UTE USA

This website is dedicated to a truly unique Australian innovation the UTE! The spork of the automotive industry!

    The Utility Coupe or UTE for short as they are more commonly referred to down under have been around long before the American public was offered the Ford Ranchero (1957) or the Chevrolet El Camino (1959). The focus of this website will be on right-hand drive Australian built American brand name UTEs in both passenger car and truck based versions. The UTE term is used to describe what is known as your basic truck here in the U.S. but since there are already plenty of Truck websites the focus here will be UniBody style UTEs. No separate cab and bed versions please! I may delve into some Panel vans but only versions that were not offered in the states.

    I started collecting information on these cars a few years ago before I bought my UTEs. I first put some of this information on the web on my original Automotive Oddities website www.roadkillontheweb.com with very limited information. I still don't claim to be an expert just someone that enjoys them and wants to start an online community about them! This website is intended to be interactive between collectors, restorers and fans. I am also looking to foster a format where collectors in the United States can find UTEs and parts for UTEs from sellers in Australia.

    The more information that is available on these rare and unique Aussie hybrids the better it is for everyone interested. If you have information, literature scans or pictures about these cars please share it with me so I can share it with others! If someone has shared your copyrighted information with me let me know and I will remove it if you do not wish to share it? I buy original literature and pictures but gladly accept scans if you do not want to part with them.

How the UTE came to be?

The basic story goes something like this!
In Approx 1933 an Australian farmers wife wanted to get a new car but the banks would not loan money to farmers unless they were going to buy something that could be used on the farm to make more profits (in short no passenger cars). Not happy with this situation she wrote a letter to the Ford Motor Company asking why they could not make a vehicle that could be used to go to church on Sunday and take the hogs to market on Monday? In 1934 Fords australia division introduced the Utility Coupe body style. In years to follow most of the other manufacturers offered their own versions of a UTE. The body style became an Australian farmer favorite and they still offer them today. The UTE has an almost cult following in OZ with huge gatherings and lots of pride in ownership.

Click on the image to go to that page for more info.
This site is under construction so please be patient and help if you can?

Chrysler product UTEs I am a MoPar fan and my initial focus on UTEs was centered around the Chrysler, Desoto, Dodge, Plymouth and Fargo UTEs. With most of the information gathered relevant to my 1956 Desoto and Plymouth UTEs. To find out more about The Chrysler versions of UTEs offered click on this link.		Ford UTEs The Ford UTE of 1934 was considered the first of the run. although many people had cut the back off of earlier sedans to make them into pickups and some roadster versions were made prior the 1934 Ford was the first made at the factory Utility Coupe for sale to the general public
Desoto UTEs As a long time Desoto collector this is what first attracted me to the UTE body style. I of course place a premium on Desoto UTEs, Since Desoto never made a Truck for the American market so to see Desoto trucks in so many varieties was intriging. For more information on Desoto UTEs click here!		Mercury UTEs Like here in the states Mercury is a sub division of Ford so they did offer Mercury versions of the UTE body style! Obviously the are much rarer and I do not have a lot at this time but will add more as I get it. Click here for information on Mercury UTEs
Plymouth UTEs While Plymouth was considered a small car on the American market it was full sized in Australia where English cars were the norm! and the flathead six used in Plymouths had a solid reputation for durability in the harsh outback environment. for more information click here!		Chevy UTEs chevrolet and Holden were business partners in Australia and still are today! Chevy UTEs were built with bodies made by Holden. BUt when Holden started producing thier own vehicles they started to take away market share from Chevy. Click here for more info on Chevy UTEs!
Dodge UTEs Dodge trucks are a familiar sight here in the states but there were some variations made in Australia that will make a longterm MoPar collector scratch their head!For more information click here!		Willys UTEs Any car collector or fanatic that has been at it for a couple years has seen their share of Willys at events or in the magazines but these are different! Click here to get more information!
Fargo UTEs A name not very familiar to most Americans but very familiar to Canadians since Dodge trucks carried that name instead in the great white north! OZ fargos go one step further and offer UTility coupes! Check here to learn more!		Misc. UTEs This is where all the stuff goes that I have very little information on! Like Pontiac, International, Federal, Graham and even GMC.Click here to see what little I have!
Hudson and Terraplane UTEs Yes even Hudson and Terraplane offered special bodied Utilities in Australia! Drool all you want finding one will be a very tough task! Click here to see more!		My two UTEs The inspiration for this website! My girls Matilda a 56 Desoto UTE and Sydney a 1956 Plymouth UTE. Click here to see more!
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Last Update: 12/29/05

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Use of images and information on this website for Magazine articles/car club newsletters

If you want to use information or images from this website for magazine articles please contact me so that I can help by providing more information addition images or Higher resolution images. So little is known about Utility Coupes in the United States that education of the collecting public can only help. Generally I only ask for of a copy of the final issue and mention of the website in the article in return. Even though Utility coupes (UTEs) have been around for a long time in Australia they have only recently become very collectable here in the states. Any article written about them can only help educate the masses.

Welcome to my mis-spelled word file!
These are common and sometimes uncommon ways to mis-spell the primary words on this site! I provide this as a service to the phonically challenged because they are people too! Or maybe they have a typing handicap like myself. Austrailia, austrailian, truk, Truks, pickup, pickups, pick-up, pick-ups, cupe, coop, coupee,ozzie, oz, outback, and some key words for search engine fodder! ute, utes, utility coupe, a land down under, Aussie, Australian, pictures, images, El camino, ranchero