While at first it may sound like an odd mix of formulas, by the time you finish reading this article, then scrolling through the galleries, you will have been converted to liking this Mercedes diesel turned El Camino ute (probably a whole lot).

The project is based around an old 1979 Merc 300TD that underwent the Ranchero/El Camino conversion sometime in the 1980s. Apparently, it’s so well made, that it even fooled some Mercedes dealership personnel, according to the extremely lengthy description written up by the seller and posted along with photos in the eBay sale ad.

What’s so cool about it is the fact that non-car people would just walk on by, and not suspect that there’s anything non-factory about your ride – they won’t therefor think you’re a boring nerd obsessed with telling them how the mirrors and side repeaters were changed from the ’79 to the ’80 model-year, even though that may be the case…

Boosting its coolness factor to unknown heights is the kind of reaction we imagine this prompts from people who do know cars. They may judge you at first, but aside from it being slightly oddball, there’s nothing to criticize about it – even the hybrid design sort of works and looks elegant enough.

The bid currently stands at $3,450, but with six days left to go before the auction ends (and the attention the car is receiving), it’s bound to go up, and deservedly so.

By Andrei Nedelea

PHOTO GALLERY