Beautiful 1969 Jeep Gladiator With Cadillac Engine Sells – eBay Find

If “unique” describes your car buying habits, this eBay find was for you. The vehicle is a restored 1969 Jeep Gladiator 500 with zero miles on it powered by an engine used in an old Cadillac DeVille. Unique probably doesn’t even begin to describe it. Sadly, it just sold.

The Gladiator Survivor is really and truly a survivor. It was a barn find by a industrial research firm who had the notion of turning it into a company mascot vehicle. The company and seller says the vehicle was in amazing condition for its age with no rusts or dents, yet it was not running. They further cleaned it up with new tires, fresh paint and redid all the mechanical “without a budget or any cost consideration.” Wowza.

When doing the mechanical, they decided to pull a Cadillac engine from an old Deville which was installed prior to the death of the Deville’s owner. While the seller says it is unknown how many miles were on the engine, they put many new parts on it.

Sadly, the company changed their mind and didn’t get to finish the vehicle. With just a few needs like new ignition hardware, carb adjustment and overall tuning, it is going to a very lucky person’s home. We just wish we had bid on it.

If you haven’t heard of a Jeep Gladiator, you aren’t alone. Here is the seller’s description of the vehicle: “On many high end internet sites right now you will see an array of vintage Jeep station wagons that have been well preserved and selling for an average low of $40 k. It is feasible to consider the preservation of those rides because they were the choice high end commuter of that era to be pampered and garage kept for life.  However, all of the vintage Gladiator pick ups were loaded with a pallet of concrete bags, driven in the salt, sand, mud, had a snow plow welded onto them and were used for a tractor on the farm. When they were passed down to the hired hand, they were used for getting firewood from the hills until it finally died and was used for target practice. Those remains and their parts occasionally are posted for sale in fossilized form.”