Rare Rides: The Very Special 1998 Ford Expedition SeaScape

There’s nothing especially unique about a first-generation Ford Expedition, given that the company sold hundreds of thousands of them in the late Nineties. But things get a bit more exciting when the Expedition in question was a custom build for SEMA.

So today let’s remember the boat times, with this 1998 SeaScape.

Ford’s first three-row SUV bowed for the 1997 model year and rode on the same F-150 platform as its premium upscale brethren, the Lincoln Navigator and Blackwood. Available in a single wheelbase for its first generation, all Expeditions were powered by 4.6- or 5.4-liter versions of the Triton V8.

The Expedition and Navigator were Ford’s successful attempt to grab some market share from GM full-sizers that had mostly zero American competition for decades. If you can recall back to 1997, Expedition was a big deal. Such a big deal in fact, that it’s unsurprising the creative forces who compete at SEMA turned one into a nautical-themed masterpiece.

What started out as a standard 1998 Expedition was modified by a company called Advanced Automotive Technologies in 1999. Wanting a real show-stopper, AAT took their nautical Expedition edits seriously. Starting with the exterior, the metal roof was replaced with a retractable canvas arrangement. Heading aft, a modified C-pillar contained the CHMSL, styled to resemble a power boat. The running boards and bumpers were also custom jobs, with teak inserts for standing in Sperrys.

At the rear the entire hatch was removed, replaced with a padded tonneau cover and some boat-like chrome railing. That rear cover is the SeaScape’s party piece. It has a power lift feature that raises it up from hinges at the stern and stows the rear window. With a few adjustments, the Expedition becomes a nautical targa, or “boatarga” perhaps. The look is competed with turbine-style chrome wheels and purple and hot pink tape stripes.

Inside, the Expedition combines the luxury of the Blackwood and theme of a Town Car Spinnaker Edition. White leather matches with navy accents, and the steering wheel and door pulls are wood from the Forest of Gladiator Conversion. The dash and console complete the look with two-tone, in ivory and khaki. Rear passengers use powered captain’s chairs, just like those at the front.

AAT struck gold with their SeaScape, winning Best Ford Concept Truck that year. Since then, the special Expedition was moored in Mississippi and then Ohio, where it’s presently for sale. In need of TLC, you can easily B.O.A.T with the SeaScape at $6,500.

[Images: seller]