Back in the early 2000s, Cadillac decided to enter the pickup truck market with the Escalade EXT. The lavish truck was offered in two generations but was discontinued in 2013 as sales were far from meeting expectations. Of course, the mix between the status of the brand and the rarity of the model means the Escalade EXT is sought after in enthusiast circles nowadays. Then again, you could always mess with the market and build your own Cadillac pickup truck with a presence that dominates most other vehicles on the road.
Naysayers will point to the Escalade EXT and tell you it was a luxed-up version of the Chevrolet Avalance with a price tag that couldn’t be justified. Well, this Cadillac pickup truck is above all that and I mean that in a literal sense since it’s based on a larger platform. Yes, it will even dwarf a rapper’s Mansory Escalade on 26-inch wheels.
The Caddy truck started life as a 2006 Chevrolet Kodiak, which is a third-generation medium-duty truck—think of this as an offering slotted in between a full-size pickup truck and a Class 8 commercial truck. Nowadays, GM’s presence in the Class 4,5 and 6 of commercial vehicles comes via the Chevrolet Silverado 4500HD, 5500HD, and 6500HD, respectively, but this is another story for another time.
In terms of power, the GTM560 platform used for this remastered Chevy came with a standard 8.1L gas V8 (a carryover from the previous model) for the Kodiak C4500 and C5500, which is probably the donor vehicle for the Cadillac pickup truck build. However, a Duramax 6.6L V8 diesel was optional for these models—hey, this 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville got a Cummins diesel swap for days!
Definitely the largest Cadillac pickup truck out there
Builder Charles Bowshier, who runs the All Out Customs shop, added Cadillac bits to the front end, mixing these with custom parts for a quick look that sticks with you. The sheer mix of the Cadillac badge, the massive road presence, and those super-sized mirrors—they’re factory pieces—is enough to get one’s attention.
However, the specialist’s decision to create a low front end will probably split opinions, as will the Ram bed he chose for his custom Cadillac pickup truck.
From the murdered-out look of the vehicle to the dually rear wheels, this super-sized contraption is as unapologetic as they come. And, if we overlook the said ground clearance limitation, this is a practical machine. Just look at the way the nose pivots to let you access the engine and check out that roomy interior.
In fact, the greenhouse, with the commercial-look doors and that quirky rear window, is what gives the base vehicle away, even though most people will still remember this one as a Cadillac truck, just the way its builder intended.
