Seeing a flat black 1960s Cadillac sitting an inch off the ground is nothing new. This car is unique not for what it looks like but for what is lurking underneath its long hood; a 12 valve Cummins diesel.
Flat black paint is a fairly polarizing automotive trend. There aren't a whole lot of people who don't have something good or bad to say about choice and the style that goes along with it. White walls, air ride and candy flake roof paint combined with flat black paint make up an automotive style that is truly love it or hate it (Full Disclosure: I love it). At this point it seems like the trend may be on the decline, slammed flat black hot rods don't raise the eyebrows they once did. To combat the jaded response to an automotive style that has been seen and done before, one builder decided to get creative. The 1965 Diesel De Ville seen here is the result.
There isn't much to hint that this Caddy isn't your average gas powered cruiser besides the engine sticking slightly out of the hood, and the fender mounted exhaust. That is until the De Ville roars to life with the unmistakable sound and smoke of a diesel. A 12 valve Cummins diesel from a 95 Dodge 2500 was placed under the hood where a gas guzzling 429 V8 once sat to create the Diesel De Ville. Like many Hot Rods the only answer to the question of why the swap was completed is "Why not?"
Featuring a body shaved clean of things like door handles, chrome trim and mirrors, the Diesel De Ville is flat black with a Kandy apple red over solar gold base on the roof. Combined with the adjustable air ride suspension and the wide whites, the custom touches have replaced the elegance of a stock Cadillac with the wild style of a hot rod even before you look under the hood. According to the seller the paint isn't perfect but "no one will notice when you are blowing black smoke all over them." We like the way this guy thinks.
If you are looking for a pavement scraping Cadillac that is actually one of a kind, the Diesel De Ville may be the perfect thing to fill your garage with, if it will fit. Aside from a lack of stereo, heat, and air conditioning this Diesel De Ville is ready to cruise. With the aid of the fender mounted passenger side exhaust outlet, you are guaranteed to infuriate pedestrians and bike riders, in addition to anyone in the slow lane or behind you. Something tells us if you have $19,000 to buy a hot rod Cadillac like this one that might be what you are going for.
[Ebay]