1959 Cadillac Escalade Rendering Reimagines the Chevy Apache as a Classic SUV

In the late ‘50s, carryalls and wagons were the rides of choice for family-oriented motorists. In the modern sense of the word, SUVs started gaining traction with the arrival of the XJ Cherokee in the ‘80s. The unibody architecture is what set the Jeep apart from its siblings, and since then, the industry didn’t look back.

The ‘Lade, however, continues to be a truck-based leviathan with a body-on-frame construction. Abimelec Arellano used the Apache pickup as the starting point for his renderings, infused with plenty of Cadillac goodness to bring the point home.

“Cadillac was really different to what it is today; it truly was the standard of the world,” said the Photoshopper on Facebook. Thanks to hindsight, he’s right considering what a hot mess the crown jewel of General Motors is these days.

Not only do the Chinese buy more Caddys than North America, but the full-size and rear-wheel-drive CT6 is now made in the People’s Republic. General Motors pulled the plug on the flagship sedan in North America earlier this year, and with the CT6, the Blackwing twin-turbo V8 is also out of production. To make matters worse, the DOHC engine isn't compatible with any current product.

The Escalade, however, looks just right inside and out. Larger and techier than its predecessor, the full-size luxury SUV comes with independent rear suspension instead of a live axle for a more refined ride and better handling. Bolder than ever before, the gentle giant also boasts magnetorheological dampers as standard.

Something that doesn’t fit the image of the Escalade is the only optional engine available over the small-block V8 with Dynamic Fuel Management and 420 ponies on tap. To the point, you can now get an inline-six turbo diesel with 3.0 liters of displacement and the same level of torque as the 6.2.