GMC Caballero: GMC’s car-based pickup of 1978-1987

The GMC Caballero was a coupe utility, or car-based pickup, that GMC produced from the 1978 to the 1987 model year. It replaced the GMC Sprint and was the GMC version of the Chevrolet El Camino, sold mainly in the United States and Canada through GMC Truck dealers.

GMC Caballero at a glance

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the GMC Caballero. No free photograph of a Caballero was found, so the previous cover image stays.

History of the GMC Caballero

A GMC El Camino

The Caballero shared its mechanical parts with the Chevrolet Malibu range but rode on a wheelbase nine inches longer, and it was distinguished from the El Camino by its trim designations, emblems and wheel trim. The vehicles were built on the GM A platform through 1981; for 1982 the model was re-designated the G platform when the A platform switched to front-wheel drive.

Styling through the years

The exterior stayed largely the same over the truck’s nine-year life, with the biggest changes coming in the grille. From 1978 to 1981 that meant an egg-crate design for 1978, horizontal bars for 1979 and 1981 and vertical bars for 1980. For 1982 the front end changed to a full-width grille with four headlights and a four-row crosshatch pattern, which stayed until the end in 1987. Inside, standard models had a bench seat, with bucket seats, a centre console and a floor-mounted shifter available as an upgrade; most cars with automatic transmission kept the shifter on the steering column. The instrument panel had a strip-style speedometer until 1981, when it was replaced by a conventional round dial.

Laredo, Amarillo and Diablo

From 1978 to 1980 the Laredo package offered two-tone paint and a Laredo decal on the tailgate, the equivalent of the El Camino’s Conquista. For 1981 it was renamed Amarillo and continued in that form until 1987, with only the tailgate decal changed. The sporty Diablo package began in 1978 with a symmetrical flame graphic on the bonnet, lower-body accent paint, body-colour mirrors, black window frames, a front air dam, colour-matched Rally steel wheels and a large Diablo decal on the tailgate. When Chevrolet dropped its Royal Knight option for 1982, the Diablo stayed on as the equivalent of the regular Super Sport, losing the flame decal but little else, and it was offered until the end of the line.

The end of the coupe utility

The 1987 model year was the end of the line for GM’s North American coupe utilities. In all, 420 leftover El Caminos and 325 Caballeros were reported as first sold in 1988. The name Caballero comes from Spanish, where it most commonly means gentleman, though its technical meaning is horseman or knight. GMC also used other Spanish names for the model’s trim packages: Diablo, Laredo and Amarillo.

Design and features

• Car-based pickup: a coupe utility built on the GM A, later G, platform.
• Malibu mechanicals: shared parts with the Chevrolet Malibu on a longer wheelbase.
• Distinctive trim: GMC emblems and wheel trim separated it from the El Camino.
• Diablo package: flame graphics, air dam and Rally wheels for a sportier look.
• Laredo and Amarillo: two-tone luxury packages from 1978 to 1987.

GMC Caballero versions

• Caballero (1978-1987): the standard coupe utility.
• Laredo (1978-1980): two-tone paint and a tailgate decal.
• Amarillo (1981-1987): the same package under a new name.
• Diablo (1978-1987): the sporty version with bonnet graphics and an air dam.
• Bucket-seat cars: optional seats with a centre console and floor shifter.

The Caballero was the car-based stablemate of the GMC Sierra pickup and of the GMC C/K range. More cars are in the GMC collection.

Sources

• GMC Caballero, English Wikipedia: dates, platform, styling, trim packages, engines