$700K 1946 Chevrolet COE Was Once Two Dump Trucks, Now Ready to Haul Harleys

There are many such shops doing business at the moment across America, and the number of events these guys regularly attend is simply staggering. Equally impressive are the bikes they bring along for show and tell - machines so exquisite they can't simply be moved on boring-looking trailers and pickup trucks, or brought to a venue under their own power.

It's for them that an Ohio-based custom garage called Lo-Man's Rod put together the unique build sitting before us at this time – a machine purpose-built to haul Harleys from show to show, bringing the modified two-wheelers into focus from long before they actually reach their destination.

Generally speaking cab over engine trucks, known in the industry as COE, were never meant for glorious things. They most of the time transport glamourless things, including trash, to and fro, and are quickly forgotten.

From time to time though, some are rescued and, at the end of a long and expensive customization process, end up looking show-worthy themselves.

This Chevy, for instance, was originally a dump truck. Or, if we are to be even more specific, it was two dump trucks, as the cabs from two of them were used to put this thing together. That, and no less than six doors snatched from no-longer-in-use COEs.

These elements come together to form a four-door cab. Together with the bronze-colored glass, they wrap around an interior in tan leather that looks more luxurious than on many of the passenger cars we see customized on a regular basis.

It's an interior that aside from plenty of leather also offers the ones riding inside air conditioning, a stereo sound system powered by iPod and Bluetooth connectivity, and electric windows.

This stunning and unforgettable cab has been turned into a transport platform riding on a one-ton dually chassis, and the bed at the rear, narrower by six inches than it used to be, is equally exquisite. Built as a one-off piece made by hand, it comes in roll-back style, with hydraulics lowering it to ground level. A custom trolley is used to pull up to two motorcycles (or an equal number of ATVs) onto the bed, where they can be secured for transport to where they need to go.

The COE is powered by a Chevrolet crate engine from the LSX series, but the exact type and performance levels in this application are not disclosed. We do know the unit works with a Turbo 400 transmission.

The truck was finished in Jewel Red and Sandstorm with gold leaf accents, but that didn't happen until the entire project was completed. And, we're told, it took no less than ten full years for that to happen: eight of them spent in the build stage at the hands of the unknown garage that started it all, and the other two over at Lo-Man's, where all the other fine detailing was performed and the build was finished.

With the long build period also came a huge cost. As per the people responsible for the Chevy, a total of $700,000 was invested in the hauler – that's a crazy amount for any project, let alone for something such as this.

We know of this COE's existence because it was featured in last week's Mecum Fall Special auction which took place in Indianapolis. It went under the hammer with high hopes, and did manage to sell, although the price paid for it was far below what was invested.

The truck ended up going for exactly $159,500, and with the warning that it carries a VIN applied in a non-traditional manner, so in some states it may require inspection and a state-issued VIN.

It's not clear who the new owner of the truck is, or whether they will use it for the purpose it was made for, or simply transform the hauler into a show truck in its own right. My guess though is that we'll soon see it pop up for sale somewhere else, as the chase for profit never ends.

And that's more or less a shame, as I personally would have loved to at least see how the COE would look like loaded with a couple of custom Harleys at the back. Just imagine a couple of old and modified V-Rods up there, or the more modern Breakout and Fat boy, or, why not, perhaps even a full custom build the likes of which Orange County Choppers used to make…