For this week’s edition of Cool Car Thursday, UHS News got the opportunity to interview 12th grader Octavio Hernandez about his 1982 Chevrolet El Camino, a certified classic and quintessential American vehicle that turns heads in the Ukiah High parking lot and anywhere he goes.
Hernandez told us that he grew up in a family passionate about car culture, specifically the low-rider community which influenced his affinity to the El Camino.
Chevrolet’s El Camino gets its name from the Spanish phrase for “the Road”, symbolizing the essential experience and freedom of car ownership. The vehicle has had a unique place in the car market with elements of muscle cars, pickup trucks, and wagons.
For two years, Hernandez was on the hunt for the El Camino of his dreams. He was lucky enough this last January to travel to California’s state capital, Sacramento, to purchase his first car, a 1982 Chevrolet El Camino. Hernandez said he was looking at multiple El Caminos but “this one spoke to me” and he noticed that it was both “cheap and maintained”.
Hernandez considers his El Camino both a project car and a daily driver. Since purchasing it, he has purchased new rim covers and a new headliner for the interior. said that his El Camino is his daily driver but also his project car. Octavio said he has put in new rim covers and got a new headliner for the interior.
Owning the car for a little more than four months, Hernandez is just beginning to make memories with his dream car. One memorable moment was his attempt to drift the classic car on a Redwood Valley road with friends which did not work out as he intended.
Wade Clark is a Sophomore at Ukiah High School. He plays guitar and listens to many different genres of music. He has lived in Ukiah his whole life and has never lived anywhere else. Wade loves to research music, guitar, and different types of electronics for music. He believes everyone has a right to their opinion.
