For $17,995, It's The Cadillongroof

Wikipedia says the 2010 CTS Sport Wagon is the first non-hearse Caddy longroof sold in America. Elvis and today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe 1972 Brougham would beg to differ, but does this yellow wagon's price also need some editing?

It has been said that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. And I'm sure the builder of yesterday's Wankeled BMW 2002 was so well intending that he'd offer to drive that road- if he could just get the damn carb to run right.

The major modifications to yesterday's car took place in the front. In contrast, today's modified 1972 Cadillac Brougham carries its cha-cha-cha-changes in the back. Of course, it's so freaking big they may not be immediately apparent should the car be approached from the front.

There were a number of companies longroofing Caddys back in the Nixon era, and one of the most prominent was ASC, or American Sunroof Company. They're best known for modding coupes into convertibles, and in the eighties modded their name to American Specialty Cars. The origin of this particular custom Caddy is unknown, but it could be ASC's work. It's also NOT the Caddy wagon once used as a grocery-getter by Elvis, but does gain coolness points for the King having transported his love me Tender Vittles in a similar one.

This car started as a Brougham, which is not just a hipster way to refer to your dude friends, but the single model of Cadillac's Sixty Special for '72. That year happened to be Caddy's 70th anniversary and instead of the traditional gift of platinum, this C-body range-topper got a roof and two-way tailgate off of its sister, the Olds Custom Cruiser.

Seeing as both the Caddy and Olds shared a common platform, and the Sixty Special's 133-inch wheelbase wasn't that far off the Olds' 127, the fit looks pretty close. Overall, other than the awkward C-pillar, it's hard to imagine this as anything other than factory. Helping that out is the fact that both the bodywork and the buttercup paint on this car looks to be in excellent condition. Less appealing are the huge-ass and completely doucheriffic 20-inch chrome wheels – but that's just a jack and lug wrench away from banishment.

The interior is '70s baroque, and features an extra set of seats in the back, as well as a second split bench to access them. The ad claims the interior color to be beige, and despite that seemingly milquetoast choice of hue, the footboards and faux wood trim speak of elegance. I'm not quite sure what the bench seat and necker's knob on the tiller speaks to, but I wouldn't mind finding out. Wink-wink.

Moving the car's massive 5,000-lb plus weight is the task of the 222-bhp (SAE) 472 cubic inch V8 under a hood so large it has its own secession petition. That's bolted to a TH400 and for those of you suddenly disappointed that it's not a stick – what are you thinking?! The ad notes a litany of mechanical replacements/updates, and it appears the 37,176-mile custom does run without major issue.

Of course with its obviously ample specifications, this Caddy would react to every appearance of your gas card the way Hannibal Lecter does a portly postal carrier.

You may have been told at some point in your life that size doesn't matter. Well, let me be the last to shatter that myth and tell you that hell yes size matters, and the bigger the freaking better. This custom Caddy wagon is about as big as you can get without requiring a steady breeze and a star to sail her by, and of course is also about as rare as it is huge. Both of those qualities play into its price, which its Charlotte Motor Speedway-adjacent dealership has set at $17,995.

Do you think that rarity, condition, and sheer presence all add up to this Caddy being worth that amount? Or, is this a longroof that will spend a long time under its dealer's roof?

You decide!

Auto Barn Classic Cars or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Indianajoel007 for the hookup!

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