Clean. Tasteful. Elegant. These are not adjectives I tend to reach for when we're looking at a car converted into a pickup truck, but this 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300TD-El Camino lovechild is one of the prettiest Jimmy Carter-era Mercs I've ever seen.
It's a classic diesel car with heaps of utility and a sporty interior, what more could you possibly want? I know, three pedals. Well... too bad.
This beauty is for sale right now, and is apparently fully-functional down to the tailgate. Seller says it began life as a standard non-turbo 300TD, and was converted "some time in the 80's" by Bill's Auto & Body in Wisconsin using a "1980's era" Chevrolet El Camino bed, rear window, and trim.
Period-matching blue cloth Recaro seats take the interior up another notch, and did I mention how unbelievably clean the gauge cluster is? Seriously, it's like a damn surgery studio.
This Mercedes is not actually perfect, I can see a few chips and tiny spots of surface rust here and there. But I can't stop drooling over over how tidy the shape of this thing is. That rear window curve, the swoop from the roof to the bed, the wood-trimmed tailgate!
I'm gonna stop myself short of saying I wish Mercedes had made this at the factory, but it's an absolutely sextacular custom job and I hope someone brings it home who loves it forever.
Hat tip to Tristan!