Cadillac Mirage Truck: Why it Was Only Around for Two Years.
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- Опубликовано: 12 янв 2024
- RARE! 1976 Cadillac Mirage Sports Wagons. Less than 200 produced!
If you enjoyed driving an El Camino back in the day and got a major raise at work and wanted something much better, you'd buy a Cadillac Mirage. Chances are, your raise at work wouldn't cut it. 
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I have seen two Mirages, both being used...by funeral homes to transport flowers from the funeral home to the cemetery for graveside services. They seemed perfectly suited to the task, and turned heads as they went by. Back then I wanted one, but outside of those two sightings never saw another.
Yeah...Didn't mention flower car name. Too morbid
Same here i had wanted one when i saw one in mid 80's in Scranton Pa. Was also used as a flower car. I opted to ride in that instead of the Limo for the family. They said people were always asking to buy it.
I saw a 2005 Cadillac model, funeral flower car, as a security guard. My partner and I were blown away by the extreme luxury, and the high tech advancements. We spent a good 20 minutes in conversation with the driver, and frankly, all of us were of advanced age. We discussed what to do with one, 30 years ago. Ideas like surfboard racks, to converting the bed into a lounging pool, or a hot tub, in winter conditions, for would-be polar bears.
By adding the bed or turning it into a wagon you push it closer to being an almost perfect combo of everything that can be done with a vehicle. You have the best "Minivan" ever made, you have a muscle car, a Luxury car, a light duty work truck and it can do everything that a two seater can't. Like with the last V-series Caddie wagon, you can seat six comfortably, and hunt down Corvettes to humiliate. Richard. @@markcollins2666
Yeah, I’ve seen Packard flower cars from the 1950’s.
I didn’t even know this car/truck ever existed. I knew I wasn’t losing my mind when I saw one of these in The Blues Brothers.
There was a stigma against a Cadillac station wagon or pickup back in those days: proposed station wagons looked like hearses and proposed pickups looked like flower cars! A production Cadillac was always a coupe, a convertible or a sedan, and those two other body styles were custom coachworks for funeral homes.
Obviously times have changed: following the rise of Cadillac SUVs, I've actually seen a couple of Cadillacs with snow plows mounted on the front!
The Cadillac Caribou was the same thing as the Mirage but built by a different couch builder. They were pretty much the same vehicle. I really like these trucks, and if you can get one that used to be a flower car for a funeral home, they have a fairly good hauling GVW considering the platform they were based on.
Swing low, sweet Cadillax🎶
Definitely for someone who wants something different. Nice to see the Brat show up, it was a cool little Subie.
I am a HUGE caddie fan and a humongous el comino fan now seeing this I’m star struck
Me too, keep in mind that these were custom built and never were RPO. That's why you've never seen one. They are much rarer than COPO Camaro's, HEMI Darts, or 427 Mustang Cobra's.
Catalino
I know an old friend who still owns two of those Cadillac trucks. The very first time he showed me the trucks, I was blown away because I never knew Cadillac made trucks.They're still in great condition because they are kept in a garage but still driven a few times in the summer. one is black in color with red cloth interior with the gold package aka gold colored lettering. And the other on is silver in color with gray colored leather plush interior.
Yowser, that black and red would look wild with tubbed rear, street slicks , headers into sidepipes cowl induction and some 59 fins molded on. is it for sale ?
Realtor in South Pasadena had one had a 515 big block in it was insanely fast
Cady didn't make them. As stated in the video, these were all put together by outside coach builders, not GM.
WHAT!!! It's Caddy's version of the El Camino!!! ❤🎉
Mirage!
Speaking of Flower Cars! The Cadillac Mirage was never meant to be a “Flower Car” for 1975-1976! The Mirage was Cadillac’s idea of a sporty luxury pickup truck for the person who wanted a light duty pickup truck but didn’t want to drive a Chevrolet El Camino! So Gene Winfield was given the task of creating a Cadillac Pickup that doesn’t look like a “Flower Car” or an El Camino! The Cadillac Mirage was the answer! Some came with a extra door on the passenger side use to store golf clubs. One more thing that’s a 1st for Cadillac was in the pickup bed. There’s a lockable storage compartment. Honda Ridgeline claimed to be the first. Apparently they didn’t know about the Cadillac Mirage! But still such a unique Cadillac! Only about 204 were made. Rarely do the come up for sale! If you find one buy it!
I used to see Evil Knievel in his Caddy pickup often. He used to eat dinner every Sunday as the same place I took my Mom to. This was when he was working for a sporting goods company as a golf rep.
The famous daredevil, Evel Knievel, had a coupe-utility made out of a Rolls-Royce. I remember seeing it parked outside the Universal Sheraton hotel when I was a teenager.
He also had one of these Cadillac pickups.
My wife and I were visiting Las Vegas years ago and saw a Rolls-Royce that had been converted into a pickup truck. It looked nice and all the work was first rate.
Rolls Royce was really good at custom work. They truly built one of a kind vehicles for customers.
I've never heard or seen this ute before. Thank you for showing this. I'd love to see a more in depth video about TCW. Growing up in the 80s in the Mid West. I know about American Sunroof Company (ASC) so I'd love to learn more what other projects they worked on with the automakers.
Quite interesting. I saw photos of these cars years ago. I do appreciate the background information and the other facts you shared. I knew GM did not officially sanction these models, but it is interesting they were sold. Cadillac years later officially got a wagon. It was the CTS wagon. I do appreciate this video. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it. Yes...The CTS!
Now I know why Australia has always been so big on the car/trucks out there. Cool. :)
The Deniliquin ute muster is like a pilgrimage. Good onya mate
You know, I thought that I was crazy seeing an El Camino with a Cadillac badge parked at a repair shop. Thanks for this video!
Glad you enjoyed it
00:30 while the Lincoln Blackwood was only a single model year (2001-2002), it was then followed by the Lincoln Mark LT (2005-2006), which was also based on the F-150 & also a commercial failure, unlike the Cadillac Escalade EXT (2001-2013)
YUP....
Funeral homes used them as "flower wagons" to transport flowers to the gravesight!
Not really, flower cars are produced by coach builders who build hearse cars and aren’t a pick up at all. The rear end is raised so flowers can be seen during the per session and a casket can be carried underneath out of sight. That gave funeral homes an extra car to pick up bodies or empty caskets with.
A topless hearse!
Nope, cowtowncustoms is right, seen one in Montreal doing just that very thing around 1974.
Mostly sold and used as truck/utility vehicles. I might have shown a picture of a flower car. I did not mention Flower Car. Too morbid. Thanks for watching everyone. I really appreciate it.
@@wallymurray620probably cheaper than a real flower car, plus they could easily use it as their regular car.
I'm in California and never saw a flower car, I've seen station wagons and vans used for flowers
The mirage and the wagon are beautiful, I'd love to own either one
Pleasantly surprised to see that Gene Winfield was involved in this. He is an OG in the custom car scene. He did several movie and television cars as well.
Id love one, and a 64 flower car too to match my 64 sedan and 94 fleetwood!
I drive past a small repair shop everyday on my way to work, I see one of these Cadillac Mirages there occasionally and had no idea of it's purpose and history. Next time I see it, I might have to stop and take some pics. Thanks for the video!
I’ve seen many flower wagons in funeral processions. However, one winter morning on my way to work, a Cadillac pulled up next to me at a stoplight. Not only was it a flower wagon, but it was four-wheel drive and about 2 feet off the ground! A Monster Cadillac!👍
Elvis had a station wagon built by American Sunroof Co. In 1974
Yes.
I remember seeing both truck and wagon on the streets of Hollywood CA as a teen. A little off subject but I’m happy to see a type of comeback with the Maverick, and much anticipated Toyota Stout (which I would love to buy) thank you for remembering these rare vehicles
In my hometown, guys used to make trucks out of Cadillacs because they were cheaper than trucks but almost the same size. The bulkheads would be plywood with whatever window they had on hand for it. I'd see them rolling down the road with a small John boat hanging out the back, going to their local fishing hole. This was way back in the 70s to early 80s in a very small rural town in SC.
Very entertaining and fun to watch. Thanks for posting this.
I’d like to have a Cadillac Mirage truck. It would definitely be different.
Growing up in Fresno, California in the 80’s there was a business owner in the downtown area that had one of the Cadillac Mirages and I thought it was so cool to have something so unique
Lincoln also had the mark lt in the late 2000
When I saw the thumbnail for the video I thought it was a normal flower car. The difference between this factory pickup and a flower car is the length of the bed. Flower cars were generally longer, similar in length to a hearse.
A gentleman named Carl Green also used to manufacture the Cadillac El Caminos back in the 70's or 80's. Very knowledgeable man, and friendly also. His business was called Carl Green Enterprises, but he might have had a relationship with the company in the video, they were possibly the same cars.
probably for similar reasons as the Lincoln Blackwood in 2002 when 3,356 of those were built while 31,000 Navigators were sold that model year
You missed a LOT , there were many built by several company’s. Mostly as flower cars to match the hearses at funeral parlors. My cousin had half a dozen of them from the 50s 60s and 70s. Side note, the company you championed here also built the ‘San Remo Ultima’ perhaps the only car ever named after a condom.
Yup but this was only on the Mirage. Thank you for watching!!!
Mirage...."Flower Carrier for Funerals". I've owned and '86 El Camino...(mild custom) nice looking one for 20 some years...and I even have a love / hate relationship with it. Also...funny to hear 200hp from 500ci. We all know of cars with 200hp from 1.5 L (90 ci). Thanks for the reminder that we have made progress!
Great video once again!
Thank you!!!
You know, myself working in the service department of a Cadillac dealership, a few of these cars came in our shop. I was told that the Mirages were built for the funeral industry as flower cars. A couple which came in had clear plexiglass above the rails on the sides of the open bed. We also had some wealthy farmers in our area of California and they liked the cadillac Mirages also. Ofcourse they didn't have the clear plexiglass sides, but some had rails like you might have for on the GMC Gentleman Jim pick-ups around the same time.
As far as those Cadillac Estate wagons went, the ones we saw looked like they grafted the roof and rear tailgate from an Olds full-size Vista Cruiser. They had the raised roof section which had those tinted glass panels also like the Olds. The tailgate was like the other full-size GM wagons, where the glass disappeared into the rear roof and the tailgate disappeared into the rear floor. To me, the Estate wagon looked like someone had grafted a Cadillac front clip onto a Vista cruiser wagon. On closer inspection, these were all-Cadillac, except for the roof and tailgate. They told me at Cadillac that they were legitimate conversions and could be ordered.
Cadillac had the Fleetwood 75 factory limos for decades, but due to their cost, they weren't very popular. One of the parts department guys, who had come from a Cadillac dealership which sold Armbruster stretched limos, they were originally Fleetwood sedans. He told me that a stretched limo conversion cost about the same as a Fleetwood 75 factory limo.
Sedan based pickups were introduced into the US market by Hudson in 1946, not by Ford in 1957. Called the Hudson Super Six Pickup.
I love it!!! Love the station wagon too..... And this music is from the ECW wrestling you shoot series which is the best part LoL 😂😂😂
My dad was a rancher and dairy man in Central California and always talked about getting one of these but he couldn’t find one so he just got a Fleetwood and put all his tools in the back of the trunk and we use that for his pick up for irrigating and for fixing fence he loved it
Hey Guys just want to say thanks for the shout out. 👍👍👍👍 Was a great posting enjoyed it, and learned some things in it too.
Thanks again 😁😎🍻✌️👋
Thanks for the Super Thanks Kyle. Yup...the shout out was to you man. I was telling my family how I told you that I did not think there would be enough views on the Mirage. 80k views and growing. I needed that! Boy was I wrong! Me and my brother parted ways and since this is my channel, we decided just spit amicably. I'm also thinking about changing the channel name. Thanks Kyle!
Back in the mid 70’s my parents had a blue Sedan De Ville with a white vinyl top and white interior. I occasionally was able to take dates out in that beast.
I'll take a station wagon please.
Same here! lol
Every time I see one of those I think of The Blues Brothers as Cab Calloway drove one when he was helping the kids pass out flyers for their concert. Very cool looking car. When you want an El Camino but with style. :)
The Cab Callaway Cadillac was a much older flower car from a funeral home . It's easy to tell them apart as flower cars have all five doors of a hearse . The rear doors have had the top section removed during the conversion process .
@@bobbrinkerhoff3592 Like I said, they remind me of it. That was the first time I remember seeing one and thought it was an awesome thing. :) A Caddy truck. :)
They were certainly different. I don't think the Castilian Wagon came with rear facing seats. That be cool!
I just saw one of these in the blues brothers and I thought it might be a bespoke build. Super cool!
Cadillac based vehicles of this kind were actually seen in most towns and cities across the US for a long time. They weren't usually used as personal vehicles; they were used by funeral homes. They were called generically (regardless of who built them) "Flower Cars" and were used to carry the floral arrangements in funeral processions.
Damn! I never even heard of the Cadillac Mirage. It's basically a high-end revival of the iconic El Camino.
John Ascauga the late owner of the Nugget Casino had a Mirage that was silver. He used to buy gasoline at a store I worked at in Sparks Nevada when I was a teenager. Small in stature but large in life Ascauga was a good man with a great personality.
Subbed! And thanks for the automotive history lesson.
The OG extended cab 🛻
Mr. B. Here ! 👀😎👍🍸 Ok ! GM 4 door frames was the perfect plate form and yes 1/4 ton light dusty pick-up ! These vehicles were very cool ! 🍸👀😎👍
I recall seeing one of these Mirages here, schlepping around South Florida back then, but haven't seen it for many years now.
I've never heard or seen these - this is pretty awesome.
In the mid 70s,just after my uncle had died,my family and his went on a vacation to the Dakotas and Montana. I believe it was in Butte that one of those vehicles pulled up beside our car,it was white,with a Harley XR750 in the back. As a 13 year old motorcycle rider,I freaked out when it was Evel Kneivel at the wheel! That’s a trip I’ve never forgotten and I wish I could have met the man, who was my hero back then.
Interesting, thanks for posting.
Thanks for watching!
Never heard of them, much less seen one. Now I want one.
great video!
Knievel also had one of the Station Wagons. His Red Caddy PU can be seen at the Evel Knievel Museum in Topeka Ks (Historic Harley Davidson)
Ihad a 1975 Sedan De Ville (in the late 1980s, so it was rather past its prime.) I indulged in considerable thought experiments on how to achieve a similar "ute" from the sedan. The rear doors would have required welding, but the shorter front door was still perfecly adequate for access. Lack of any suitable facilities and skills precluded any realisation, but the thoughts were fun.
Well I'm undertaking converting a 4 door Hyundai Pony into a 2 door pickup later this year. Hyundai did actually make them this way so it's not undoable.
Very cool 🤙 I have seen these in tge late 70's body too
Utes are so cool! Chevy El Camino, Ford Ranchero, even the Chevy SSR! This Caddy is not exception.
Love that Cadillac Truck. Lovely ♥
The Cadillac even had a compartment on the side for golf clubs back in the 70s , it was made in California and was spld via Cadillac dealers. Back in the 90s i used to see a man driving one built from a 78-79 DeVille around my area
That hood needs to be just a touch longer then it can double as a landing strip for 777’s.
The Blackwood was just ahead of its time now most truck sales are luxury trucks.
Never heard of this one. Cool!
There used to be an English company called Lynx who woud turn your Jag XJS into a "shooting brake", ie station wagon. They made a pretty fine fist of it too.
Ever see the Jaguar hearse in the movie Harold And Maude?
I'd forgotten that one! I seem to remember it was an E-Type?@@dr.burtgummerfan439
Im not a caddy guy but the Caddilac truck looks kickass.
That being said I Especially love the Ford Utility Coupe based on the Model A, id LOVE to own a modernized one.
I know an old boy who converted one into a 4x4 in the late 70's, way cool.
Great show guys. Loved it. I sent you a special gift to help out the channel.
Got it brotha! Thank you!!!!
I had a Ford Falcon ute 1963 model, my first road registered vehicle nearly 60 years ago. Great vehicle, though I must admit I scared the crap out of myself a couple of times learning what not to do when driving. My uncle Joe gave it to me God bless him.
There’s one of these around the corner from my house, sitting in a guys yard partially covered up with a tarp. I always thought it was a one off custom. I wonder what these are worth now.
In mid 70's a local rich guy offered me his late 60s Caddy he sent from the dealer to a shop to change it to Camino, that shop had done more of them. It had 85K miles, very good condition except for cracks starting at the B pillars. Altered elephants are gonna have some problems.
I knew a Doctor that had one, that was 1978. It was the Cowboy Cadillac to go with the boot scooting boogie heyday.
I saw one of the Hot Rod magizines feature one of these made from an Eldorado.
Mike Salta Pontiac in Long Beach, CA used to have a Cadillac PU and station wagon in their showroom in the ‘60s, as I recall. Don’t remember how many years they did that.
My friend's mom got a Blackwood and she never wanted anything else after that.
The Cadillac Maroge is awesome!
True for most part this type of Cadillac where mainly flower cars! However when one has more money than God, a Coach builder can perform miracles for the right customer! Cool video will keep an eye out for your future ones.😊
With that wagon, it looks so obvious that they sported it up with the rear hatch on that angle so people wouldn't confuse it for a hearse.
I can see an Oil Tycoon with the Mirage and Bull Horns on the front
Cadillac made flower cars for years.I believe they were sub-contracted to outside coach builders . I ran onto 2 late 80s eldorados flower cars at auburn auto auction a few yrs ago, cool cars .!
There was a man that owned a auto parts store in Kankakee Illinois that had one of the caddies.
There was also a GMC Sprint that was also built for only 2 years. El Camino lookalike
The Sprint came out in 1971 and ran thru 1987 under various names after the 1978 downsizing .
I saw one of these new at Bostick Motor Co, El Reno, OK. Seems like it was there quite awhile before it sold.
I'd take the Castillian wagon. Would be awesome & practical all at the same time.
Cadillac Mirage! Speaking of Flower Cars! The Cadillac Mirage was never meant to be a “Flower Car” for 1975-1976! The Mirage was Cadillac’s idea of a sporty luxury pickup truck for the person who wanted a light duty pickup truck but didn’t want to drive a Chevrolet El Camino! So Gene Winfield was given the task of creating a Cadillac Pickup that doesn’t look like a “Flower Car” or an El Camino! The Cadillac Mirage was the answer! Some came with a extra door on the passenger side use to store golf clubs. One more thing that’s a 1st for Cadillac was in the pickup bed. There’s a lockable storage compartment. Honda Ridgeline claimed to be the first. Apparently they didn’t know about the Cadillac Mirage! But still such a unique Cadillac! Only about 204 were made. Rarely do the come up for sale! If you find one buy it! Cadillac! The standard of the world!
If you ever want to see a gorgeous Caddy "pickup, check out the 1950's.s era black one in the film "Alice's Restaurant".
Alice Doesn't Live here Anymore?
Yes! Beautiful
The mob could put more bodys in the back .😮
All that Cadillac variant needed was a Texas Long Horn rack on the hood.
Would have been fitting for a cattle rancher baron or even Ben Cartwright on the Ponderosa.
I never knew this. This must've been the lightest curb weight Cadillac around at the time. Yet with a big block, 500 CID V8, the incremental mpg increase was marginal compared to a large sedan version, like a Fleetwood 75, unless... someone ordered a 2.73 rear and was a very good driver. Nonetheless, I'm sure this car could move!
But weren't these front wheel drive?
Considering the power behind most Cadillacs it seems like a good idea 😂
I'd just like to say; Great inspiration 🤔 This kind of conversions/specials would really suit the Veeery Rich of today as a Glove. Set up shop in Dubai and we'll see Bentaygas Purosangues et al pickup conversions as THE new Black 🤩 Interesting topic for us Photoshoppers to play around with in as a starter...
I've never seen one of these at a car show or on the road, but I have seen plenty of older Cadillacs with the rear portion cut off and a truck bed added. The most commonly seen was a '57 Cadillac with a Chevy bed. My friends and I called it a Chevrollac. It was no thing of beauty to say the least.
Lincoln blackwoods are actually pretty nice in hindsight it would be cool to pimp one out like a late 90s early 00s navigator, 24 in rims, slightly lifted, candy paint etc. im surprised i dont remember any rappers doing this
Personally I like it. Especially when you consider the size of the bed in the new trucks.
The first thing I envisioned was Texas oilmen or ranchers in DFW and SA. Put some Texas longhorns on the grill and it’s Smokey and the Bandit.
Hay just some fyi, the Cadillac Mirage isn't the only car/truck combo that Cadillac had, they also had a vehicle called the Cadillac Flower Car, I'm not exactly sure the years but I think it was sometime in the 1980's It looked close to the Mirage but it didn't have the Opera windows and the rear bed section has at least another half a foot of depth and then a huge aluminum tanu cover came with it, Cadillac's idea at the time was to fulfill the sole needs of the funeral halls, until then Cadillac made the Hurse for the caskets, the 60 series limo's for the family to ride in, the only thing missing was a Flower Car to take all the flowers, gifts and wreaths to the cemetery in the funeral precession
Sweet cadillac
I’d LOVE to have a frame off restored 1978 Cadillac Coupe D’ Ville with the 425 V8. I’d like for it to have around 400hp with a turbo 400 transmission and a posi rear end.
Another option would be a Corvette power train.
No padded roof.
ABS , dual exhaust, Spoked wheels.
I’d like it to look like new, but with a reliable “built “ power train.
White with Red interior.
A Rivian. But a Cadillac that was ahead of its time.
When I was a kid they were commonly used by funeral homes as "flower cars" to transport the floral tributes from the viewing to the grave site.