Maryland Pick-up | Stephen Porter's '81 Caddy

Words: Gavin Haywood  |  Photos: Stephen Porter and Randy Wells

Stephen Porter sent us a photo of his Caddy, not too long after we put up a post on our Facebook page, asking to see the rides of our followers. In a way, the shot he sent was a bit of a teaser. Being a rear-view black and white shot, there was only just enough side-angle to show that it wasn't a standard Caddy. From what I could see, it had been lowered, and the "Maryland" on the rear plate made me think it was probably a Westmoreland front-end, or "Westy" as they are more commonly known. I also quite liked the photo itself, so I asked him to send through a few more. He did, and not only did he have a great Caddy on his hands, he also seemed to be quite handy with a camera!

Personally, I've always had a soft spot for Caddys, especially those from the States. We've all seen the pictures; Caddys looking rather humble next to the (rather massive) American pick-up trucks. It's actually the reason why Stephen took ownership of it; his brother was the previous owner, and grew frustrated with its size, so he left it with their dad where it became the "backup" family car. Stephen already drove a Mk3 Golf GTi, so it was only 2 years down the line that he took over the Caddy from his dad. He drove it in stock form for a whole school year before he decided to go ahead and lower it.

When the time came, he opted for VMaxx coilovers for the front, and a set of 3 inch drop plates for the rear, made by one of his dad’s colleagues. Fitment, however, didn't go exactly to plan; one of the struts he ordered didn't come with a bearing, so he had to use his old setup in the meantime. The end result is a Caddy with some raked stance, something I've always been a fan of, simply because it gives a car a bit of presence, and also happens to photograph really well.

On the interior side of things, Stephen's left things fairly standard to date, apart from a rather tasteful Nardi Classic wooden steering wheel. It complements the Caddy's factory red interior rather nicely, and anyone who has driven a car with a wooden wheel will agree that it adds a great feel to the drive, as well. For seats, Stephen managed to get himself a set of Recaro Trophies, which were being stored in his grandmother’s basement for 2 years. One day, he hauled them out, gave them a clean and test-fitted them to see if they would work in the Caddy's cabin. For now, he is still running the factory seats, but is contemplating having the Recaro's retrimmed to match the Caddy's red interior.

I recall having a good laugh at a sticker I once saw online that read, "Big bumpers save lives". Maybe this was the thought behind the US Rabbit bumpers because, compared to the European Mk1's, they look rather bulky. Stephen removed the Caddy's rear bumper and managed to get the front bumper to sit more flush with the body. The end result makes for a much cleaner look, with everything appearing more balanced. The body's paint is still the original shade of Cashmere white, but Stephen hopes to eventually have the Caddy resprayed. Even if he abandons the white, he wants to keep the colour OEM.

As for other future plans, Stephen wants to swap the 1.7L in the Caddy with his GTi's ABA, and is busy refurbishing another set of rims.

It's always great when someone comes along and gives a car a new lease on life. This Caddy could have been left standing for another 2 years, but instead, Stephen got it back on the road where it belongs. I'm sure most of us can relate to what he says about his own car, "Mostly I just drive it and enjoy it. I love this thing."  We can all appreciate a showstopper build, but sometimes it's just as good to see an old ride like this being used daily, just as it was 30 years ago!  From VAGAS, we'd like to say thanks to Randy Wells and Stephen for supplying us with the great photos for this feature, and wish Stephen all the best with the completion of his build.  We'll be sure to post future updates on our Facebook page.

Finally, a word of thanks from Stephen; "Big thanks to my dad for helping me out with everything, as pretty much everything done to the car was done by him and myself in our garage." 

Year: 1981
Model: Rabbit Truck
Colour: Cashmere White
Motor: 1.7L 8v
Suspension Setup: Vmaxx Coilovers and 3 inch drop plates.
Wheels and tyres: One piece Enkei Racing RS Evolutions, 14x6 with 185/60/14 front and 185/65/14 rear.
Interior modifications: Stock red interior with a Nardi classic wheel.
Other: Removed rear bumper, "pushed in" front bumper.