I recently heard the term “meatball sundae” to describe two things that are great on their own, but unappetizing when mixed together. I think today’s car qualifies. Find this unholy mashup here on craigslist in Portland, Oregon. “Benzillac” sounds like medicine that would induce illness… Either way, you cannot unsee this car. Now, plenty of 1960 Caddys suffered a worse fate in the crusher, or got turned into man-cave furniture. And there’s nothing wrong with a nice 320SL convertible, except you don’t stand out in a crowd. Well, problem solved! Someone had a dream, and here it is. Kind of a mullet Batmobile: business up front, wings in the back. One thing is for sure, with 220K miles on it, the owner is not shy about driving their creation. At least they could have painted it classic Caddy pink. This yogurt-yellow-over-champagne palette is subdued, and there’s no need to be subtle when you’re screaming “LOOK AT ME”!
To be fair, the build quality does look excellent, and expensive. And this badge that was ordered on eBay, or pried off some grandma’s Buick, has never been more accurate. At least they don’t claim it’s “one of none”. I could feel more empathy for this project if it turned up for sale later in the summer. Because that means it was someone’s way of spending quarantine so they didn’t go mad. If you can’t leave the house, and all you have is a welder and these two cars, put the whiskey down and have at it. But this thing was professionally built some time ago, with intention.
Now you may say I’m being hard on someone’s labor of love, and I am. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I suspect that while the car is certainly… definitely… unfortunately real, the ad feels scammy to me. I’ve heard that since craigslist started charging $5.00 to post cars, the scam ads have disappeared, but the copy provides little more detail than “Most custom & fun car for the $’s. Best buy of today’s down cycle!” It’s devoid of any practical, useful, or entertaining information a buyer might want. Some of you are asking why? I am wondering who commissioned this project. A retired dry cleaner in a lavender mood? The multi-level marketing champion of Multnomah county? The Count from Sesame Street?
What do you think: thumbs up or thumbs down. Would you rock this Benzillac… and would you wear a cape while doing it?
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