One of many Eldorado ramp trucks out there. I bet this one hauled a cool, matching, likely non-Cadillac drag car at one point.
Why would I pass on something so cool not once, but twice? Simple, because a ramp truck is a gateway drug, an enabler, the creator of a junk junkie. A more refined version of a tow truck, the ramp truck is the hot ticket when it comes to hauling something (in my opinion). Lowered vehicles are safer, as once they’re loaded, they’re up off the ground. No need to carry any of those magnetic tow lights, the vehicle is ahead of the lights on the ramp. Cornering is no worse loaded than it is empty, and tires that don’t hold air don’t matter nearly as much because nothing on the loaded vehicle is rolling. Rocks flying off the ramp truck are contained under a bunch of iron, and even if some do fly, the loaded vehicle is safely up top, and not close behind. A ramp truck is probably less convenient to drive day-to-day because of the overall length, but really, who’s going to drive one to the mall, or through the McDonald’s drive-through anyways? Lately, I’ve been seeing a bunch of ramp trucks pop up for sale, nothing local, but there are certainly some interesting units out there. The coolest ones I’ve seen aren’t even trucks at all.
The Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Toronado were both equally bold strategies for General Motors in the sixties. Front-wheel drive wasn’t really a standard operating procedure for another decade or two, and by that time, it certainly wasn’t introduced to pull huge luxury cars down the highway with big-block power. Regardless, General Motors gave it a try twice, and both with big block power no less. The Oldsmobile was available with the 425/455, and the Cadillac was available with only the big 500, I believe. Neither engine made mind-blowing horsepower, but both made tons of torque, perfect for pulling a big slab of American iron around. Lately, I’ve seen a few Toronado and Eldorado ramp trucks popping up for sale around the U.S. As absurd as it sounds, it makes perfect sense. The drive train on those cars is way beefier than necessary, there’s lots of low-rpm power available, and with the front-wheel-drive transaxle, there’s no driveline modification necessary. A lot of the examples I’ve seen have just been flat-deck trailers attached to the back of a car that’s been sawed off just behind the doors. Really, it’s perfect. You get a comfortable ride, the lower loading height of a car, and a budget-friendly parts list. Hard to say no to that, aside from the junk-hauling enabling, of course.