On Oct. 16, 1958, Chevrolet began selling the El Camino, a car-truck hybrid that mixed a sedan with a pickup bed, according to HISTORY and MotorTrend.

The El Camino was Chevrolet's answer to the Ford Ranchero, which had been on the market for two years, HISTORY reported. The first El Camino was built on the Impala body and had the same "cat's eye" taillights and dramatic rear fins, HISTORY said. MotorTrend said it was built on the Impala platform.

Chevrolet's ads called it "the most beautiful thing that ever shouldered a load!" both outlets reported.

The idea came from Australia, where farmers had been driving "utes," short for coupé utility, since the 1930s, HISTORY reported. Legend has it that a farmer's wife asked Ford Australia for a car that could take her to church on Sundays and her husband's pigs to market on Mondays, HISTORY said.

Chevrolet dropped the first El Camino after two years, the outlets reported. In 1964, Chevrolet brought it back on the Chevelle, and by 1968 the SS engine option had made it one of the iconic muscle cars of the late 1960s and 1970s, both said.

Chevrolet dropped the El Camino for good in 1987, the outlets reported. MotorTrend said Pontiac later considered reviving the idea with its G8 ST sport truck concept, but General Motors shut down the Pontiac brand in 2010 after the financial troubles of 2008 and 2009.

The El Camino is now a cult classic, HISTORY reported, and MotorTrend said it still has a cult following.

What we know: The El Camino went on sale on Oct. 16, 1958, was dropped after two years, returned in 1964 and ended in 1987.
What we don't: Whether Chevrolet will ever bring back the El Camino name.