Is This 454-Powered El Camino Worth Its Weight in Gold?
Vanguard Motor Sales presents this incredible, but pricey, tribute to a 1972 El Camino SS 454.
Without question, the rolling equivalent of a mullet hairstyle in this comprehensive sales video from Vanguard Motor Sales out of Plymouth, Michigan, is stunning. Like our host Craigs says, “this El Camino probably looks better today than it did in 1972 when it rolled off the [assembly] line.” And indeed, he’s correct that the paint quality and panel gaps are better than any GM car of that era.
And when this 454-powered 1972 El Camino goes up on a lift, the underside looks just as good. Like the old cliché says, you could literally eat off it, right down to the reproduction factory markings. However, let’s address the elephant in the room. As impressive as this build is, it’s not an original SS. In fact, it’s not even an original big-block. Nope, this machine is a tribute that was actually born with a ubiquitous 350.
It’s no drag strip terror
When the cowl induction hood is popped, we see a pretty stock looking 454, albeit one with an air conditioning compressor for our friends in warmer climates. No specs are provided for the engine except to say that it has factory four-bolt main caps and a Holley four-barrel carb. Backing up that 454 is a period-correct Turbo-Hydramatic 400 three-speed automatic transmission.
Some 1972 El Caminos came equipped with a weak-sauce 10-bolt rear axle, but this one does have a 12-bolt just like a proper SS. The axle’s 2.73 gear ratio is good news for keeping the RPM down at highway speeds, since the TH400 doesn’t have overdrive. However, we’ve got to imagine that high gear ratio is horrible for the drag strip or even just blasting away from traffic lights. Since this ute isn’t original anyway, perhaps a more modern 700R4 or 4L60E coupled with a lower axle gear would have been a hotter ticket?
Priced to perfection
Now, about that $119,000 asking price for this Placer Gold beauty. According to the auction aggregator site classic.com, the average price for the almost 90 third-gen (1968-1972) El Caminos sold in the last 12 months is $35,815. For 1972 cars alone, the average selling price over the past 12 months is $32,910.
That said, there are a couple of 1972 El Camino resto-mods which sold for low-six-figures at Barrett-Jackson recently. So while $119,900 represents the absolute top of the market, it’s not totally impossible to justify.
There’s no question that this is one meticulously built third-gen El Camino with no detail spared. And like the pro-built vintage Ford Broncos and Toyota Land Cruiser resto-mods that sell for as much as starter house, perhaps this sano machine is worth the asking price to the right person. What’s your take?
Photos: Vanguard Motor Sales