Some people like to do some strange things. That’s pretty evident with what we have here today.
CarScoops picked up on this 2001 Chevrolet Silverado for sale on Craigslist, except, it’s not all Silverado. The current owner has gone through a tremendous amount of trouble to create this Silverado-turned Escalade… thing.
The front clip from 2012 Cadillac Escalade has been placed at the front, while the rear receives some sort of strange bumper and taillight treatment, complete with Cadillac badging at the rear, too. Inside, woodgrain accents help it feel more Caddy-like.
The strangest piece? Headrest-mounted DVD screens. As in, the screens are facing the windshield, literally behind your head. What use those bring, we don’t know.
The seller is looking to part ways with the chop-up for $14,900. All we ask is, why not an Escalade EXT?
Comments
I would like to see this done to an Avalanche and have all the plastic body cladding chromed-out somehow.
“The strangest piece? Headrest-mounted DVD screens. As in, the screens are facing the windshield, literally behind your head. What use those bring, we don’t know.”
Not sure why you think that – the pictures clearly show the screens are mounted on the back of the headrests. You could sit in the bed and watch your collection of Pimp My Ride dvds.
Not really new ground here. If you would look to the custom truck part sites you can buy these kits to convert the Cadillac over to a Chevy truck. Many have been done over the years. Some folks just go to the bone years and get the parts too.
I think they started doing this back when Cadillac first offered an SUV as I have seen these years ago.
The Screens are just on the seats like factory facing back. This is a Cadillac seat just adapted to a standard cab truck. I may be hard to get them with out screens. Some times you have to work with what you have. They also may be viewed from the bed. I know many trucks have bed mounted Flat Screens too for tailgating.
A Chevy with lipstick and a Caddy symbol? $14K is a bargain, GM routinely asks for $70k all the time for doing basically the same thing.
Cadillac should offer this as the Cadillac of trucks! Of course more hp and torque than any other brand and 10 speed Trans. There is definitely buyers for such a top of the line beast!
Lincoln tried it and that failed miserably. They sold maybe less of them than Cadillac did the ELR.
The Escalade EXT was profitable, the Mark LT did outsell the ELR. In fact, it was so popular in Mexico that Lincoln continued to sell it down there, long after it was discontinued in the United States.
I think the ultra-premium truck market is a missed opportunity. With gas cheap, cars like Avalanche and Escalade EXT are going to be in more demand.
This isn’t the first Cadillac swap by the way, it does point out that you can get better GM parts in your Chevy/Pontiac by doing some part swaps.
It is not missed as Chevy has a version, GMC has a Denali tat is pushing $80K already and Ford has a very high buck King Ranch.
These are mostly half tons but can be had in larger models and those can approach and go over $100K now.
The EXT was a different deal and there is no more platform to support it right now. The Mark LT????? Sure it out sold the ELR but so did the Yugo and many other failures. Remember the Edsel?
You might be surprised to hear that the Mark LT was so popular in Mexico, they actually did a facelift of it… after the USA version was discontinued. It added the “gaping whale” grille (Bob Lutz’s words, not mine).
It could be a lot worse. It could be a totally stock Lincoln Blackwood ha ha.
I miss my Avalanche. Ram Box with drain hole? Avalanche in 2002. Steps mounted in bumper corner on 2014+ GM trucks? Avalanche in 2002. Tent accessory was mint and used often. Cladding preventing those door dings and branch scratches off road, and that front end of the cladded versions (only) are only now, again 15 years later, is GM’s trucks look as good on the front end as that. Nevermind the fantastic midgate and removable rear window.
Always yearned for an EXT back then, but it didn’t have some of those things that made the Avalanche that much more unique.