Photo: Facebook Marketplace Conway, SC
If you thought the Chevy Avalanche-based Cadillac Escalade EXT was a part of the brand's first-ever dealings in the pickup truck market, you'd actually only be half right. Because although you can't call this 1975 Cadillac Eldorado pickup conversion an OEM option, it was at least completed by professionals a full quarter century before the Escalade made the leap from SUV to pickup. Nowadays, it's for sale for cheap.
Indeed, there's something infinitely bizarre about the timeless classic Eldorado's front fascia juxtaposed with what looks like the rear end of a Ford Ranchero. Or, if we're being totally brand loyal, the Chevy El Camino. But believe it or not, more than one custom automotive fabricator tried their hands at Cadillac truck conversions in the 1970s. Perhaps the most notable among these companies was Traditional Coach Works Chatsworth in LA County, California, which also manufactured station wagon and town car roof conversions for mid-70s Cadillacs for a short period before bankruptcy.
Dubbed the Cadillac Mirage in its non-OEM pickup form, these machines are identifiable by the large port window built into the truck's rear window pillar. Another little-known company called Formal Coach Corporation performed similar pickup and wagon conversions on classic Cadillacs but without the Mirage's prominent port window. Almost no information whatsoever about Formal Coach Corporation exists online currently, but it's clear, looking at the work, that they did at least have a cool idea in mind.
From the factory, ninth-generation Cadillac Eldorados built from 1971 to 1978 hit dealers with one of two Cadillac V8s ranging from 425 cubic inches (7.0 L) up to a colossal 500 cubic inches (8.2 liters). It's unclear which engine this particular Cadillac truck conversion left the dealer sporting, as no photos of the engine bay exist online. But rest assured, whichever of the two motors under the hood of this truck is certifiably gas-hungry and has more torque than some modern diesel engines. But in the areas other than the engine, the condition of this South Carolina-based truck is a bit hit-and-miss.
On the one hand, there doesn't appear to be any accident damage or any glaring impacts or dents in the bodywork of this truck. On the other hand, this custom Caddy is fighting a constant battle against the gods of rust, a fight all too many classic cars find themselves losing after enough time. But despite it all, this Caddy is still advertised as running and driving, albeit with one totally flat tire. Meaning, of course, you could take this truck home and use it as your daily driver if you wanted to. Although, we'd like to buy a beer for the kind of person who'd willingly want to do that.
Indeed, there's something infinitely bizarre about the timeless classic Eldorado's front fascia juxtaposed with what looks like the rear end of a Ford Ranchero. Or, if we're being totally brand loyal, the Chevy El Camino. But believe it or not, more than one custom automotive fabricator tried their hands at Cadillac truck conversions in the 1970s. Perhaps the most notable among these companies was Traditional Coach Works Chatsworth in LA County, California, which also manufactured station wagon and town car roof conversions for mid-70s Cadillacs for a short period before bankruptcy.
Dubbed the Cadillac Mirage in its non-OEM pickup form, these machines are identifiable by the large port window built into the truck's rear window pillar. Another little-known company called Formal Coach Corporation performed similar pickup and wagon conversions on classic Cadillacs but without the Mirage's prominent port window. Almost no information whatsoever about Formal Coach Corporation exists online currently, but it's clear, looking at the work, that they did at least have a cool idea in mind.
From the factory, ninth-generation Cadillac Eldorados built from 1971 to 1978 hit dealers with one of two Cadillac V8s ranging from 425 cubic inches (7.0 L) up to a colossal 500 cubic inches (8.2 liters). It's unclear which engine this particular Cadillac truck conversion left the dealer sporting, as no photos of the engine bay exist online. But rest assured, whichever of the two motors under the hood of this truck is certifiably gas-hungry and has more torque than some modern diesel engines. But in the areas other than the engine, the condition of this South Carolina-based truck is a bit hit-and-miss.
On the one hand, there doesn't appear to be any accident damage or any glaring impacts or dents in the bodywork of this truck. On the other hand, this custom Caddy is fighting a constant battle against the gods of rust, a fight all too many classic cars find themselves losing after enough time. But despite it all, this Caddy is still advertised as running and driving, albeit with one totally flat tire. Meaning, of course, you could take this truck home and use it as your daily driver if you wanted to. Although, we'd like to buy a beer for the kind of person who'd willingly want to do that.
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