Many automakers work directly with law enforcement agencies for police or special service conversions of their cars, SUVs, and trucks. On the other hand, very automakers few do the same thing for people with motor impairment.
Toyota, for example, caters to this demographic in Japan with everything from the Yaris to the Prius Plug-In Hybrid and larger vehicles such as the HiAce minivan and Sienta seven-seat MPV. Over in the United States, companies such as ATC of North Carolina level up to full-size pickup trucks like the Silverado 1500.
As the headline implies, these peeps take things one step further than Toyota by converting the ‘Rado with a gullwing-style door for easy access. Thanks to a hydraulic lift that loads or unloads the wheelchair, the Raleigh-based company is definitely worthy of the catchphrase it stands by - “Innovative Mobility.”
Steve Kitchin, the founder of ATC and also a quadriplegic, was involved in an accident that changed his life forever. Having suffered a severed spinal cord, he came up with the idea of All Terrain Conversions after his wheelchair-accessible van fell completely apart in eight years of driving. With the help of an engineer friend, Steve decided that body-on-frame workhorses are the way to go.
Capable of loading or unloading the wheelchair in 25 seconds, the ATC-converted Silverado 1500 also offers cover in inclement weather. Equipped with a manual backup, the gullwing door also happens to be extremely durable. All Terrain Conversions modifies trucks in such a way that every single one of them conforms to federal safety standards and meets all manufacturers’ warranties.
ATC can also convert unibody vehicles such as the Chevrolet Traverse with a gullwing door, as well as body-on-frame SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade and GMC Yukon. The most affordable Silverado 1500 for the 2020 model year with these goodies is listed at $72,298 on the company’s website, a rear-wheel-drive RST with the 5.3-liter V8 engine and the Convenience Package. The Escalade mentioned a little earlier is the most expensive at $120,430.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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