1983 Chevrolet El Camino SS FIRECRACKER 400 PACE TRUCK 1st Choo Choo SS GM PROMO

Price: - Item location: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, United States
Description:

1983 Chevrolet El Camino Blue

In mid 1983 Chevrolet decided to outsource El Camino "SS" production to Choo Choo Customs on Chattanooga Tennessee. Production of the Choo Choo Custom SS's began on June 1, 1983, the day this car was built. THIS IS THE FIRST NASCAR NOSED EL CAMINO SS PRODUCED by Choo Choo Customs.
The Choo Choo SS's are easily recognized by their distinct "Monte Carlo" style NASCAR urethane front ends that look like the Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS front bumper cover, however, they are an entirely different piece and are not interchangeable. Chevrolet Monte Carlos were doing great on the NASCAR circuit in part due to their aerodynamic front end treatments. Chevrolet wanted to capitalize that "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" marketing plan. So this El Camino, the FIRST such El Camino made was specially shipped to the Daytona Speedway to show off the new design as a GM Promotional Vehicle. On July 4, 1983, this exact El Camino SS did promo pace lap duty at the NASCAR Firecracker 400 race at the Daytona International Speedway as evidenced by the certificate signed by GM brass. It is also the FIRST El Camino to ever do pace car duty at any race and would lead the way for the Choo Choo Custom IROC series pace truck El Caminos.
The original factory Invoice shows the car being purchased by Tarpon Springs Chevrolet, but being shipped to Jon Hall Chevrolet in Daytona Beach, just three miles from the track which is very unusual. The warranty book for this truck then shows it being sold as a "new" car on 11-11-83 with 209 miles already on it proving that it was still owned by GM while performing promotional and track duty at the Firecracker 400 to show off the brand new NASCAR styled front end on the first Choo Choo SS made.After its track duty it was sold NEW to the owner of a local plumbing shop in New Port Richey and was carefully used as his part time executive cruiser until 2005 and has covered only 2,200 miles in the last 12 years. Extensive service records are with the vehicle that verify the mileage.
The vehicle has 66k original miles, most of its original paint and all of its excellent original interior. The dash does have some cracks which is common for this body style and there are two small splits in the seam on the passenger side seat that can easily be stitchedand can not easily be seen. It is loaded with A/C, AM/FM, Cruise Control, Power steering and power disc brakes, power locks, sport mirrors, 22 gallon tank, Gauge package, Tilt Wheel, Side Bed Rails, Intermittent wipers, Heavy duty "Sport" handling package, Heavy Duty cooling, Factory rally wheels, and the High Output 5.0 V8 engine with automatic transmission. The bed has zero rust, dents or scratches and was never used to haul anything. It also has it's matching numbers engine, transmission and rear axle and has not been modified in any way.

This El Camino has a new battery, just serviced cold A/C, fresh oil change, professionally rebuilt carb and a freshly cleaned fuel system and tune-up. It starts, runs and drives great as a 66,000 original mile car should. There is no smoke, no noise, rides smooth, stops great and has great power with a nice rumble to the exhaust. The bed is the nicest I've ever seen on any El Camino and you could literally eat off of it. The body is straight down both sides with no dents or dings. The rare urethanefront bumper cover is in excellent condition, but does have some paint cracking from where it has flexed over the years.

Not only is this a very nice original El Camino SS, it is also a piece of GM history being the FIRST 1983 NASCAR Styled El Camino, the ONLY 1983 El Camino to do track duty at a NASCAR event and an official GM Promotional Vehicle and one of only 23 NASCAR styled El Camino SS's made in 1983. A rare piece of GM and NASCAR history could be yours.