 in the garage… tried to buy a 1966 off a guy who was a spitting image of Rob Zombie only 5 feet tall. oh and the camino was white with a bad flame job on the front.
captainpabst
This essay made me stand up, walk out to the garage, and salute my beloved El Camino.
ross006
Id still like to know.. where ARE THE FRENCH WAGONS!!!
I call a RECOUNT!
70barracuda
I was hoping for the original beetle, as it just should be in the game. But this will suffice. I’m very pleased with the list.
Lawrence Hall
A solid choice and a solidly written essay. A good way to top off Forzalopnik. I still long for the 6.3. (Cough, future expansion, cough)
Schm, enjoying his first desert winter. .
It’s funny to hear 500 ft lb of torque, and then a 0-60 similar to my 300hp SBC 350 truck. Your typical car person (not Guy) will write it off as weak ass porker American.
What they don’t realize is trying to plant 500 ft lb in tires that are the equivalent of driving on a hokey puck was tricky bidness.
I’d love to see an evaluation of what today’s modern tires do to their performance times.
TexanIdiot25: II The Return
I have to say, car truck sleepers ftw!
Proud owner of a Subie Baja Turbo, which, with slight modification, has some surprising numbers…
*cough pushin 3 hundo
Yeah, that’s right, you were owned by an ugly car truck, with AWD. Biatch!
brendolonius
looking back, i kind of wish a goat would have been in the runnings. a sure footed mountain goat.. R8? GTR? Lambo?… no no no the 4 hoofed goatrac (patent pending) is the pinnacle of traction, up a mountian or through the twisties the Mr Miyagi Doppleganger baaah-turbo will get you there
Andy Schenk
@rebeldevil: I’m pretty sure several people called it. I know I mentioned that we shouldn’t even have to vote the El Camino in, it is a given, on the first day of Polling.
And I believe I saw other comments of the same variety.
Qurtyslyn
Truly the Spirit Of Japop.
But that ’59 has me full of impure thoughts…
Slave2anMG
So you saved all the fun stuff for yourself. Figures.
Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
This excites me greatly. As ive only been able to drive my 1969 about a half mile in the 7 years ive owned it….
captainpabst
This makes me feel better, and will help me sleep better tonight over the much debated “Forzalopnik.”
Carplanetzøne1 – Cømment. Like. A. Bøss.
It should be brown.
beercheck
I was going to say Ranchero, but I’ll make do with the SS. I’ll be playing the Escort Cosworth the whole time anyway.
RocketScientist needs a new tagline
@Skunky: Just everything south of the equator.
BaconSandwich and the generic grey civic of doom
Cowboy Cadillac FTW!
leicester
Who cares about weight distribution. Tractor trailers and 1350 foot pounds are bobtailing all the time? do they cry like a stuck throttled toyota driver? No. They push the hondas aside and keep going…they are all the same. No one mentioned manual windows…the other century long safety feature.
bdon
I knew we would not be left without.
Way to go guys, I’ll be happy with this car pack no matter what now.
danio3834
I called it. Damn I’m good. Only the picture I posted was red.
Buzzboy7
The 450hp 454 is the LS-6, NOT the LS-5. The LS-5 was the base 454 in the El Camino/Chevelle. The LS-5 produced 390 hp. Also: The L-78 396/402 produced 375 hp, the L-34 396/402 produced 350 or 360 hp (year dependent), and the L-35 396 produced 325 hp. here was also the rare L-89 option which gave you a L-78 with factory aluminum heads, and of course, the multiple COPO packages which had a variety of different drivetrains.
Jim-Bob needs more two stroke and less hybrid!
This is not in any way a surprise, but that does not detract from my complete approval at all. A wise decision, editors. A wise decision indeed.
All right, let’s get some Natty Ice and do some parking-lot donuts!
Octomac
Will they put old car parts in the bed that can slide around and fly out haphazardly. The game is supposed to be all about the realism.
allexedup
There’s been a trend on forza recently of giving cars nasty rusted paintjobs with mismatched colored fenders to look like real beaters. This will be the paint job I give this car.
dolo54 blows minds and blows engines!
Called it.
[jalopnik.com]
P161911 probably shoudn’t have
Viva Los Jalops!
st3ph3n
@rebeldevil: You got me beat, I didn’t call it ’til thursday: [jalopnik.com]
(I also claim in that post to have “said it before” but I don’t think I actually posted it before… probably just complained to my friends)
clank-o-tron
YAY!
I’m tearing up over here!
One of the best things about the El Camino and to a lesser extent the Ranchero, Subaru BRAT, Volkwagen Caddy and even, yes folks, even the Omni based Dodge Rampage, is that the El Camino makes vehicles like a Lightning or a Ram SRT-10 seem just a bit less unreasonable, unpractical and insane.
Viva la El Camino!
Jstas has gas!
@GreenN_Gold: No the other possibility was the F-150 Raptor.
kibastryker
Hey Sam, you know that the LS5 was the 390hp rated 454? I’m sure you meant LS6. Awesome choice of vehicle too, but like others here, it would have been cool to pick a 73-77 Camino just for the dirthead appeal of them.
KAdams1476
All that’s missing from this equation now is a Wagoneer and a Corvair van.
pres
@VeeArrrSix: Not Maroon 5??
Germanautoaddiction
So will bags of sand be available in the upgrade shop to help with the 80/20 weight distribution on the road courses? Maybe an option to fill the spare tire with water?
P161911 probably shoudn’t have
@Bonhomme7h: NEVER FORGET!
Ben Wojdyla
My first car was a ’68 Ford Ranchero… because I couldn’t find a cheap El Camino at the time. It was ugly, slow, rusty and dangerous (with 4 non-power drum brakes that needed some attention AND I experience a stuck throttle linkage a few times), but I loved it anyway. No I’m not interested in buying one now, thank you. Nice choice in the El Camino.
ChazzyD
This.
All I can say is… Hell. Yes.
RedWire75
El Camino and a AMX. Damn! Now I have to buy an XBOX.
TheReluctantLemming
@SerialThriller: Never met the man. But considering he’s Polynesian, a mullet might not mean quite so much…
RäcinG73™
@rebeldevil: I think on Wednesday I said it was going to be a Citroen SM, Sam shot that done, then I said El Camino. No comment from Sam.
P161911 probably shoudn’t have
There is nothing sexier in my mind (mechanically speaking that is) than the ’70 LS6 Chevelle. Oohh I got chills boys. Well done sir. Well done indeed.
70melbatoast
@Ray Wert: Now I want go searching for others! I have noticed some great music references here and there, not sure I ever noticed a Jawbreaker one though.
tintern
@Number_Six: Why does Gawker do that? My privileges have been revoked as well.
TraderCoz
@jbownsabmw- Koopas Beware: How did you get a cod in your xbox in the first place?
TowMe
Well done editors; the elco is the automotive embodiment of the Awesomeness Manifesto.
Sam, more posts from you.
Bret
GC5? WTF?
You mean MC5 brother…
VeeArrrSix
I am really impressed.
I was prepared to be disappointed.
This is much better than I anticipated.
DoctorNine
@GreenN_Gold: Me Like!
slimwhitman
@billybobster: Sort of like this in fact.
600 Pounds of Pumpkins
WOW… talk about putting a cherry on top!
I’m still floored by how well this all turned out given what seem like an impossible uphill battle though this whole week. The final list makes up a car pack that I can’t wait to download.
The Camino seemingly came out of left field, then again that’s where we should have been looking the whole time.
twistedsymphony
Not bad! Almost as jalopy as a Chevelle SS Wagon, it still make me forget the lost of the Vantage V600.
Bonhomme7h
@evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars: Not the least bit sporting, no. Awesome, yes.
The Turbo Twin is probably the most Jalop vehicle that isn’t a ute.
Paul Y. can’t get in the club; gotta parking lot pimp
This does make up for the lack of an MB 6.3, at least.
Paul Y. can’t get in the club; gotta parking lot pimp
My faith has been restored. Bravo. A truly “Gran Final”!
Vamos juntos en el camino!
elargentino
Meh. Needs more electric assist.
Can I swap out the guzzler and put an electric motor in it? Then I can use the batteries to balance out the car. That would be sweet.
/kidding.
SlowMo (now with Rusty the Miata in the family)
@BuddyJ: I think most of us Jalops expected this pick, but the SHO would have never been an option for the editors… only because there is a wagon version of the SHO. Just ask Mr. Pete Gaines.
acarr260
Hooray!
Tomsk supports the Awesomeness
@evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars: it is fun though. And with some of the douchebags you encounter while playing online, it’d be extra fun
teampunkass
Everyone should own an El Camino at some point. When I had my ’65 ElCo that I bought from a hippie for $100, I also had a ’65 Chevelle. Like having twin sisters, but one was naughty.
I love me some cleavage
LOL guess I should have read this artical before I made my other post.
M4XVLTG3 makes rotary love
I was sure the editors would pick the Taurus SHO.
BuddyJ
@underwear-ninja: Is that supposed to be a glory hole?
ShantJ
Great Choice!
sanman357
@Jagvar: I… I need that car!
An Army Of Juan
This right here is what gets me to take CoD out of the xbox. Get crackin’ Turn 10!
jbownsabmw- Koopas Beware
@Jokermanpaco: No joke. Hope the game models those driving dynamics.
cyclopticgaze
For all the complaining about this car and that car getting voted in or not, all-in-all, I think it’s a very cool group of vehicles. I don’t agree with all of them, and there are others that I wish had gotten in. The most important thing is that this has been a hell of a lot of fun.
I don’t know the last time I had this much fun on a website that didn’t feature naked ladies (Pirelli girls notwithstanding).
cyclopticgaze
Has anyone heard anything about a timeline for when this DLC might be released?
600 Pounds of Pumpkins
@Skunky: Haha,love it!
layabout
Barring the El Camino, you all could’ve picked this as well. Though running over opponents in the game isn’t very sporting.
evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars
The only other even remotely possible selection would hae been the Fiero, right?
GreenN_Gold
@Adam Spano:
Yes, yes it does.
The weight and handling dynamics will be very different.
cobrajoe
Not only a good choice, but a fantastic essay detailing the Jalopnik mind.
Skunky
I thought the ElCo was suspiciously absent from the votes. Well played.
armyofchuckness
This pack kicks so much ass, i squealed reading it. My girlfriend was next to me and she gave me the “you’re fucking insane” look. -_-
TheBeanMachine
@slimwhitman: Perhaps Jalopnik Expansion Pack 2.0 can have a Shelby Rampage.
[carphotos.cardomain.com]
GreenN_Gold
@BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ: Holy crap, I think my brain imploded from this post. Is it the post that’s upside down, or is it the entire internet!?
Skunky
@deathbyPSI: When I want Steelies I use the Centerlines and paint them, body color of course. It’s not a perfect Steelie substitute but it works fairly well.
4 cam torino
@billybobster: 600 Pounds of Pumpkins would have been a great Jalop login…
600 Pounds of Pumpkins
@SerialThriller: Parted to the right up front, but then a huge dent in the back where he can store his chips and dip.
CaptainMorgan_SOS
@Powar: Yeah, I had maybe 2 posts in my entire time on Jalop before this week, both related to marine diesel engines.
600 Pounds of Pumpkins
Beautiful cover photo for this post. Kudos to you, Richard Smallbone, whoever you are.
facelvega
Excellent addition.
Can I request a special Mod-amino? The 600 Pounds of Pumpkins mod (pictured above) to keep the rear end attached to the planet. And if some could fall out and splatter during hard cornering – that would be even better.
billybobster
@4 cam torino: you get a heart-click.
twitchykun(lvl. 75 Yellow Fever Vector))
That was fucking heroically awesome to read.
I approve this choice.
ThreeLitre
I love you guys.
It took this poll to take me out of lurking.
Powar
I think I would’ve died a little if the El Camino wasn’t included in some form. Well done, good sir!
Zadkiel
[s293.photobucket.com]
leicester
@twitchykun(lvl. 75 Yellow Fever Vector)): That car was a 240SX, right?
4 cam torino
I just shed a tear.
It’s just that perfect…that beautiful…
You make me proud to say that I am a Jalop.
Turbolence88
As much as I would have loved to see the SHO, and as little as I care for muscle cars, I can’t in any way argue with this decision. Anything that could inspire El Cavaliero is alright in my book.
[forums.somethingawful.com]
600 Pounds of Pumpkins
@Number_Six: No, but I can give you a crazy Brazillian soccer girl. Hope that helps…
leicester
One of you called it when this first started. Who was it? Speak up.
rebeldevil
Nice choice. Big fan of any sporty vehicle in which improving the aerodynamics is as easy as dropping the tailgate.
They better not consider that an upgrade in the game though.
64deville
@Cameage:
Take it to the Muslane, extend middle finger, then promptly spin out on the next corner.
I’d race 24hours that way.
cobrajoe
THIS. IS. JALOPNIK!
*kicks car into hole*
twitchykun(lvl. 75 Yellow Fever Vector))
The ’59 was considered anything but, “outlandish” in 1959! And I certainly don’t remember them being “pulled from the market shortly after.”
reateretrate
Oh, and Sam? you’ve been a welcome addition to the Jalop.
Also, I like the second pic in this post. That dog looks like he knows what’s up. “I ain’t peein’ on that car. It kicked my nuts off the last time I tried.”
evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars
@BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ: Great pic! The SLS AMG can suck it!
SerialThriller
@amorak:
What you say? The Falcon Ute is coming to the states with it’s turbo I6 and 5.4?
The dingo ate my baby!
cobrajoe
@YankBoffin: I was surprised all week that there were no Elky options. I should’ve known the powers-that-be would have a trick up their sleeve.
SerialThriller
@Räcin73™: A barber with a ‘Camino? Please describe his hairstyle.
SerialThriller
“You have chosen…..wisely.”
evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars
@Maymar: I agree. I totally understand why they’ve picked the El Camino, due to the overall love for those on this site. Not that I understand that love, but that’s besides the point.
I didn’t have time to visit (and vote) on the 2nd and 3rd voting days, but as far as I know we couldn’t even vote for a hydropneumatic Citroën. And I do think that’s sad. Maybe Forza didn’t allow those, I don’t know. But I still think a SM (or DS or CX) should’ve at least made it to the first round.
duurtlang
Needs more Bruce.
Jagvar
A wonderful choice. At work there’s a slightly beat-up El Camino hearse. It is someone’s daily driver. I want very badly to meet this person and shake their hand.
Taki
The cartruck that started my fascination with automobiles was a ’65 ElCo owned by my older brother’s friend. I loved the sound of that 327 blasting through Flowmasters at 7kRPM so much, I had to replicate it in my ’63 ChevyII Nova wagon a couple of years later.
Turboner
@deathbyPSI: there is, and you don’t have to even do the work yourself. you can buy – with in-game currency – decals that other players have made. there are plenty of rust options available.
on a semi-related note, i recently made the flares on my celica supra look bolted-in by adding bolt decals and painting them:
lance.uppercut
Remember the movie “The Mexican”?
Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts. Not terribly good, but one joke running through it was the rental El Camino with the dingleberries inside the windscreen. They’d get in, say “El Camino” in a phony Mex accent. Funniest part of the flick. For car folk.
I for one am terribly disappointed the Dodge Rampage never took off. Drove like shit, broke all the damn time, so ugly even its mother hated it. I wish there were more around to make fun of.
irishman72
@Ray Wert: Ohh come on now, you can’t say that and leave us hanging – Are you inferring that the G8 ST is coming back as a Chevy!?
amorak
“The truckcar is an acquired taste, and while redneck yabbos and slobbering meth queens have done their best to dim its luster, it still shines brightly for a select few.” – Sam
I actually made an audible laugh at this…..but please leave my friends and family out of your future posts.
joedirtia
Okay, okay. I will concede. As much as I fought hard for the 205 T16…I would have a hard time arguing against the king cruck of them all. I can ramble on about the absurd danger on dirt, baboon ass ugly 205…but nothing embodies Jalopnik more than the El Camino. It has a fire breathing block of detroit iron in front…and a truck bed. It’s a pure automotive train wreck that spins the dial so far it goes from ‘absolute shit’ all the way back to ‘pure unfiltered awesome’.
It’s not sleek. It’s not sexy. It will kick you in the crotch, spit on your face, then peter pat you one more time while you’re down ala Chris Paul back at Wake Forest. It would be like putting an engine in a middle finger and driving it down the road. It makes Priuses wet themselves with a tiny stream of silicon in fear, and I can’t wait to load this car up and smoke some pansy ass Porsche’s with it.
Vanderhuge
I think I’m going to buy a 360 just for this and then go hoon in my ’69 Chevelle (because it’s the closest thing I’ve got to an El Camino).
The world is a better place now.
TwinTurbo Gokart
@Cameage: Pretty sure you don’t own the internet and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Thanks.
Adam Spano
@BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ: This comment made my day
BlackVR
As much sense as this does make here at Jalopnik, I was expecting something a bit more,late model Gm Full frame B body wagon With Corvette power. But I guess this will have to do,Next Car pack, I expect a 96 Roadmaster Estate and I will accept no less.
Overbiter
I get wanting a car-truck. Car-trucks, in general are jalop. But a ’70 El Camino SS454 is too gearhead cliche. I would expect a more off-beat model year El Camino or a Ranchero or Scamp/Rampage from my friends at Jalopnik. Or one with woody trim. I guess it’s more about “selling the car pak” than racing the jalopyist car.
slimwhitman
I think I’m an idiot, as I really didn’t think this would be it. I look forward to full on hoonage in Forza.
The LS5 + no weight on the rear axle will allow possibilities that would most likely result in harm in the real world.
Turn 10 folks – please put a nice set of aftermarket mufflers on this bad boy. I want this 454 to shake the room @ five grand.
BlandonNimrat
No offense guys but isn’t there already a ’70 454 SS chevelle in the game. Which is essentially the same car. So basically a stylistic distinction. I would have rather seen a 65-67 slab sided camino.
danielmacd
@KTown Hoonboy: No? I don’t particularly care for those. But I need something for the lack of Astons. Four fantastic ones in the original 120, but none made it. A crime.
jedimario
Go ahead guys, you deserve this.
underwear-ninja
Roberto G.
Thank you, gentlemen.
And Sam, that was an excellent write-up explaining our love for the El Camino.
pauljones
now THIS I’m looking forward to driving! Congrats on an excellent choice
Ole Maskin
@BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ: Good news for you coming very shortly, FWIW.
Ray Wert
I am shocked….SHOCKED!…..by this selection!
scroggzilla raids again
Wow, I was really expecting a Citroen SM. El Caminos have far more hoonage potential, however, so I raise my pint to you.
… Is it wrong for me to prefer the early-Eighties Camino with the square lights, smog-choked sleeved-down 327, and chalky faded blue paint?
Campisi
Well, there was one more possible choice, that wouldn’t be competing against the similar (in ethos) Syclone.
Plus, you don’t have to deal with wonky hydraulics on an Xbox.
Maymar
“then you are a dishwater chowderhead and the world will piss on your grave.”
You’ve finally won my heart Sam.
Nieros
˙ɐɔıɹɟɐ ɥʇnos puɐ lızɐɹq uı ooʇ ɹɐlndod llıʇs ǝɹɐ sɹɐɔ ʞɔnɹʇ ˙ƃuıɥʇ ɹǝpun uʍop ɐ ǝq ʇsnɯ
BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ
Things just got a lot more awesomer around here.
patman
Bravo, Sam! you’ve done a bang-up job with this thing.
I guess it wouldn’t be a Jalopnik game pack without an El Camino, come to think of it.
I also would have supported the Pontiac G8 ST, since I still feel that Jalopnik was mostly responsible for it nearly coming to market.
YankBoffin
Well done, Sam. Well done. As it’s been said, it wouldn’t be a jalop-pack without the El Camino. Bravo. I’d like to buy you a beer.
KeyserSöze – Professional Blog Commenter
@RacinG73: Stupid Nibbles…
RäcinG73™
Not the Merc 6.3? Damn Americans!
Tiauguinho
Acceptable.
snapoversteer ’bout to get told
I support this decision. Hell, I even saw an El Camino on my honeymoon in French Polynesia. And not on the main island of Tahiti. Nope, I saw this parked in front of a store in the Maharepa Village on the island of Moorea. The entire island is about 30 km in circumference. Most people just use a scooter for transportation. And those that don’t typically drive small French cars or trucks. But not this barber… I think I’ll now think of him as Conan the Barberarian.
RäcinG73™
i hope there is some way to do a rusted out paint job in the paint section of the game! and they need to add steelies and Ralley wheels to the wheel section. and we have to be able to see the driver’s mullet sticking out from under his helmet. long live the Elkie! yee-haw!!
deathbyPSI
Hell yes. I am taking it to the Mulsanne and giving Le Mans the finger with my American vulgarity.
I couldn’t be happier with this choice. I would have been pretty happy with the SHO, but this is better.
Cameage
I’ve never spilled beer on my Les Paul, but have owned Fender Stratocaster copies. I guess I have to buy an El Camino now, or my life is not complete.
Turbineguy – now with reheat!!
Nicely played.
BeanBone
No one’s said it yet??? Well then I will:
AMERICA, F@$K YEAH!!!!
komododave
@tintern: It’s not the first Jawbreaker reference.
Ray Wert
Excellent….
lilwillie
Hahaha, yes!! I’m looking forward to hooning the hell out of this thing! Mine will have all mismatched body panels and plenty of rust, but will be awesomely fast and tire shredding.
BlackVR
@jedimario: Do you just want consolation because the 240sx didn’t win?
I kid, I kid.
KTown Hoonboy
@tintern: Oh my God, I know, right? That made me smile so big my cheeks hurt…more. They hurt more. I was already grinning pretty hard.
Cameage
The El Camino is great… Still wishing for a P71…
scardella
Totally saw this coming. I am still very pleased though. Congrats on an awesome idea followed through to satisfaction and greatness. To Turn 10; great job on a project that caters nicely to your customer base.
Long hoon Jalopnik!
Scandinavian Flick
Hallelujah!
ShantJ
@Adam Spano: Get out of my house.
Cameage
Well done Sam. Go take a nap, you deserve it.
PowerTryp Reply Master
And it’s a happy ending to a very Jalop voting contest.
PowerTryp Reply Master
Soulless Korean copies? What?
What about a Soul-full Korean copy?
Oh, you were talking about guitars; my bad.
Tanshanomi
A fine and obvious choice. I hope it is rendered with patches of primer and rust and rolling on mismatched tires – preferably Firestone 500s and Pos-A-Tractions.
Alfisted
I see a contest ahead soon having something to do with Forza and this car. LeMons? Ultimate-Badass-KillAnythingInItsWay-StreetBasher Custom?
Tedders
YES!! I had a feeling this was going to be it! This is going to be awesome!
Couldn’t have picked a better car, Jalopnik. You really made my Friday.
‘muscletruckcar’ for the frickin’ win. Represents Jalopnik better than most cars could.
clevemire
Can some please post one of those crazy Brazilian league soccer calls? You know the ones where the guy yells, “goooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaa…!!!!!!!!!!!”
/the Gawker took my picture posts away
Number_Six
My faith in Jalop has been fully restored. Especially with The Social D references thrown in.
In Mike Ness we trust.
Michael Lesko
*slaps Forehead!*
Of course, how could I be so blind.
And here I thought the 6.3 was going to be picked up.
But this HAD to be the car to grace the cover! All in all good job Jalop, well done!
MarauderMan
Weaksauce. I get the El Camino, I just don’t like it. Sorry. If you guys would fawn over the Ranchero, I might not dissent, but I have no love for GM.
“it combines two unique tools but offers the full talents of neither.”
If that’s justification, get on the hybrid bandwagon.
jedimario
I’m so glad the car now has a Camino 454 and a Chevelle 454. Now we can have our chevelle with a truck bed because that makes it a COMPLETELY DIFFERANT CAR and changes the game entirely.
Awesome.
Adam Spano
I would have preferred a 69 but an El Camino in the game is cool. I shall run it around the Nurbugring living out my dreams of doing the cannonball run in an El Camino (what else could hold as much gas, while maintaining some semblance of aerodynamics, making stops as infrequent as an El Camino can?
)
4 cam torino
I love you guys so much right now. *sniff*
Grimm1127
*golf clap*
crespo
Noooooooooooooooo
Brian Russell
I wouldn’t expect anything less.
The Forzalopnik Track Pack is complete.
Coreboy
I can’t tell what makes me happier, that the 454SS Camino made it or that there’s a Jawbreaker reference on Jalopnik.
tintern
I take back my 205 rant. I love you. No seriously, I love you.
wheatieboy
welcome back sam……and no, there was no doubt
Brian R. Kupfer
It’s only fair. Every weird cult needs a figurehead after all!
englishwhitetrash: is the Jalop proletariat
Not surprising, and completely awesome. Nothing says awesome like 70/30 weight split and huge torque!
Jokermanpaco
seriously lame.
Adam Spano
HOONAGE!!! seriously how did i not see this coming?
madveks
It just wouldn’t be worthy of the Jalopnik title without an El Camino. Or at least a caminoized something.
Tyson
Not surprising.
Totally Awesome.
calzonegolem
Hell yeah.
Ultimate hoonage will ensue. I plan to vinyl this up, LeMons style.
Michael Jozwiak