Introduced for the 1978 model year, this coupe-utility nameplate replaced the earlier, similar compact hauler in the brand’s lineup and carried the formula through the end of the 1987 model year. It was the sibling to the contemporary Chevrolet El Camino, combining passenger-car styling with an integrated pickup bed at a time when this body style was becoming increasingly uncommon in the U.S. market. Early examples rode on GM’s A-body architecture, and the vehicle later moved to the G-body underpinnings for 1982, keeping the basic car-truck concept alive while the rest of the segment continued to shrink.
In period, it was positioned as a sporty, personal-use alternative to a conventional pickup, with a stronger emphasis on style than work-duty capability. That gave it a niche appeal among buyers who wanted open-bed practicality without giving up the proportions and road manners of a car-based platform. Special appearance packages and trim variations helped distinguish it during the late 1970s and 1980s, and today it is remembered as one of the last factory-built American coupe utilities of its era.
Production ended after 1987, closing a nine-model-year run that has made the nameplate a recognizable part of GM’s classic truck and car-truck history.