Easily one of the most-recognized and divisive vehicles ever created, the Chevrolet El Camino was a car-based truck that lasted a surprisingly long time before going out with a whimper in the late 1980s. Since then, America has lacked a serious car-truck contender, though down in Australia the market for “utes” has thrived.

Yes, this guy drove the Holden ute around the Nurburgring.

Once again, talked has turned to bringing those Aussie utes to American shores, and recent spy shots of a Commodore Ute testing at the Nurburgring have fueled the rumor mills. Photos posted to the GM Holden Facebook page may indicate the General’s plans for an Americanized ute, following on the heels of the Commodore-based Chevy SS, and you’ll never guess who was at the wheel.

According to sources within GM, the pictures are leading up to a “major announcement” sometime in July, though the nature of that announcement is unknown. Speculation has been rampant for sometime now that GM would try once again to bring Holden utes to sell in America as Chevys, but high importation fees and an increasingly crowded performance lineup could stifle those plans.

Nonetheless, the Holden Ute was able to complete the 13-mile circuit in 8 minutes and 21 seconds, a very respectable time for a truck, especially considering that former engineer and current GM CEO Mark Reuss was at the wheel.

Does this mean that GM could bring back the El Camino? Who knows right now? With an emphasis on performance and the utility of having a truck bed, we’re not sure where a Holden ute might sit in Chevy’s lineup, but we’re certainly not going to turn it down either. Is there enough of a market for a 21st century El Camino, or is this all just one big tease? 

What say you? Yay or nay for a new Chevy El Camino?