A reader recently sent me an ad for a 1970 Chevrolet C10 pickup. It didn’t seem that interesting, but I clicked on it anyway. I’m glad I did, because a surprise hides under the bright blue paint. This thing is powered by the infamous Volkswagen V10 TDI diesel engine! That alone stopped me in my tracks, but the madness doesn’t stop there.
This Frankenstein monster of a mashup is listed on the OfferUp classifieds platform with an asking price of $25,500. The ad is very short on details. However, it’s noted as being a 1970 Chevy C10 pickup (the ad says 1976, but the seller says that’s a typo) with the V10 TDI engine from a Volkswagen Touareg. It also has the donor Touareg’s air suspension and drivetrain.
On the surface, it appears that the builder truly went all the way. It’s a mostly classic body with modern power and amenities. The truck even has a stepside bed borrowed from a 1990s GMT400 platform pickup.
Open the doors and you’re greeted by another surprise. This C10 doesn’t just have the heart of a Touareg V10 TDI, but it also sports the VW’s interior. I’m not normally into restomods that go with a modern dash, but I actually dig this. The Chevy badge glued to the Touareg’s steering wheel is a funny touch, too. It looks so perfectly executed.
However, when I looked at the picture of the right side of the cab I realized why it looks so well done. That doesn’t appear to be a Touareg interior installed into a Chevy truck, but the truck’s body dropped onto what’s left of a Touareg. Check out the rough transition between the body and interior.
I asked the seller if he could tell me more about the build. He confirmed that this creation was done by lowering a Chevy C10 body onto the lower portion of a cut up Touareg. Unfortunately, he did not give me any additional information about why or how the truck ended up like this.
I should note that the Touareg is built on a unibody, so unless the chassis was reinforced this truck could be pretty floppy. And that chassis would need reinforcement, too. That V10 is good for 310 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. When the Touareg was in one piece, it could tow nearly 8,000 pounds.
The seller says that the truck runs and drives. At $25,500 on OfferUp out of Scottsdale, Arizona, it’s a very steep price to pay for a unique project. Maybe someone who is really into both old GM trucks and Volkswagen diesels may find their dream truck.
H/T - Travis!