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Crazy Custom: 1968 Cadillac

Every now and then a car comes across the desks here at Barn Finds that has us scratching our heads, and this Cadillac most definitely falls into that category. Barn Finder Ikey H referred this one to us, and I have to thank you, Ikey, for spotting a car that I probably wouldn’t have believed existed if I hadn’t seen it. If you are the sort of person who is looking for something really unusual in the way of a car, then you may need to have a look at this Cadillac that is listed for sale here on Craigslist. It is located in Hanover Park, Illinois, and is listed with an asking price of $34,000.

It’s hard to know where to start with this car. This is just so customized that it’s hard to pick out the original features. The conversion work on the car looks like it has all been completed to a very high standard, but looking out over that massively extended hood from behind the wheel must feel like you’re driving an aircraft carrier. The next thing that you notice is that the car has about 50% more wheels than you would expect to find on your average Cadillac. I would assume that the third set of wheels is a “dead” axle, but its inclusion just sets the scene for the rest of the cars. There’s also a pretty good chance that the side-pipes don’t function unless there is a V16 under the hood. Actually, the owner doesn’t tell us what’s under the hood, so with this car, anything is possible.

After the mind-bending external appearance, the interior seems to bring a certain level of sanity back to the car. Well, it does until you realize that a car of this size really only has room for three people….theoretically. The interior trim is all pretty standard Cadillac fare, so if you climb aboard and don’t look out the windows, then you really wouldn’t know what’s happening outside. It appears that many of the traditional Cadillac luxuries have survived this transformation, as you still get power windows, air conditioning, a tilt wheel, a radio/cassette player, a phone, and a CB radio.

Did I say that there was only room for three in this car? Turns out that I was wrong because you have room for another couple of people thanks to the inclusion of a rumble seat. I’m struggling to think of a use for this beyond being used in a parade because I’m pretty sure that cruising down your local freeway in a Cadillac with a couple of people in the rumble seat probably isn’t legal. Having said that, there’s so much more to grab people’s attention on this car that it’s quite possible that no-one would notice them anyway. Also, judging by the silverware in the trunk, it appears that the car may have picked up some awards somewhere along the way. In all honesty, this isn’t something that I find to be particularly surprising. If you look at each custom item in isolation, the work really does appear to have been completed very nicely.

There’s no doubt that a possible role for this Cadillac would be as a show car. It would not be at all suitable as a daily driver, but you’d certainly grab your share of attention if you did use it for that. However, it would probably be best suited as a promotional vehicle. So if you own a business and are looking for a mobile billboard to promote it, then this Cadillac would certainly get your business all of the attention that you could possibly want.

Comments

  1. HoA Howard A Member

    What in t’arnation is with the multiple axles? That is the dumbest idea, again,,more must be better. It would be kind of cool without the 3rd axle. And to think someone spent enough money to buy a house in the mountains with what they spent on this, only for us to laugh. ( I doubt many will like this) Simply fascinating. Looks ridiculous and every turn is going to grind those back tires down and probably it rides like a dump truck.

    Like 14
    • Avatar Clay Bryant

      Maybe he built the back seat for an ex so he didn’t have to listen to her and she “put the squeeze” on him up front. She’s probably gone now and he wants the car gone too.(I could write a movie script about this)

      Like 1
  2. Avatar leiniedude Member

    Wow! Please replace that NHRA plate with something a little more fitting. Maybe like the old Forida plate that said Arrive Stoned.

    Like 8
    • Avatar Steve R

      At least the NHRA plate isn’t vintage.

      Steve R

      Like 1
  3. Avatar rodney

    Somehow it seems worse that they spent this much effort, money and this quality of finish work on this, ummm, “car”.

    Like 3
  4. Avatar Tirefriar

    Rolling proof that US is in grips of methamphetamine crisis

    Like 18
    • Avatar 86_Vette_Convertible

      Or maybe Acid? Just doesn’t make sense to me.

      Like 12
  5. Avatar John M.

    Did this recently come out of Gas Monkey Garage?

    Like 7
  6. Avatar KevinLee

    Well, if I was in the pimpin’ business, then yeah…

    Like 4
  7. Avatar Marcus

    Can we ask the owner what motor is really in this land yacht

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Ike Onick

    $34,000? Seems about right.

    Like 2
  9. Avatar David Zornig

    Grille is a `67.
    The right choice given the other modifications.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Katl

      What type of person would think this is good?

      Like 2
      • Avatar Fred Alexander

        me ~ `

        Like 5
  10. Avatar Bob McK

    I just don’t get it… Perhaps I am missing something.

    Like 2
  11. Avatar Jose Cantu

    I don’t understand the sticker price. Does the seller mean that he is willing to give someone $34,000 to take it off his hands? Please tell him that if he can’t find someone for that amount, I’ll take it off his hands if he give me $35,000.

    Like 8
  12. Avatar ACZ

    A waste of what was once a perfectly good Cadillac.

    Like 5
  13. Avatar Rick Rothermel

    Really though, what better a bookend to the 100′ American Dream?
    It’s a shame that guys who build these always use the back doors from a Sedan instead of the longer coupe doors.

    Like 3
  14. Avatar Johnmloghry

    Well, I was a bit surprised to see the trunk area without a hot tub in there. Only reason I could see to have two axles back there. Maybe he’s got two 500ci V8 engines under that massive hood, hooked up one in front of the other. At any rate it was someone’s dream come true.

    Like 5
  15. Avatar Steve Bush Member

    Yikes!! Would be embarrassed to be seen in this much less own it. Also confused about it’s location. It’s advertised on Miami Craigslist but it’s shown at the Roselle auto show in the Chicago area and the other pics are likely at or near the owner’s home there. Maybe he thinks; and he’s probably correct; that he’d get more for it in Miami.

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Rodney - GSM

    Hard not to think this has to be the Love Child of that 1976 Eldorado from a few days ago. “Luke, I am your father…”

    Like 1
  17. Avatar OhU8one2

    I guess now we know what would happen if a famous Hollywood customizer was high on crack. Crack is whack. The hours and money invested were just wasted. I wouldn’t pay $3400.00 for this red Caddy, whatever it is.

    Like 0
  18. Avatar TJohnson

    Personally I think it’s cool. Looks like something that would have come out of Barris’s shop. Who ever did the work seems to have done a nice job. 68 Cads are not exactly blue chip collectors, so why not?

    Like 13
  19. Avatar TimM

    It’s a shame to me to do this to a 68 caddy!! I just thing it would suck paying higher rates to cross a bridge or go on a payed hiway for the extra axle you don’t need and it looks like a two seater!!! Maybe it could use some wings next!!!

    Like 0
  20. Avatar dave brennan

    Decimal point needs a leftward shift of 3 or 4 places! All kinds of ugly!!

    Like 0
  21. Avatar JoeNYWF64

    I wonder if this concept inspired the creation of the above car
    http://www.carstyling.ru/en/car/1965_cadillac_840_eldorado_fastback/

    Of all the concept cars, THIS is the one that should have been built for production…
    http://www.carstyling.ru/en/car/1970_chrysler_cordoba_de_oro/

    Like 3
    • Avatar Robert

      Phenomenal links joenyfw64…! Thank you! My father had a ’75 Cordoba. He called it his “pimp car”. 400cid of underpowered “lean burn”. But it looked great. And this Caddy is gorgeous.

      Like 1
  22. Avatar michael h streuly

    ?

    Like 1
  23. Avatar Jay E.

    Needs a Merlin aircraft engine under the hood…

    Like 0
  24. Avatar Gary

    Rather have the stutz parked next to it.

    Like 0
  25. Avatar whiskey runner

    i like it..shows some real quality in the workmanship. and what imagination the builder had

    Like 5
  26. Avatar NotSure

    I thought for sure that there would be a fifth wheel under that rear cover-up thingy! Pull your camper from town to town….

    Like 3
    • Avatar Martin

      I spend a lot of time building cars and I look past my personal views to appreciate the level of work and creativity for some of these interesting builds. Good for this guy for seeing his dream on the road where it generates much more interest and discussion than a run of the mill late sixties land yacht.

      Like 7
  27. Avatar Tom S.

    Congrats to the builder. It took a tremendous amount of skill and resources to create this vehicle, and the finished product elicits very emotional responses as shown above. Job well done.

    Like 8
  28. Avatar Lance Nord

    Extra long hood…. 16 exhaust pipes…. I bet that Caddie has two V-8’s smuggled in there… The big question: I wonder how you open the hood? A whole lot of awesomeness there if it has two V-8’s, but I wonder why they did such a shoddy job on the rumble seat… it kind of looks like an afterthought…

    Like 3
  29. Avatar John

    Grotesque. Hit with an ugly stick doesn’t even come close.

    Like 0
  30. Avatar Cargirl

    I’m gonna pass. Not enough whitewall tires for me. More whitewalls!

    Like 4
  31. Avatar Raymond Hurst Member

    Everyone should be aware that mind altering drugs were very prevalent in the late 60’s and early 70’s. That being said; the quality of work seems outstanding.

    Like 4
  32. Avatar Rick

    All that I can say is WHY?

    Like 0
  33. Avatar DCulp

    Where’s Huggy Bear!? Put this next to Hutch’s Torino and we got somethin working!

    Like 1
  34. Avatar Robert

    I think this custom vehicle looks totally awesome. If I had the money I’d buy it. And yes I would drive it. Beautiful job. What a wild lookin ride

    Like 2
  35. Avatar David Lundquist Member

    There aren’t enough letters in the word “NO” to express the ‘no-ness’ of this … I’m sorry, words escape me so just NO.

    Like 0
  36. Avatar Grpufnstuf

    I was expecting that panel on the trunk to reveal a gooseneck/5wheel setup. It would explain the extra axle and maybe even the “double” v8 under the hood.

    But instead it’s just another precursor to the CTS-V…

    Like 1
  37. Avatar Ron Schweitzer Member

    I’m not a fan of this either, but I guess he had a right to do it. Actually, I’m in the last photo above. We went to that cruise night in Roselle. I had met the guy that owned it several years ago at another cruise night. At that time it was a pretty decent ’68 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. He was having trouble selling it for what he wanted. He said that if it didn’t sell soon he was going to customize it. I had no idea that this was his vision.

    Like 4
  38. Avatar KevinLee

    Reminds me of Lady Penelope’s car in the Thunderbirds.

    Like 1
  39. Avatar Jack Hammer

    I think they lengthened the front end so they could put another V8 in tandem with the original. 16 pipes.

    Like 0
  40. Avatar Bryan W Cohn

    Thus the problem with custom and customized cars: They all get built to one persons taste, idea, inspiration and the wilder those are usually means the harder to sell and even harder to find appreciation for down the line.

    I often wonder why a car like this is disparaged so much but by contrast George Barris creations for television are thought of as gods work? Are the cars of the Munster’s or the Monkee Mobile any less ridiculous? No, not a chance but they are revered while a guy in his garage who has obvious talents and similar crazy visions is thought of as a meth addicted hack.

    This is one of the things I HATE about the car culture in general, the hatred put forth about others ideas, vision and the lack of appreciation for the skill and talent involved in simply building cars let along custom cars.

    Like 5
    • Avatar the one

      Bryan, get a grip.

      Like 3
  41. Avatar Cargirl

    Wow Bryan W Cohn – this is the nicest bunch of dissenters I’ve ever had the pleasure of being part of. I’ve read the comments and was struck by how civil everyone was. I think you have us mixed up with another site where the comments can be so caustic they could remove a layer of paint from your car a thousand miles away.
    I tell everyone about Barn Finds and send the link to my client’s (car collector’s) all of the time because everyone is so civil on this site. It’s my favorite site!

    Like 3
  42. Avatar the one

    It’s kinda cool once you get used to it..

    Like 2
  43. Avatar Saul Member

    @Will Fox. I think you mean abhorrent or an apparition.

    Like 0
  44. Avatar Alexander Member

    It is all a matter of taste. Put this Caddy next to the stretched Cameo pickup from a few weeks ago. Or, how about this project done up in Starksky & Hutch livery?

    Like 1
    • Avatar DayDreamBeliever

      That Ranchero actually looks decently proportioned. Spotted hear where you live?

      Like 0
  45. Avatar Alexander Member

    The blue stretched “Ranchero” was spotted on Facebook marketplace in the southern Tennessee/Huntsville area about a month ago. I don’t remember the price or any other details. Saved the photo on my phone since it was such an oddity.

    Like 0
  46. Avatar Big Doc

    That is hands down the ugliest “car” I have seen.

    Like 0

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