Coupé utility

1934 Ford, the first coupe utility model. On display at the National Motor Museum, Birdwood, South Australia

The 5th generation El Caminos were built 1977–1987.

1972 Chevrolet El Camino

Australian advertisement, circa 1956. This Dodge Kingsway model was sold in Australia 1956–1957.

Compared with other types of pickup trucks in the 1930s, the term coupe utility (or coupé utility) was defined as combining a more stylish, comfortable and roomier coupe roofline with an integrated cargo tray, however since the 1950s the definition of the term has become blurred.^[1] More recent models are often called "pickups" (or pick-ups) by their makers.^[2][3]

History

The body style originated in Australia.^[4] It was the result of a 1932 letter from the wife of a farmer in Victoria, Australia to Ford Australia asking for "a vehicle to go to church in on a Sunday and which can carry our pigs to market on Mondays". In response, Ford designer Lew Bandt developed a vehicle based on the client's request and the model (called a "coupe utility" at the time) was released in 1934. A convertible version, known as the roadster utility was produced in limited numbers by Ford in the 1930s.^[5]

In 1951, Holden released a model based on its 48-215 sedan, reinforcing the Australian tradition of home grown two-door passenger-car sedan chassis based "utility" vehicles with a tray at the back, known colloquially as a ute. In recent years, however, ute in Australia has come to mean anything from a coupe utility such as a Commodore-based Holden Ute to a traditional pickup like the Ford F-Series, so for the purposes of this article, the full term "coupe utility" shall be used.

America followed suit with the release of Ford's Ranchero in 1957 and Chevrolet's El Camino in 1959.^[6][7]

List of coupé utilities

2009 Dacia Logan coupe-utility

1936 Ford Model 48 Roadster Utility, produced in Geelong, Victoria, Australia

• 1949–1952 Armstrong Siddeley Whitley 18 Utility Coupé
• 1949–1952 Armstrong Siddeley Whitley 18 Station Coupé (extended cab with a rear seat)
• 1968–1971 Austin 1800 Utility (Australia)
• 1954–1971 Austin Cambridge Coupe Utility
• 1983–1994 Chevrolet Chevy 500 (Brazil)
• 1959–1960, 1964–1987 Chevrolet El Camino
• 2001–present Chevrolet Montana
• 1946–1948 Chevrolet Stylemaster (Australia only)
• 1965–1977 Chrysler Valiant utility/Dodge utility (Australia)
• 1958–1961 Chrysler Wayfarer (Australia)
• 1953-1979 Citroën 2CV "Citroneta" (South America only)
• 2007–2012 Dacia Logan Pick-Up
• 1975–2006 Dacia Pick-Up
• 1991–1995 Daihatsu Mira P1/Miracab
• 1956–1957 DeSoto Diplomat (Australia)
• 1975–1979 Dodge Husky (South Africa)
• 1956–1957 Dodge Kingsway (Australia)
• 1982–1984 Dodge Rampage
• 1977–2013 Fiat Fiorino
• 1996–present Fiat Strada
• 1941–1949 1941 Ford (Australia only)
• 1949–1951 1949 Ford (Australia only)
• 1946–1953 Ford Anglia Coupe Utility (Australia)
• 1983–2011 Ford Bantam (South Africa)
• 1956–1962 Ford Consul Mk.II (Australia only)
• 1998–present Ford Courier (Brazil)
• 1961–2016 Ford Falcon Ute (Australia)^[8]
• 1973–1991 Ford Falcon Ranchero (Argentina)
• 1952–1959 Ford Mainline Utility (Australia only)
• 1971–1993 Ford P100
• 1982–1997 Ford Pampa (Brazil)
• 1953–1955 Ford Popular 103E (Australia)
• 1946–1953 Ford Prefect (Australia only)
• 1957–1959 Ford Ranchero (full-size)
• 1960–1965 Ford Falcon Ranchero (Falcon compact)
• 1966–1979 Ford Ranchero (mid-size)
• 1956–1962 Ford Zephyr Mark II Coupe Utility (Australia only)
• c. 1956 Hillman de luxe Utility^[9]
• 2004–present Geely Rural Nanny
• 1971–1987 GMC Sprint / Caballero (GMC rebadge of the El Camino)
• 1968–1984 Holden Kingswood
• 1951–1968 Holden Utility
• 1990–present Holden Utility / Holden Ute / Holden Commodore Ute (VG to VF)

Nissan 1400 B140 Bakkie, South Africa

• 1975–1990 Hyundai Pony
• 1963–1972 Isuzu Wasp
• 1973–1981 Kia Brisa pickup (rebadged Mazda Familia pickup)
• 1963–1977 Mazda Familia pickup
• 1989–2002 Mazda Rustler (rebadged 2nd generation Ford Bantam)
• 1961–1983 Mini Pick-up
• 1965–1971 Mitsubishi Colt 800
• 1971–1980 Morris Marina pickup ^[10]
• 2008-present Nissan NP200 (rebadged Dacia Logan Pick-Up, built and sold in South Africa)
• 1971–2008 Nissan Sunny Truck/"Bakkie"
• 1993–2010 Opel Corsa pickup/Utility
• 1967–2005 Paykan Pick-Up (Iran)
• 1955–1966 Peugeot 403
• 1968–2009 Peugeot 504
• 1956–1957 Plymouth Cranbrook (Australia only)
• 1983 Plymouth Scamp
• 2002–2010 Proton Arena / Proton Jumbuck
• 2015–present Ram 700 (Mexico-exclusive rebadged version of the Fiat Strada)
• 1975–1985 Simca 1100
• c. 1952 Singer SM1500^[11]
• 1991–1995 Škoda Pick-up
• 1994–2001 Škoda Felicia Pickup/Fun
• 1950–1964 Standard Vanguard (also sold as "Standard Pick-up Truck")^[12]

1954 Vauxhall Velox EIPV Coupe Utility

• 1937–1939 Studebaker Coupe Express
• 2002–2006 Subaru Baja
• 1978–1993 Subaru BRAT/Brumby/Shifter/MV/Targa
• 1983–1988 Suzuki Mighty Boy
• 2000–2001 Toyota bB Open Deck
• 1960–1969 Toyota Corona Pickup
• 1962–1971 Toyopet/Toyota Crown Masterline pickup
• 1952–1957 Vauxhall Velox
• 1952–1954 Vauxhall Wyvern (Australia)
• 1979–1996 Volkswagen Caddy/Rabbit pickup
• 1996–2001 Volkswagen Caddy Typ 9U (rebadged Škoda Felicia Pickup)
• 1980–present Volkswagen Saveiro/Pointer Pick Up
• 1966–1991 Wartburg 353 "Trans"

Prototypes

• AMC Cowboy: Derived from the Hornet, it was intended to compete with small pickups from Japan, but the project was canceled after AMC acquired Jeep, which already sold small pickups.^[13]
• BMW M3 ute/pickup: On April Fools' Day 2011, BMW announced the BMW M3 ute/pickup. This vehicle was based on the E93 Convertible and featured a structured aluminum pickup bed and removable targa roof. It was created by BMW's M Division as a one-off workshop transport vehicle for use within the company.^[6] It was actually the second such ute that BMW built for this purpose: they had previously built one using a first generation M3 convertible in 1986. This coupe ute served the factory for 26 years before the April Fools car was built to replace it.^[14]
• Pontiac G8 ST:^[15][16] a rebadged Holden Ute (which is based on the Holden Commodore sedan, which is badged as a Pontiac G8 in the USA) which was shown at the New York International Auto Show in March 2008. It was slated for release as a 2010 model, but was cancelled before any were sold.^[17]

See also

• Car body styles
• Kei truck
• Pickup truck
• Sedan delivery
• Truck classification
• Ute (vehicle)

References

1. Oastler, Mark; Kenwright, Joe (7 February 2012). "Editorial: Australia DID NOT invent the Ute!". Truck Jungle. Australia. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
2. See, for example, Skoda "Pick-up 135"
3. Chevrolet Montana, Brazil, "Uma pick-up pequena"
4. Ford Milestones 1930′s » Ford Discovery Centre
5. The ute is born... 9/8/99
6. Will the Coupe Utility Ever Come Back to the United States? – Rides.com
7. TruckFest Rewind: Rare Australian 1946 Ford Ute Delights – OnAllCylinders
8. Unique of the Week: 1974 Ford Falcon XB Ute
9. Rootes Australia advertisement for "The new Hillman de luxe Utility", Power Farming in Australia and New Zealand, August 1956, page 100
10. Morris Marina
11. Advertisement for Singer SM1500 Half Ton Coupe Utility, The Nambour Chronicle, Friday, 29 February 1952, page 10. Retrieved 1 December 2013
12. 1953 Brochure for Standard 12 Cwt Delivery Van and Standard Pick-up Truck, www.flickr.com. Retrieved 26 October 2013
13. "AMC Cowboy". all-car-brands.com.
14. Pleskot, Kelly (27 September 2016). "BMW Looks Back on Four M3 Prototypes That Were Never Made". Motor Trend. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
15. Levine, Mike (2 July 2008). "Pontiac G8 Sport Truck Engine and Name". PickupTruck.com. US. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
16. "2010 Pontiac G8 ST". Motor Desktop. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
17. "GM shelves plan for US launch of Pontiac G8 ST". The Free Library. 8 January 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2016.

External links