Independent · Source-led · American performance history Issue 01 · 1951–2023
American Muscle Car Facts

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1965 · Chevrolet · United States

1965 Chevrolet El Camino: Still a Body Style, Not Yet a Super Sport

No factory Super Sport El Camino is documented for this year; the record carries the host El Camino production as context.

United States · researched through 2026-09-22

Blue 1965 Chevrolet El Camino with a white roof and white side spear stripe at an Australian car show, front three-quarter, showing the 1965 grille, quad headlamps and crossed-flags V8 fender emblem
1965 Chevrolet El Camino in blue with white roof and crossed-flags V8 emblem Photo: Sicnag, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This record's own overview states that the El Camino remained a Chevelle body style rather than a series for 1965, again built in the lower Chevelle 300 Deluxe and Malibu trim levels with separate six-cylinder and V8 model numbers. No SS El Camino appears anywhere in the reference production table: the Malibu SS series that year comprised only the sport coupe and convertible model numbers, and neither of those is an El Camino body style, so the pickup-bodied car again had no factory Super Sport counterpart in 1965.1

This record's own key facts state plainly that no factory SS El Camino model number is listed for 1965, citing the SS rows of the same reference production table the overview draws on. A separate production-totals source gives 34,724 El Caminos built for the year across every trim and engine combination, a figure the same key facts section ties explicitly to the absence of any factory SS El Camino that year, and which this record carries as the only model-year total it documents for the car.1,2

This record's own production rows break that total into four body-scoped counts: 4,392 Chevelle 300 Deluxe El Caminos with the six (4,271 domestic plus 121 export), 5,935 Chevelle 300 Deluxe V8s (5,857 plus 78 export), 2,367 Malibu sixes (2,275 plus 92 export), and 22,030 Malibu V8s (21,964 plus 66 export). The record notes that these four rows, independently sourced to the same dealer-reference site, sum to the 34,724 figure the separate production-totals source reports, and it is careful to call that agreement corroboration rather than the basis for the total row itself, since the two figures come from separately sourced tables.1,2

This record's own engines section documents a 120-horsepower 194 six standard and a 140-horsepower 230 six coded L26 optional, a 195-horsepower 283 V8 standard with dual exhaust and a 220-horsepower four-barrel L77 283 optional. It documents three 327 V8s: a 250-horsepower L30, a 300-horsepower L74 described as carrying a large four-barrel carburetor, and a 350-horsepower L79 limited in the source to three-speed or four-speed transmissions only, the strongest engine this record documents for the El Camino in 1965. This record's own engine specifications table gives a full rating for every engine it lists, with no unrated variant left undocumented.1,1

This record's own transmissions section documents a standard three-speed listed with every engine, an optional M20 four-speed available with all five V8s, an M35 Powerglide automatic offered with the sixes and every V8 except the L79, and an M10 overdrive limited to the six-cylinder and base/L77 283 engines with a 3.70:1 axle. This record's own prices and options sections are both empty for 1965, a gap the record carries without substitution rather than filling from any other year or source.1

This record's own paint section lists twelve solid colors by code, from Tuxedo Black through Cameo Beige. Its interiors section documents eight trim codes with unit counts ranging from 893 bucket-seat installations up to 40,348 for the most common bench-seat cloth combination, several of the larger counts explicitly noted as spanning every model the trim code was offered on rather than the El Camino alone. Its own unpublished leads section repeats the same Wikipedia-sourced claim carried in the 1964 record, that no actual factory El Camino Super Sport existed until 1968 and that many owners have since cloned 1967 SS 396 El Caminos that were never built that way at the factory, a claim this record's own 1965 production table is likewise consistent with.1,1

Fact sheet · 1965 · United States

The numbers

1965 Chevrolet El Camino — No factory Super Sport El Camino is documented for this year; the record carries the host El Camino production as context.

Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-22.

Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.

Key facts

  • No factory SS El Camino model number is listed for 1965.1
  • Team Chevelle's production-totals page gives 34,724 El Caminos built for 1965 across all trims and engines (no factory SS El Camino existed).2

Production

By body style and series
What was countedCountBasisStatus
Chevelle 300 Deluxe El Camino, six (13380)1 Chevelle 300 Deluxe · 2-door sedan pickup · 6-cyl · US tabulation 4,271 plus 121 export 4,392 built, model-year Reported
Chevelle 300 Deluxe El Camino, V8 (13480)1 Chevelle 300 Deluxe · 2-door sedan pickup · V8 · US tabulation 5,857 plus 78 export 5,935 built, model-year Reported
Malibu El Camino, six (13580)1 Malibu · 2-door sedan pickup · 6-cyl · US tabulation 2,275 plus 92 export 2,367 built, model-year Reported
Malibu El Camino, V8 (13680)1 Malibu · 2-door sedan pickup · V8 · US tabulation 21,964 plus 66 export 22,030 built, model-year Reported
Totals
What was countedCountBasisStatus
El Camino, all series (total)2 2-door sedan pickup · not stated No factory SS El Camino existed in 1965 (source shows El Camino SS V8 as 0), so this total is all trims/engines. It equals the sum of the four body-scoped rows above, which are independently sourced to ChevelleStuff.net; that match is corroboration, not the basis for this row. 34,724 built, model-year Reported

Rows are separately scoped host-car production; none is an SS count.

Paint and trim codes are from the Chevelle-line tables; paint counts on the source are for all Chevelles and are not shown here as El Camino counts. Trim counts are shown only where the trim code is listed for El Camino models; a count that also covers other models says so.

Engines

EngineFactory ratingAvailabilityBuilt
Hi-Thrift 194 six1,1 194 cu in · 1-barrel 120 hp @ 4,400, 177 lb-ft @ 2,400 (SAE gross) standard, six-cylinder models 13380 and 13580 Not yet sourced
L26 · Turbo-Thrift 230 six1,1 230 cu in · 1-barrel 140 hp @ 4,400, 220 lb-ft @ 1,600 (SAE gross) optional, six-cylinder models 13380 and 13580 Not yet sourced
Turbo-Fire 283 V81,1 283 cu in · 2-barrel 195 hp @ 4,800, 285 lb-ft @ 2,400 (SAE gross) standard, V8 models 13480 and 13680 Not yet sourced
L77 · Turbo-Fire 283 V81,1 283 cu in · 4-barrel 220 hp @ 4,800, 295 lb-ft @ 3,200 (SAE gross) optional, V8 models 13480 and 13680; dual exhaust Not yet sourced
L30 · Turbo-Fire 327 V81,1 327 cu in · 4-barrel 250 hp @ 4,400, 350 lb-ft @ 2,800 (SAE gross) optional, V8 models 13480 and 13680 Not yet sourced
L74 · Turbo-Fire 327 V81,1 327 cu in · large 4-barrel 300 hp @ 5,000, 360 lb-ft @ 3,200 (SAE gross) optional, V8 models 13480 and 13680 Not yet sourced
L79 · Turbo-Fire 327 V81,1 327 cu in · large 4-barrel 350 hp @ 5,800, 360 lb-ft @ 3,600 (SAE gross) optional, V8 models 13480 and 13680; 3-speed or 4-speed only Not yet sourced

Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.

Transmissions

TransmissionAvailabilityBuilt
3-speed1 listed with every engine Not yet sourced
M20 · 4-speed1 V8 engines (283, L77, L30, L74, L79) Not yet sourced
M35 · Powerglide1 sixes, 283, L77, L30 and L74; not listed with L79 Not yet sourced
M10 · Overdrive1 sixes, 283 and L77 (3.70:1 axle) Not yet sourced

Paint

CodeColorBuilt
A Tuxedo Black1 Not yet sourced
C Ermine White1 Not yet sourced
D Mist Blue1 Not yet sourced
E Danube Blue1 Not yet sourced
H Willow Green1 Not yet sourced
J Cypress Green1 Not yet sourced
K Artesian Turquoise1 Not yet sourced
L Tahitian Turquoise1 Not yet sourced
N Madeira Maroon1 Not yet sourced
R Regal Red1 Not yet sourced
S Sierra Tan1 Not yet sourced
V Cameo Beige1 Not yet sourced

Color names are the factory's. We don't show color swatches, because a screen color is no guide for a restoration.

Interiors

CodeTrimBuilt
717 bucket seats, Light Fawn Pattern Imitation Leather (models 13680)1 1,0171 Reported
724 bucket seats, Medium Turquoise Pattern Imitation Leather (models 13680)1 8931 Reported
726 bucket seats, Medium Red Pattern Imitation Leather (models 13680)1 1,3241 Reported
743 bench seat, Medium Turquoise Pattern Imitation Leather (models 13680)1 1,4721 Reported
748 bench seat, Medium Turquoise Pattern Imitation Leather (models 13480)1 3,3301 Reported
750 bench seat, Medium Turquoise Ramada Cloth, Imitation Leather (models 13637, 13669, 13680)1 40,3481 Reported
763 bench seat, Light Fawn Ramada Cloth, Imitation Leather (models 13637, 13669, 13680)1 28,0901 Reported
767 bench seat, Light Fawn Pattern Imitation Leather (models 13480)1 4,6451 Reported
772 bench seat, Medium Red Ramada Cloth, Imitation Leather (models 13637, 13669, 13680)1 27,6711 Reported

Identification

Read a 1965 Chevrolet VIN

The VIN decoder runs in your browser and never sends the VIN anywhere. How the factory numbered this year's cars:

Same model year

Also in 1965

  • Buick Riviera The Gran Sport arrived with the dual-quad Super Wildcat 425 and a 3.42 axle; 3,354 of 34,586 Rivieras had it.
  • Buick Skylark Gran Sport, GS and GSX Buick's first Gran Sport was a Skylark option with the 401 'Wildcat' V-8 rated at 325 hp; a production tabulation counts 15,780.
  • Buick Wildcat Second-generation B-body Wildcat on a 126-inch wheelbase in standard, Deluxe and Custom series; the 1965 total is disputed between published lineages.
  • Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The Malibu SS continued with 327 options, and late in the year RPO Z16 put a 375 hp 396 into 201 Chevelles.
  • Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova The 327 V8 appears in the source engine table; several body-style counts are unavailable. Enthusiast-compiled production: 122,800 cars; Super Sport 9,100.
  • Chevrolet Impala SS The record Super Sport year: 243,114 built, as the 409 gave way to the 396 mid-year.
  • Chrysler 300 letter series The last letter car: a slab-sided restyle on a 124-inch wheelbase, one 360 hp 413, no cross-ram, and an illuminated grille medallion; 2,405 hardtops and 440 convertibles.
  • Dodge Coronet R/T and Super Bee The 1965 performance Coronets were competition-only Race Hemi lightweights, not showroom muscle cars, and even their number is published two ways.
  • Ford Fairlane A restyled small-block Fairlane whose performance ceiling was the 271-hp K-code 289 High Performance V8, offered with the Sports Coupe.
  • Ford Falcon Sprint The last Sprint moved to the 289 V8 and a new V8 front suspension; the club records 2,806 hardtops and 300 convertibles.
  • Ford Galaxie A new full-size body with the LTD added above the Galaxie 500 XL; the 427 continued in Q-code (410 hp) and R-code (425 hp) form.
  • Ford Thunderbird A mild update of the 1964 body kept the 300-hp 390 as the standard engine; production fell to 74,972.
  • Mercury Comet and Cyclone The Cyclone was the performance Comet hardtop: vinyl roof, chrome wheels, bucket seats and console, tachometer and a 225-hp 289 as standard.
  • Mercury Marauder and S-55 The last year of the first Marauder generation: 74,590 Marauder-roof cars across Monterey, Montclair and Park Lane, per mercurystuff.com.
  • Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds The 4-4-2 package moved to a 400 cu in V-8 rated at 345 hp, the name was reread as 400 cubes, 4-barrel, 2 exhausts, and production rose to 25,003.
  • Oldsmobile Starfire A 425 V-8, Turbo Hydra-Matic and a rarely ordered four-speed; 15,260 built.
  • Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda The first full-year Barracuda introduced the Formula S package and the 235-hp 273 Commando, and production reached 64,596.
  • Plymouth GTX, Belvedere and Satellite The Belvedere became Plymouth's intermediate line, with the bucket-seat, V-8-only Satellite hardtop and convertible at the top and the 426 Street wedge as its hottest regular-production engine.
  • Pontiac Catalina 2+2 and Super Duty The 2+2 gained a standard 338 hp 421 and reached 11,521 cars, its best year.
  • Pontiac GTO Ratings up to 335 and 360 hp, and GTO production more than doubling to 75,352.
  • Pontiac Grand Prix New 121-inch body and a 333 hp standard 389; 57,881 built.
  • Pontiac Tempest and LeMans The LeMans adds a four-door sedan and the four-barrel 326 is rated at 285 hp.
  • Rambler and AMC Marlin AMC's six-passenger fastback, introduced in February 1965. Its best year was 10,327 cars.