The latest self starter has a great article on the "cowboy Cadillacs" (read pick up conversions) of the 70's. They have included the"Paris" conversions of the 77-79 Coupes by American Custom Coachworks of Beverly Hills CA.
My search for a reasonable (cost and condition) Mirage turned up fruitless and the opportunity to buy my "Paris" was too good to pass up. I understand they originally made 200 (number seems to be disputable). I wonder how many of the members out there actually (still) have one of these and how many are still in existence.
Mine is still awaiting an interior finis, but with a MTS #5 cam-ed 9:1 compression 472 it is quite a performer. Went through the drive train, the suspension, the fuel system (all new) and just about everything else and only have about 3 Billion dollars in it, but it is really a great car and IMHO a keeper.
Again, if you have one of these please chime in.
Greg Surfas
Just curious. 76 views and not a single comment. Is it that either; 1. There is no interest in these conversions, or 2. There are none of them left out there, or 3. No one wants to talk to me.
Greg Surfas
Greg, I know the feeling, once upon a time everyone asked why I like those 20 foot long, poor handling, gas guzzling, poorly put together, bloated boat. Commonly called 1975-1976 full size Cadillac's. However, now every now and then I get a thumbs up as I am cruising around the greater DC area. I for one would love to have a Mirage, in fact I have been looking for one for years. However, sense most of the 203 produced were sold on the left coast there are very few that made it east. And now the prices are starting to get really high for the survivors. I really like your 77-79 Paris and there was a really nice 73 example that belonged to a CLC member for sale in Florida earlier this year. Just think you have the advantage of most likely being the only one at your regional CLC shows... Makes it stand out... :) Best, Lynn
Quote from: "Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364 on November 03, 2016, 08:59:44 AM
Just curious. 76 views and not a single comment. Is it that either; 1. There is no interest in these conversions, or 2. There are none of them left out there, or 3. No one wants to talk to me.
Greg Surfas
I wouldn't read too much into it and these cars probably appeal to a select audience.
FWIW - Recently I began a thread on what appears to be a near-pristine 1980 Coupe deVille d'Elegance that had been sold for little more than pocket change - which garnered responses from just two individuals. So who knows. ???
Ok here you go get white walls and get rid of the chevy rally wheels
"I really like your 77-79 Paris and there was a really nice 73 example that belonged to a CLC member for sale in Florida earlier this year."
;D Greg's Paris is a real find and far more rare than a Mirage or Caribou. I enjoyed showing my Caribou while I owned it but many people, even those whom I thought would know better, called it an "old flower car" which used to irk the hell out of me. I spent a lot of time educating people that the car was a purpose built El Camino style Cadillac. Caribou Motors factory sales brochures and information helped a lot. Also used to hear, "WOW, I never knew Cadillac built those!" But, it opened a lot of enjoyable conversations with different people which is part of what I enjoy about car shows.
Certainly is a limited market for that kind of "car", it took me nearly a year to sell it. But I wasn't going to sell cheap a pretty much fully restored beauty that won a CLC Grand National 1st place award in class. Fortunately I had the time and wasn't desperate.
Geoff,
With all the time I have in my "black walled/chevy ((pick-up)) wheeled" Paris I think I am going to be buried in it.
Thanks for the responses all.
I am also wondering if the Self Starter article was of interest to those out there.
Greg Surfas
I was certainly buried in mine! But that's the way it is when you restore something that needs a lot. What I got for mine was less than half what I had in it --- we do this for love --- right!?
Haven't seen the Self-Starter article yet, probably in the pile of magazines I haven't (as a retiree) had time to read yet.
Quote from: 35-709 on November 03, 2016, 02:12:41 PM
I was certainly buried in mine! But that's the way it is when you restore something that needs a lot. What I got for mine was less than half what I had in it --- we do this for love --- right!?
Haven't seen the Self-Starter article yet, probably in the pile of magazines I haven't (as a retiree) had time to read yet.
Don't tell my wife that!
Those are interesting, so there are 1973, 75-76 and 77-79 versions of this. One of my region's members has a 75-76 (can't remember the year) Mirage. off white, immaculate.
The Mirage, Paris, and the Caribou were all built by different companies. Mirage was built by American Coachworks for 2 or 3 years in the middle '70s, they also built Cadillac station wagons.
Caribou Motors started doing pickup conversions from Cadillac Coupes back in the mid-'50s, I believe, up until a fire completely destroyed their plant in 1985. They also built a few from Eldorados in the '70s, and a few from Lincoln coupes they called the Colona. Oldest Cadillac conversion from Caribou Motors that I have seen was a '65 or '66.
A Lincoln Colona pictured, if I may be allowed. ;D
Wouldda' done Jock Ewing proud!
(https://forums.cadillaclasalle.club/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.cadillaclasalleclub.org%2Findex.php%3Faction%3Ddlattach%3Btopic%3D143128.0%3Battach%3D95227%3Bimage&hash=a495ee019dce2208e9f3d96297bca470b2ed74c6)
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Here's my '75 Caribou. I guess it belongs in the "modified modified" class as I've changed out the fiberglass bed and also done some engine work.
Was waiting to comment until after I read the article.....but I still have not received the magazine. So in the absence of the articles contents here are my thoughts:
Whether a Paris, Caribou, Castillian, or Mirage, these all fall into the same three categories of "like" as every other vehicle....people LOVE them, HATE them, or simply WALK ON BY them.
They are ALL custom bodies just like Hearses were as well as Flower Cars, and Ambulances.
The ONLY FACTORY AUTHORIZED pick-up and station wagon, however, were the Mirage and Castillian. These were ordered by the customers at the Cadillac Dealer along with their order for either a new Coupe DeVille or Fleetwood. The NEW car would be shipped direct from Cadillac to American Coachworks in CA. The conversions were done with either GM factory parts OR Cadillac Quality parts and paints. Then the car was shipped to the Cadillac local Dealership where the customer would take delivery FROM Cadillac for the first time. This delivery sequence was key and kept the original factory warranties fully in force since it was Factory Authorized. A different process then with the Caribou or Paris.
I LOVE ALL of them and applaud those owning and restoring them too as there does seem to be more cynics than supporters of these rides. I for one certainly love the comments that come along with any outing in my Mirage. Especially the outings where Im (carefully) using it as a pick up truck!!!
Happy trucking!!!!
Jeff
I would love to get my hands on one of these.
Brian
I would still like to know how many of each of these "breeds" are still out there. Any current owners?
Greg Surfas
I think they are really neat just like the wagons but the very few that have been for sale around me have either been in decent shape so too expensive for me or so bad that you could barely drive them. I did come close to buying one a few years ago but it was actually a poorly converted flower car. The overall structure was solid but it was far from pretty.
This was for sale several years ago but went for a lot more than I had. Does anyone know who made it?
(https://forums.cadillaclasalle.club/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi148.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fs35%2F73eldo%2FCadillac%2FElomino1.jpg&hash=a698aa9c9c2792438d0060814912d9c544cfd48d) (http://s148.photobucket.com/user/73eldo/media/Cadillac/Elomino1.jpg.html)
(https://forums.cadillaclasalle.club/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi148.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fs35%2F73eldo%2FCadillac%2Feldomino3.jpg&hash=c326145df71a3cd2eda6995f07d9c4730c94397a) (http://s148.photobucket.com/user/73eldo/media/Cadillac/eldomino3.jpg.html)
TJ
If it was one of the three (Mirage, Paris or Caribou) it would have had the Coachwork's lable on it. What this appears to be is an El camino with Cadillac front end sheet metal. Seen a few of those made up.
Greg Surfas
Quote from: "Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364 on November 05, 2016, 10:52:34 AM
TJ
If it was one of the three (Mirage, Paris or Caribou) it would have had the Coachwork's lable on it. What this appears to be is an El camino with Cadillac front end sheet metal. Seen a few of those made up.
Greg Surfas
The interior and dash was El Camino then?
I didn't go look at it but I'm pretty sure it was advertised as FWD so I would think it was more Eldo than Elky. I never thought of the possibility of putting Cad sheet metal on a Chev. Was the hood that long on the Chev?
Eric/TJ,
There seems to have been several variations on the theme. The bed and tailgate (from what I can see on the photo) seem to be El Camino. The two variants have been splicing El Camino beds on Cadillac frames to Cadillac front sheet metal, and the easiest was to take an El Camino (El Camino dash/interior) and splice Cadillac front sheet metal to it. A whole lot of options available to someone who wants to do this, but seemingly is no less extensive than the original concept of taking a Cadillac and building a bed and tail gate. Tailgates were typically built out of the Cadillac trunks since the rear quarter sections were Cadillac.
Still want to hear from anyone who actually (today) has one of the conversions.
Greg Surfas
Def not ElCaminos with caddy fronts.
Caddys with ElCamino beds sounds more plausible.
Sign me up for an Eldo Camino.
Brian
Greg, owners of which conversions are you looking for? Paris, Caribou, or Mirage owners?
Jeff
Yes Jeff. The "big three"
Greg
Quote from: 76eldo on November 05, 2016, 12:42:14 PMSign me up for an Eldo Camino.
What if those people met up with American Sunroof? An Eldomino convertible?
Like this Mirage TJ?
Jeff
Jeff,
Is that sun roof fixed?
Greg Surfas
Greg, they are actually T-Tops!!! I saw one other with T-Tops also but cant locate the photo.
Jeff
Cool stuff.
So what sort of person bought these? Presumably it was people that at least occasionally were going to haul something? But wanted to do it in style? Or is it like many truck owners especially more recently where they just liked the look of a truck but never hauled anything?
Red Adair, the oil well firefighter had one or more, believe he had some for his higher echelon people. Successful construction company owners, gentleman farmers, people with enough money that wanted an El Camino but didn't want a mere Chevrolet. The conversion more or less doubled the price of the Coupe deVille. Evel Knievel had one (or two) set up to carry a Harley which is now in a museum in Branson, Missouri. Aaand people who just like to have different cars, er, trucks --- like me.
While I had my Caribou I toted a '62 Cadillac engine from Dan LeBlanc from upstate New York to Florida, drove to Connecticut from Florida to pick up and trailer back the Mark 5 Jaguar Saloon I am working on for my wife, etc. I used it (carefully) with no damage to the bed, as a truck and daily driver.
T-tops must have been installed after the car was delivered to the customer. They essentially destroy any structural integrity of the roof structure and as such would not have been approved by the manufacturer.
TJ, Although they are HIGHLY desirable today, I have to believe the corporate "Guru" that came up with the idea ended his career with it. I remember that there were two Mirages on the showroom floor and one in the storage building for almost a year at Lou Ehlers Cadillac in Los Angeles in 1976. The car-to-truck concept began with the model T, so that was not new. Aside from the egocentric who once the conversion was available to the public no longer though they were "cool", this was a time of gasoline shortages an a descending economy, which accounts for the limited production and not being continued into future year models (via the factory's blessings).
Greg Surfas
Now this is a one off but it is another pick up conversion.....
Jeff
Quote from: "Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364 on November 06, 2016, 11:32:06 AM
The car-to-truck concept began with the model T, so that was not new. Greg Surfas
Yes, there were vehicles with a separate passenger and cargo construction but the car to truck version as shown with the Cadillacs was put into practice here in Australia, when the wife of a Farmer wrote a letter to the Australian Ford Factory, wanting a vehicle that could go to church on Sunday, and carry the pigs to market on a monday.
This eventually came out as the worlds' first Coupe/Utility vehicle, or Ute, as we call them, where a Coupe body was cut off behind the rear window, and the side paneling extended to the rear of the chassis, creating a carrying area.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_(vehicle)
Lou Brandt was the designer, and it appeared in 1934, and was a roaring success, and the last combined Ford Ute was built in 1998, when in 1999 they separated the body from the back, as in the USA Pick-up style.
GM in Australia is still building the "Ute", but the last one will appear when we stop production of the Commodore in 2017, ending a long history of Aussie built and designed vehicles.
Bruce. >:D
Besides Jeff,
Any current owners?
Greg Surfas
The mystery seems to be solved as to why there aren't more posts on these cars.
I just got my 2017 membership directory and according to it there are only six 75-76 Mirages registered with the CLC and apparently I am the only one with the "Paris" conversion.
Greg Surfas
Quote from: gross707 on November 04, 2016, 07:44:56 AM
Here's my '75 Caribou. I guess it belongs in the "modified modified" class as I've changed out the fiberglass bed and also done some engine work.
I don't remember the year, probably 1974/75 time, because I was still in high school, my Dad and I pulled into a local gas station to fill up. There was a red Cadillac 'pickup' in the lane next to us, much like the one you have here. My Dad and came over to get a closer look, and I commented that it looked pretty cool. The driver thanked us, and said his company had these for the company cars. He had a sign on the side of the door:
Red Adair Oil Well Blowout Control Services
We were talking to The Man! Very nice conversation. He and my Dad were Cadillac guys, and I was just enjoying the 'car talk'.
VERY COOL story!!! Thanks for sharing it.
Jeff
Jeff do you know the owner of the gold Mirage you posted a picture of? There was one here for sale exactly like that on Craigslist a few years ago for I think 13.5k. It seems the Caribou was offered after 1979 but I have never seen one, does anyone have pictures? Looking at the literature picture on page 25 of the self starter, they should have done something different with that roof line.