Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevrolet El Camino

When the term "ute" is brought up, many gearheads think of the Australian connotation, something like a Holden Ute or a Ford Falcon ute. In America, the term "ute" usually applies to sport-utilities of one form or another. But, to put the term "ute" to correct use, one has to look at a whole new class of vehicles that sadly isn't sold on our shores anymore. Mainly used by farmers, and rural types who initially needed the comfort of a car with the hauling capacity of a truck, the "ute" was born. In 1957, the ute category hit the United States in the form of the Ford Ranchero, based off the then-contemporary Ford lineup. In 1959, Chevrolet entered to the fray to do battle with Ford's new niche vehicle. However, the El Camino would disappear from the lineup between 1961 and 1963, though it returned in 1964 and was a mainstay until the model's demise in 1987.
This model is a late model fourth generation; the stacked headlights make this a 1976 or 1977 model, and for some reason, "1977 El Camino" has a better ring to it than "1976 El Camino". This trucklet could have anything from a lame-duck 105 horse 250 I6 all the way up to a stonking 175 horse 400 V8. As it's been said before, the late 1970s were a terrible time for engines in terms of power, and even the great Chevrolet V8s were not exempt.
Chevrolet fans know that this generation of El Camino is no real collector prize; they're not flashy, they're not "sweet", and almost every other generation looks worlds better than this one. This generation even fails in the aftermarket parts area, since not many decent body and interior parts are either replicated or have custom parts available. So why is this particular generation of Chevrolet's ute now appreciating in value? The only logical explanation I can find, is that an early fourth generation is featured prominently as a traffic car in the newest installment of the Driver franchise.
Like all Minnesota vehicles, this certainly is no ten footer; twenty footer, maybe. Even from a bus (where I initially spotted this one), this example clearly has seen better days. The white paint is far from glossy (isn't it always?), and what little trim there is definitely shows it age. Granted nearly forty years wasting away in a salt-filled snowy haven come wintertime will do that to a car, especially if it sits outside much of its life. I didn't do a filler check for obvious reasons, but I can imagine this poor trucklet is filled to the brim with bondo just to keep it on the road.