These days there seem to be as many sport or recreational utilities as workhorse utes on our roads. It was not always that way with there being a clear delineation between work vehicles and passenger cars up until the mid 1950s. All that changed mainly thanks to our featured ute, this 1955 Chevrolet Cameo.
The Cameo was well named as it only made a cameo appearance, mainly due to it's expensive pricing. However, the vehicle's real contribution to motoring history is that it bridged the gap between work horse and passenger vehicles. Chevrolet took the bare-bones ute and gave it some styling cues from sedan variants as well as some creature comforts. As such the Cameo represents possibly the first sports ute.
It is no surprise the Cameo did not make it to Australia back then: It only came in left hand drive, it was expensive and only a few were manufactured: Some 1452 were made which means today they are rare in the US, let alone Australia. This is believed to be the only one down-under. It was part of the `Task Force' Series produced by Chevrolet between 1955-59 which took over from the 'Advance Design' Series that started post WW2. The Task Force Series was succeeded by the C/K Series.
Where the Cameo made inroads into ute design was in a crossover of sedan styling cues such as having the first wrap-around windshield in a utility, or as the US call them, pickups. There was also an optional wrap-around large rear window as fitted to this example, leaving just a small support as the B-pillar. For the first time power steering and brakes became available on Chevrolet trucks. The US tradies must have thought all their Christmases had come at once.
Three engines were available, a 3.9 litre (235 cubic inch) Chevrolet straight six, 4.3 litre (265 cubic inch) V8 and 4.6 litre (283 cubic inch) V8, one of the more familiar Chevrolet engines of this period. (The featured vehicle has a 350 fitted) This was also the first time a V8 had been offered in a Chevrolet light truck. Cameo, of course, was not the only ute available from Chevrolet at this time – it was just the most expensive. It also offered five transmissions, a three speed manual, heavy duty three speed manual, three speed auto with overdrive four speed and Hydra-matic.
As can be seen by this example the tray is a direct continuation of the front half of the vehicle. Traditionally the pickup – or tray – was an add-on to a cabin. A box in which to carry goods. This is where the Cameo differs with a stylised tray matching the front of the vehicle. It is, by any measure, a good looking vehicle. The front also offered a chromed grille, headlight bezels, bumpers and guards, hubcaps and bonnet mascot.
Similar to the Chevy cars of the era the Cameo has an egg-crate grille, wrap-around front bumper and at least 30 per cent more cabin glass than the previous Advance Design 3100 series. The interior also got the treatment with a car-like dashboard with fan-shaped speedo and needle guages with the top of the dash finished in a matt black to cut back on glare and reflections. The Cameo, like it's cheaper siblings sat on longer leaf springs, a wider track and a 2896mm wheelbase.
When the Task Force Series came to an end in 1959 it gave way to the C/K Series, but this was not the end of Chevrolet's sports ute concept. Ford's Ranchero had stolen the march on Chevrolet and in the same year the Task Force Series finished the Chevrolet El Camino was launched. It was simply a ute variant of the Bel Air sedan, which was a familiar site in Australia. Where the vehicle gets somewhat outrageous is that the rear end of the tray was identical to the sedan, including the way-out lateral fins. El Camino did not come to Australia back then, but there are now a few floating around the car show circuit.
We spotted this one at the 2009 Cleveland Auto Extravaganza near Brisbane. It was hard to miss. The decision to retain the fins was one of the bolder decisions made by Chevrolet. If you look closely you should be able to see the line either side that shows where the tailgate drops down. It is a remarkable vehicle if only for it's audacity. We love it. So did the US public with 22,246 El Caminos finding homes in it's first year. The El Camino – in different guises based on Chevrolet cars – went on to become an American legend in it's own right.
In 1960 the styling was toned down and sales dropped to just a few more than 14,000. Our images of the Cameo were taken at the Cleveland Show in 2009 and the recent 2010 Gold Coast Super Swap Meet and Shown 'N Shine at Carrara. The current Australian Holden and Ford utes have a lot in common with the 1955 Chevrolet Cameo.
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