During the 1971-77 model years, the GMC Sprint was a badge-engineered version of the Chevrolet El Camino. Both were wagon-based pickups sometimes called “Utes” or utility coupes. They didn’t sell in large numbers compared to their Chevy counterparts, so a GMC Sprint is harder to find today. Located in Coquitlam, British Columbia, this survivor from 1976 was no garage queen, but presents well enough after 50 years. It’s available here on craigslist for $9,998 (USD or CDN?).
Since GMC focused solely on selling trucks, it was natural that the Sprint would be developed based on the El Camino. It was around in 1971 and 1972, and all during the Colonnade era of the Chevy Chevelles (1973-77). They were the same except for trim and emblems. When the A-bodies were redesigned and downsized in 1978, the name Caballero was used instead of Sprint. While an inline-6 was standard, many Sprints were built with a 350 cubic inch V8 engine, including this one. Only 5,436 Sprints were produced in 1976, just 11% of the total El Camino/Sprint universe.
This edition of the Sprint is said to be rust-free with a clean interior (sporting new carpeting). Yet the floor pans have been replaced, so there probably was corrosion at some point. We assume the two-tone paint is original, and there are enough scratches in the bed to indicate the truck didn’t sit on its laurels. The odometer reads nearly 20,000 miles, but since it has rolled over, the true mileage is more like 120,000. New or newer parts include the battery and water pump.
If you’ve been looking for an El Camino or Ford Ranchero, what about one of these seldom-seen Sprints? The Ranchero left the market in 1979, and the El Camino in 1987, and the Sprint was strictly a 1970s iteration. With only 5,000 or so Sprints built in ’76, just how many could be left now? Thanks for the tipper, “Curvette”.
I hated it when they changed the body stying of these from the prior 1964-1972 version, but the look has really grown on me over the years