1980 Chevrolet El Camino

Many mourned when Aaron Kaufman leaving Gas Monkey Garage, so the fact that this was one of the last cars he worked on adds a bittersweet element to an already wonderfully appealing vehicle.

We’ll cover the full specification later but in short Aaron took a one-owner-from-new, rust-free car from a dry state and then stripped it to a bare shell before rebuilding it with a 416cu Chevrolet LS3-based V8 engine from Mast Motorsport.

Now boasting more than 600bhp, it feeds its prodigious power to the nine-inch rear axle via a six-speed manual gearbox. Of course, the brakes and suspension were upgraded to match and the end result is a car that goes, handles and stops far, far better than anything that ever left the factory.

As you can see, it looks the part too and hasn't even covered 1,000 miles (just) since being completed. It was acquired in the States a few years back and shipped back here where it was registered, MoT’d, and taxed.

A genuinely top-notch job, it needs only gentle fettling to bring it back to show-winning standard. Or not; after all, few cars wear a patina better than this.

Only being offered for sale because the vendor's events business was hit hard by Covid, it is described as being in “turn key” condition and “ready to go.”

However, it does come with the caveat that “you are fully aware of the 600bhp available, even if the it actually puts that power down really, really well.” However, he does go on to say: “Be under no illusion. This is no show queen. It's genuinely supercar quick, and yet rides and stops properly.”

Being offered with the sort of reserve that might as well be non-existent, it would cost you far in excess of the upper guide price for the parts alone, which means the base El Camino, the considerable labour and the impeccable provenance come free…

Aaron Kaufman carried out some subtle alterations to the car’s stock bodywork including re-forming and narrowing the bumpers, a subtle change but one that totally transforms the look of the car.

The body was then completely repainted by Mike at Gas Monkey Garage and, as regular watchers will appreciate, he really knows his stuff so it still looks great. Being a rust-free, unmolested car in the first place means that the panel alignment was still as per the factory but we’d be surprised if the chaps didn’t massaged it into an even better alignment while they were at it.

There’s beautiful honeycomb front grille with a ‘416’ logo cut out of it to reflect the engine size. This little detail isn’t something that many people would notice but goes to the heart of the diligence with which the work was carried out.

It’s retained its amber front indicator lenses too, which, along with the recessed rear lamps clusters, give the car a subtle flash of colour.

The beautiful custom-made ‘Budnic’ wheels add to the car’s handsome looks while simultaneously giving the car its impressive stance. Still in great shape, they’re fitted with matching Toyo Proxes tyres, too. Huge on the rear at 275/35R19 and slightly more modest on the front at 235/40R18, all still have good tread left on ‘em.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The paint is a very good job however it has now started to bubble along the leading edge of the bonnet (#74) and there’s some micro-blisters on the door mirrors (#71). There are also some weird marks along the edge of the load bed (#75 and #205 show what we mean).

The interior is a pleated diamond stitch pattern in a combination of suede and leather. Immaculately executed, the seats are worthy of a car with this much power being supportive and comfortable and supremely elegant.

The trimming, whose honeycomb pattern on the seats and door cards matches the car’s front grille, is supplemented by a three-spoke Grant-style steering wheel with a leather rim and alloy frame that feels even better in the hand than it looks.

There’s an American Powertrain gearknob too and the headlining, carpets and dashboard are as impressive as everything else. But then you’d already guessed that, hadn’t you?

Oh, and the driver and passenger are kept cool by a brand-new ‘Vintage Air’ air-conditioning system. This, just like the rest of the vehicle, is as gorgeous to behold as it is to use.

Work to do? Nothing. Nada. Nil. Not a sausage.

The team swapped the original V8 for a 416cu ‘Mast Motorsport’ Chevrolet LS3-based engine that now develops more than 600bhp. The engine exhales via a bespoke Hooker exhaust system and inhales via a fully programmable ‘Holley Sniper’ electronic fuel injection system (does anyone give their products better names than the American auto industry?).

Cooling is delegated to a bespoke Ron Davis Racing Products aluminium radiator that is, just like every other component on the El Camino, as effective as it is beautiful.

The engine is mated to a ‘Tremec T56’ six-speed manual gearbox and all that power and torque is put down to the tarmac through a new Currie nine-inch rear end. The suspension comes courtesy of a complete Ridetech upper and lower arm set-up complete with adjustable coilovers, making it infinitely tuneable to meet the new owner’s priorities.

Braking is taken care of via a full Wilwood set-up with cross-drilled and ventilated discs on all four corners. The car’s wiring harness was completely replaced with a bespoke Painless loom.

As you’d expect, it starts on the button, ticks over like a champ, and sounds like the devil passing an elk. The way it drives is off the scale, and if you don’t fall in love with the way it accelerates then there really isn’t any hope for you. Because, despite putting 600+bhp through the rear wheels, it is surprisingly tractable and can pootle about with the best of them.

Please do take the time to watch the video, preferably with the volume turned right up. Be warned though: at full chat it has been known to make small children cry, dogs whimper and grown men go weak at the knees…

Of course, the engine bay is also beautifully detailed, as is the underside. This is a car whose underpinnings and mechanical components look every bit as good as it drives – and it drives impeccably.

The Chevrolet’s MoT certificate, which expired in June 2021, was gained without a single advisory point. We can't see any reason why it won't pass again however, it's age makes it eligible for historical status (therefore it's not required to have an MoT).

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the car’s paperwork.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

An El Camino is a legend in its own right but a Gas Monkey built car – much less one built by Aaron Kaufmann himself – is off-the-scale in terms of its desirability.

Wonderfully geeky, the El Camino’s combination of coupé looks and pickup versatility makes it the ideal candidate for some resto-modding and no-one has done a better job than this. Apples and oranges for sure, but when you look at what a Singer Porsche 911 will set you back, this is an absolute bargain because the attention to detail is every bit as good – and the finished vehicle is even more exclusive.

Even better, the vendor’s representative is familiar with Gas Monkey’s work and says that this is the best completed car he’s seen come out of their garage, which is high praise indeed.

In need of only the gentlest of tidying in a few small areas, a genuine one-off , never-to-be-repeated car like this is incredibly hard to value. But, our best shot is somewhere between £25,000 and £35,000.

At its lowest, that’s the biggest bargain of 2021 so far and even at its highest we would be willing to bet that you couldn’t even buy the parts you need for so little, much less the labour and paint to finish the car to this standard – and then there’s the small matter of the fact that the base car was a genuine dry-state, one-owner-from-new, rust-free example in the first place.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.