You’d be hard-pressed to come up with something that swept the world off its feet quite like Cadillac’s 1959 lineup. Not only did this introduce an exuberant styling that arbuably continues to split opinions to this day, but it also came with a monstrous 390 ci (6.4L) V8 that would go down in history as one of the marque’s top motors. Well, you can forget all about that 325 hp behemoth with this ’59 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, since the old-school machine has been given a Cummins swap.
This was one of the world’s first pillarless coupes and, as you can imagine, it was built to make its occupants feel like they never left the living room.
However, it’s kind of difficult to get that kind of vibe while riding in it these days, especially since there’s a thicc exhaust pipe protruding through the hood, with this shooting black smoke like a chimney. For one, the big turbo that didn’t fit under the hood either takes second place in the attention competition!
A 12V Cummins heart transplant
The source of that smoke is the iron god that people call the 12-valve Cummins. This 5.9L straight-six diesel’s 1,100 lbs scale footprint doesn’t scary the classic Caddy, which is a behemoth itself.
We’re not sure about the specs of this particular motor. However, we can tell you that the legendary reputation of the 12V Cummins is not just based on its reliability. Instead, these oil burners can be tuned to about 500 hp without too much effort, even though more focused efforts will make that output seem like child’s play. At the same time, these motors are capable pf going past 20 mpg on the highway, even when massaged to generous muscle numbers.
The project, which kicked off early this year, is driven by motorcycle shop owner Roger Regan (guess that’s where the diesel inspiration came from?). On a more serious note, the build was handled by Jeff Jones of the California-based Rat Rod Jeff Fabrications label.
And while the murdered-out theme seems fitting for a machine that was intimidating to start with, this Coupe de Ville adds a layer of patina to the mix. You can easily notice the rusty look in the images below. And, to look the part while also keeping drivability high, the Caddy features air suspension. Or maybe the feature is there just to make those legendary tail fins ride at different heights…
Where will this owner go next?
For the record, the owner isn’t at his first extreme machine, as he previously commissioned as rat rod based on a 1929 Ford Model A.
And we can only wonder what decade the enthusiast is targeting for this next project. Who knows? Perhaps something along the lines of this 1971 12V Cummins-powered Plymouth Cuda 4×4 is on the menu…
