Former Indy Racing League drive Sam Schmidt of Henderson, Nevada, was paralyzed from the neck down in a January 2000 crash, which put a crimp in the driving of his street rods and musclecars. Determined to once again ride in something cool, Schmidt began the search for a vehicle with the necessary clearance for his wheelchair. Unfortunately, even the height of the biggest early panel wagons didn't have sufficient room in a standard rear-wheel-drive setup. Not one to give up that easily, Schmidt began working on the idea of grafting in alate-model front-wheel-drive configuration to allow the necessary lower floor height. G&R Auto Parts in Oklahoma City was parting out an '05 Cadillac Sedan De Ville, so Schmidt bought the chassis, interior , and running gear and had it shipped to Tri-C Engineering in Valencia, California, to be merged with a '55 Ford panel wagon, leaving the Caddy's adjustable ride and all the factory electronics intact. Traditional hot-roding body mods will include electric suicide doors, pancaking the hood 2 inches and stretching it 3 inches, and lengthening the front fenders 3 inches in the rear to fit the wheelbase. Other body mods will include a smooth and lowered floor, welded-together and hinged rear doors to electronically raise gull-wing style, and a Braun RA 200 commercial lift to bring Schmidt's wheel chair up to floor height. Check out the progress at www.samschmidt.org and www.samschmidtmotorsports.com

- Christopher Campbell