For Sale: 1972 Chevrolet El Camino in Concord, North Carolina

This 1972 Chevrolet El Camino SS 454 tribute is a deep and dark mean machine - and it even has a solid big block under the hood to back it all up. And as you look over all the details, you can see a classic that was built for all-around enjoyment.

The dark color is pure intimidation, but there's more going on here. The black paint has a glossy finish that likes to radiate in the sunshine. It's laid over well-fitting body panels, so you get a crisp look at the iconic sheet metal. Bright bumpers, complete trim, and doors that close with confidence give this an overall look of quality. And the contrasting white racing stripes are painted on top. So it not only adds to the crisp look, but it reminds you that this one is a speedy machine. The aggressive style continues on SS upgrades like the cowl hood, hood pins, SS grille, and correct badging. The addition of Cragar wheels has a period-correct style, and the larger rear set upgrades the sporty stance. There are valuable details, like the spray-in liner paint protecting the bed and a tow hitch on the rear. It all makes for a sharp-looking street machine with an overall style that looks good without being a museum piece.

The interior follows the exterior's lead and delivers a dark style and a driver-ready package. There are nice features like an AM/FM/cassette stereo and provisions for R134a air conditioning (it will probably need recharging to blow cold again.) It feels like a proper driver's classic with high-back bucket seats, an NK4 sports steering wheel, a tilt column, and a center console with a horseshoe shifter. And the readouts have been fully updated with crisp white-faced gauges in the dash and the essential auxiliary trio neatly mounted underneath.

Under the hood is a well-done 454 cubic-inch V8 upgrade. It looks great with a bold block and matching painted finned valve covers We especially like to see the air grabber that seals to the fresh air cowl hood. It's part of a package that includes a Holley Street Avenger four-barrel carburetor and Holley heat shield to let this mighty motor inhale better. This makes a robust setup that fires up eagerly and runs excellently. And three-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly to give you an excellent cruiser feeling. Plus, the power steering, power brakes, front discs, and wide BF Goodrich Radial T/As are all there to make this classic muscle car/truck an excellent all-around driver.

This is a mean-as-midnight big-power El Camino that also was made to be a more pleasant driver. So you know it's a particular muscle machine you want to get your hands on right now.