Autoblog

While Ford was first to market with the pickup-cum-car Ranchero, and El Camino has attained universal descriptor status, like Kleenex, it looks like Kaiser presaged the idea in 1954 with this one-off. Kaiser was one of many smaller independents that had yet to die off in the early 1950s. The independents were often more creative than the big three, pushing innovation with limited resources. This extra-special Special-based vehicle is sporting "Barris Kustom" badges on the B-Pillars, glossy light yellow paint on the flanks, and a iron-irrific Continental L-head 6 underhood. You may not be torching the wide whites off the Kelsey Hayes wires with the 118 horsepower, but it's definitely adequate, even on today's roads. Current bids stand at $7,300 for what looks like a driveable classic. It'd be an interesting vehicle to poke around at and uncover the provenance, and the story would be way more entertaining than "It came down the line in Arlington one day."

Thanks for the tip, Mike!