This Fiberglass Monster Used To Be A Chevy Pickup Truck

I was clicking around the Internet this afternoon, hunting for juicy automotive goodness to write about. Thanks to the fine folk over at r/WeirdWheels, I think I’ve found it. It’s like an extended cab pickup that crashed very perfectly into the back of a Pontiac Firebird! I had to know more.

This build made me realize something. Real talk, the ’90s were an outrageous time in the car scene. You could do all kinds of wacky stuff to your vehicle and at worst, you’d only draw applause or derision from people in your own hometown. The invention of the Internet has had a crushing effect on creativity, because now if you make something wonderful but weird, you’ve got billions of people around the world waiting to pass judgment on it.

I think that’s why we don’t see creations as bold as this one anymore. Meet the Shadi2000.

To learn more about this vehicle, we can turn to Mecum Auctions. That’s because this very truck was up for sale back in June this year. According to the auction house, it’s believed that just seven of these Shadi2000 conversions were built, with only four examples surviving to this day. The truck was passed on, and since ended up for sale on Facebook Marketplace. The seller states that two of these trucks remain in the UK, with the third in Houston. As for this fine example, it makes its home in Oklahoma.

Silodrome has some further details—the trucks started out as regular Chevrolet pickup trucks before they were lavished with over ten separate fiberglass panels. That’s right, underneath this is the GMT400 Silverado that our own Adrian Clarke hailed as a legendary and nearly perfect design. Clearly, someone thought it could be made perfecter.

These fiberglass panels included the fenders, the distinctive beak nose, and chunky side skirts with sealed beam laps serving puddle light duty. Oh, and don’t forget the vented hood, featuring nostrils large enough to hoover up the mass of cocaine you had to be on to order one of these.

The rear-end got a serious lighting treatment, too. The bedsides feature tail lights, as does the tailgate itself—emblazoned with the “SHADI” name in bold black letters. There’s also a small “SHADI 2000” badge featuring the ichthys symbol—commonly known as the “Jesus fish.”

Learning More

Only the vaguest details on these kits exist. You have to follow a trail of breadcrumbs across the Internet. An old forum post on Grassroots Motorsports points towards a Facebook post from one “Fast Eddy.” He posted a business card for a shop called “Auto Dreams Inc.” which apparently built the Shadi kits near Ellington Air Force Base in Texas, back in the 1990s. At one point, he’d hoped to install one of the kits on an El Camino. I’ve messaged Eddy, because I need to know more.

There’s also a YouTube video with some great catalog shots and old photos, too. We get to see a red and a yellow truck, the latter wearing Texas plates. The video also shares a price list which reveals this kit did not come cheap. In 1992, a complete kit would cost you $4,800, or $10,800 in 2024 dollars. If you wanted it installed, too, you’d have to stump up $7,850, equal to $17,660 today.

The video also indicates strong religious beliefs at the organization. The name “Shadi” was apparently sourced from a Hebrew version of the Bible.

Do You Dare?

The organization known as Auto Dreams Inc. appears to be lost to time, but what of the truck that is on sale today? Well, now it’s up on Facebook Marketplace, having been originally listed for $28,000. That price has since been dropped to the unique number of $13,888.  It reportedly had 54,247 miles on the odometer according to Mecum Auctions back in June, but it’s now listed as having 53,300 miles. In any case, it’s been around the block a few times, though little more.

For your money, you’re getting a 1990 Chevy pickup with the 350 cubic-inch V8 under the hood. It comes with “good tires” and a new battery, and has functional air conditioning and heating. We’re told the interior is “all original and clean, [with] no wear spots on the carpet and no rips or tears on the interior.” Indeed, the cabin is a sumptuous celebration of red fabric, and it looks to be in good condition. We’re also treated to a video of the vehicle driving under its own power at night, complete with multi-colored underglow from aftermarket LED lights.

Should you buy this thing? Absolutely. How many one-of-seven limited edition vehicles are you going to come across for less than $20,000? Especially one that looks this outrageous.

More seriously, though, for all its quirks—this appears relatively well-executed compared to a lot of fiberglass kit cars out there. I could be very wrong, so if you go and check it out—do report back. Bring us pictures and more tales of where this car has been.

Image credits: via YouTube screenshot, Facebook Marketplace