This is a rare, original “Choo Choo Conversion” Chevrolet El Camino from 1987 – the final year of El Camino production. It’s powered by the 305 V8 and it has just 6,536 miles on the odometer.
These Choo Choo El Caminos were modified by Choo Choo Customs when the cars were brand new, and they were offered for sale through official Chevrolet dealerships in period as the El Camino halo car.
Fast Facts: The “Choo Choo” Conversion El Camino
- This 1987 Chevrolet El Camino Choo Choo Conversion was a dealer-sold specialty model built by Choo Choo Customs of Chattanooga, Tennessee, under authorization from Chevrolet. It marked the end of the El Camino’s 27-year production run and represented Chevrolet’s last effort to give the G-body coupe-utility a performance-inspired image.
- Beginning in mid-1983, Choo Choo Customs fitted new El Caminos with a Monte Carlo SS-style aerodynamic nose, custom parking light lenses, and distinctive SS graphics. Each carried the chrome train emblem on the dash, while some received extra treatments like the Designer Series or IROC-S editions. Despite the sporty styling, no mechanical upgrades were included.
- Around 4,950 Choo Choo El Caminos were built from 1983 to 1987, all sold through Chevrolet dealerships with factory-backed warranties. They served as the brand’s “halo” El Camino after the original factory SS was dropped, blending official production with third-party customization in a way unique to the 1980s.
- The example shown here is a remarkably well preserved 1987 model with only 6,536 miles on the clock. It’s powered by a 305 cubic inch V8 with an automatic transmission, it has power accessories, air conditioning, and a blue interior. Finished in white with black graphics and BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires, it’s set to cross the Mecum auction block in January.
History Speedrun: The El Camino Choo Choo Conversion
By the early 1980s, the Chevrolet El Camino had already lived through five distinct generations of style shifts and market cycles. Once a (semi) practical cargo hauler, the El Camino was now a niche vehicle clinging to life in a world of downsized sedans and compact pickups. Yet Chevrolet wasn’t ready to abandon the model – and that’s where Choo Choo Customs of Chattanooga, Tennessee, entered the picture.
Beginning in the middle of the 1983 model year, Chevrolet offered a dealer-ordered Choo Choo Customs El Camino SS appearance package, with final assembly handled at Choo Choo’s Chattanooga facility under a rare authorized partnership. Image courtesy of Choo Choo Customs.
Chevrolet officially discontinued the factory-built El Camino SS after 1983, but it still wanted a performance-oriented version to headline showrooms and act as a halo car. The solution came through a collaboration with Choo Choo Customs, an established conversion outfit best known for customized vans and Monte Carlo-based projects.
Beginning in the middle of the 1983 model year, Chevrolet offered a dealer-ordered Choo Choo Customs El Camino SS appearance package, with final assembly handled at Choo Choo’s Chattanooga facility under a rare authorized partnership.
The Choo Choo Customs El Camino SS wasn’t a mechanical or performance package, even though it may have looked like it. Unlike earlier SS packages that could include big-block V8s or handling upgrades, the Choo Choo conversion was a styling-only package.
It changed the look of the El Camino, but not its performance – it gave the El Camino a Monte Carlo SS-style aerodynamic front fascia with unique parking light lenses, a feature unavailable on regular factory El Caminos. The sides wore SS graphics, and every example had the small chrome “train” logo above the glovebox.
Inside the car, appointments varied depending on buyer preference or dealer order, but the cars largely carried factory interiors. Some special editions, like the Designer Series or IROC-S versions, received additional trim or paint treatments from Choo Choo Customs. The company also offered optional striping or color accents, along with minor exterior package variations over the course of the production run.
Production of the Choo Choo Customs El Camino SS ran from mid-1983 through the end of El Camino assembly in 1987. According to unaudited figures, approximately 4,950 units were built in total. Despite its unusual provenance, the Choo Choo El Camino was a legitimate Chevrolet offering – appearing in official brochures and being offered through official dealerships nationwide with a full warranty.
A fleet of 1987 Chevrolet El Camino Choo Choo Conversions waiting for delivery outside the Choo Choo Customs’ facility in Chattanooga. The car shown in this article could theoretically be one of them. Image courtesy of Choo Choo Customs.
Nowadays the Choo Choo El Camino occupies an interesting place among collectors – it’s not a muscle car in the traditional sense, nor a full custom in the aftermarket world. Instead, it’s a snapshot of 1980s American automotive culture, when personalization and factory partnerships blurred the line between production car and boutique build.
Surviving examples typically retain their original Choo Choo badging and graphics, and clean, unmodified cars have begun to pick up recognition at classic truck and G-body shows – as a result their values have been slowly climbing.
The 1987 El Camino Choo Choo Conversion Shown Here
The car you see here is a 1987 Chevrolet El Camino Choo Choo Conversion that’s listed as being in highly-original condition. The odometer reads 6,536 miles, which would make it the lowest mileage example we’ve seen come up for sale if it’s legit – and given its incredible condition it does appear likely.
This El Camino is powered by the 305 cubic inch V8 mated to an automatic transmission, a common powertrain for the time. It has power steering, power brakes, factory air conditioning, a tilt steering column, power windows, and bucket seats along with a center console.
This is a rare, original Choo Choo Conversion Chevrolet El Camino from 1987 – the final year of El Camino production. It’s powered by the 305 V8 and it has just 6,536 miles on the odometer.
It’s finished in white with black graphics, and it rides on correct alloy wheels shod with BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires on all four corners. It has a blue interior, with blue seats, carpeting, door trims, headliner, dashboard, and steering wheel – and the rear cargo tray appears to be in as-new condition.
It’s now due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in January and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.
Images courtesy of Mecum
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
