Behind the Wheel BUSINESS IN THE FRONT, PARTY IN THE BACK DOUG ASMUS'S 1966 EL CAMINO STORY BY JOSEPH SIRIOTIS | PHOTOS BY NICHOLAS CONZONE It was produced by Chevrolet and known as one of the earliest cars to be introduced as a cross between a car and a truck. Its main competitor was its earlier concept already introduced by Ford, The Ranchero. " I'm just a fanatic about cars, " Village of St. Charles resident and owner, Doug Asmus said. 46 AUGUST 2022 Doug had an 1966 El Camino twice in his life. The first time was in 1966 when he worked for a retail credit company that would later be known as Equifax. Every day Doug would proudly drive his dark blue El Camino through the sunny streets of Miami Beach for his job. " I enjoyed it, " Doug said. " It was a four-speed and with a 327 cubic-inch motor and had 300 horsepower. " His lengthy drives became routine until he surprisingly found himself getting a list of complaints from his elderly clients. " They saw my vehicle and got offended, " Doug said. " Then they called my company and talked to my manager. "