ULTRA-RARE CADDY, NUT-&-BOLT RESTO, BUILT 500 V8, AUTO, R134 A/C, LOADED, A+++

Description

This 1976 Cadillac DeVille "Mirage" pickup is the result of one guy thinking that El Caminos are cool but just not luxurious enough. One of 200 built by Coach Works of Chatsworth, CA on behalf of Cadillac management, this particular Mirage was restored by the head of the Mirage Registry and is quite likely the finest one known to exist anywhere.This is a show car in almost every way, and once you see it up close, you'll be extremely impressed by not only the quality of the restoration, but the original build as well. This is not a home-made conversion, and it's not something put together on the fly at a custom shop; no, the brass at Cadillac made this happen and as a result, the finish quality is OEM throughout and the seamless blend of Cadillac Coupe DeVille styling and pickup truck utility is just beautifully done. It wears a fresh coat of deep Mercedes-Benz silver metallic paint, which looks about a hundred times better than anything they were spraying in the 1970s. It is appropriate on this big truck, er, car, giving it a luxurious look without being too flashy about it. But don't worry, if it's attention you crave, this sucker still delivers in a very big way. The integration of the pickup bed and coupe bodywork is neatly done and mostly camouflaged by a matching silver padded roof that retains the coupe's quarter windows. The bed is beautifully finished with more gorgeous paint work and stainless rub stripes, making it just too pretty to actually use it as a pickup ever again.Cadillac's luxurious interior is 100% intact here, with acres of bright red leather that's in awesome condition. It's all been restored and there are several modifications that not only add a custom look, but enhance the luxury experience. The dash is wrapped in matching red leather, eliminating the crack-prone original vinyl and there's now a full array of Dakota Digital gauges in the original speedometer panel. The factory tilt column is fitted with a billet steering wheel, but that's about it as far as mods. The rest is all Cadillac luxury and includes things like an upgraded Hydroboost braking system, power windows, locks, and seats, automatic climate control (ice cold!), and the original AM/FM/8-track stereo radio. Even the irreplaceable original red rubber floor mats are in excellent shape!Cadillac's monstrous 500 cubic inch V8 is prime for upgrades, and this big V8 makes about one horsepower per cubic inch thanks to a fresh rebuild totaling $8k+. It looks super clean sitting under those finned valve covers, and the most obvious upgrades are the intake manifold, carburetor, Davis ignition system, headers, and the upgraded A/C compressor. Inside there's a big camshaft that definitely makes itself known (no smooth Cadillac idle here!) and it moves all 5500 or so pounds of Mirage with the kind of authority usually reserved for muscle cars. The TH400 3-speed automatic transmission was suitably built to handle the big numbers coming out of the engine, but it's still running a set of 2.73 gears out back, so it will eat miles and miles of pavement without working very hard. The chassis is extremely clean and shows no major modifications beyond the dual exhaust system and the self-leveling rear suspension is very useful on a pickup. Recent chrome wire wheels are stylish on a Cadillac like this and are wrapped in 235/75/15 whitewall radials.With only 576 miles since the restoration, this is quite likely the finest of its kind anywhere. This very rare Mirage is cool in every way that matters. Call today!