This 1962 Corvair-Camino Is An Awesome Custom Piece That Shows General Motors May Have Missed A Golden Opportunity In The 1960s


This 1962 Corvair-Camino Is An Awesome Custom Piece That Shows General Motors May Have Missed A Golden Opportunity In The 1960s

It is rare to see someone actually build a customized version of a car and have said car actually raise questions that relate back to the original model. That’s the case here with this 1962 Corvair which began life as a station wagon and was converted into a trucklet, keeping the engine under the floor of the “bed” as it was in the first place. This thing is so nice it really makes us consider whether or not GM missed a perfect opportunity to fight the Ford Falcon based Ranchero of the early 1960s. The El Camino proved to be a great seller for the company from the 1960s all the way into the later 1980s and a smaller brother to that car seems like it may have been a good idea. This thing is so well finished it looked like it could have been turned out by Bill Mitchell and his crew at the GM Styling department in 1962. We’re in love.

We have to think the tipster, d_calcano for the tip because without it, even with our advanced ninja training in the art of internet car search trolling we never would have found this thing. The complete description of what the car is sits below along with a bunch of photos that backup our claims of how good the job was done on this one-off “Corvair-camino”.

 

In case the ad goes down, here’s the description and all of the photos from the Craigslist listing – 

My car left the factory as a station wagon. In the ’60’s, it was customized to its current look, a small pickup, complete with tonneau cover. It’s a beautiful fabrication job.

The previous owner kept the car in a climate controlled garage, had the engine rebuilt, brakes done, gas tank replaced, new 13″ tires, interior redone. I have replaced some suspension parts, including strut rods and bushings.

The car has factory air (not running), cruise control, a beautiful interior, Powerglide trans, period-correct dash top clock, Spyder instrument panel. 2 carbs. I think (but not sure) 140 hp heads.

Runs great. Stops and steers just fine.

I can’t do what this car needs to be outstanding- some rust patches and paint. Not in my skill set. It’s a fantastic 20 foot car right now, and I wish I could do the bodywork. But I can’t, so it’s a chance for someone else to own a unique car.

corvair corvair2 corvair3 corvair4 corvair5

 

CLICK HERE TO SEE THIS 1962 CORVAIR-CAMINO THAT’S FOR SALE ON CRAIGSLIST 


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2 thoughts on “This 1962 Corvair-Camino Is An Awesome Custom Piece That Shows General Motors May Have Missed A Golden Opportunity In The 1960s

  1. BeaverMartin

    I love it, very well executed. I enjoy the “what if” branch of bench racing. I don’t know if a corvair trucklet would have sold well, esp. with the corvair van and truck already being made, but they would certainly be cool.

  2. Nick D.

    Very cool. Although if I was going the what-if route, I woulda gone whole hog and used the turbo motor and 4-speed trans

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