America never really fell in love with the ute. With an ample supply of Ford F-150s and Dodge Rams, there wasn’t much enduring desire for the Chevrolet El Camino or Ford Ranchero. In contrast, in Australia, where the large pickup was a rarity, the ute ruled all and was a national automotive icon. But what if Dodge had done what Holden and Ford did with the Commodore and Falcon, respectively? What if there was a Charger ute?
Well, it’d probably look something like this one that sold on Bring a Trailer this week. For $15,000, one lucky buyer scored a 2010 Dodge Charger that has been given a convincing ute conversion that really looks the part. Originally serving as a police car, it was later modified with a kit from Smyth Performance, which specializes in producing ute conversions for everything from VW Jettas to Jeep Grand Cherokees and Subaru WRXs.
It’s a clean-looking build, handled by Batrodz out of Jamesport, New York. The chassis has been structurally reinforced to make up for the loss of much of the roof and the original C-pillars. The rear quarter panels are fiberglass, while the inner bed is aluminum and the tailgate made of steel. Amusingly, the rear tail lights are actually off a 2010 Chrysler Town and Country, but installed upside down. The back of the cabin is glass, creating a more factory-spec feel than a plastic rear window otherwise would.
One small criticism is that it rides just a little high, with the wheel wells a little too empty for the otherwise appropriately-sized 22″ Hellcat wheels. Losing an inch on the springs could give it a meaner stance, though you might then run into ground clearance issues up front. It’s also a little shabby in the bed, with the flat surface looking a little worse for wear despite the bedliner. It’s not really up to the standard of a factory effort from Holden or Ford back in the day.
Regardless, it’s a proper bruiser under that aftermarket body. It’s rocking a 5.7-liter Hemi power under the hood fed through a five-speed column-shift auto to the rear wheels. It ought to sound good, too, by virtue of its custom dual-exit exhaust. Indeed, it offers plenty of quality V8 noises when ripping a burnout in a demo video posted on the sale listing.
As an Australian, what I struggle to understand is why these were never made. Heck, if Dodge had come to Australia in 2006 offering these, they’d have been hooning up and down our national highways within minutes of the dealerships opening. Australia’s die-hard battle between Ford and Holden would have instantly turned into a three-way fight, with the brand pulling its own fan base from the ranks of the Reds and Blues in equal measure.
It’s not even that crazy to think about. Chrysler used to build utes down under—David and Laurence even brought one back from the dead! And yet, a real Dodge Charger ute was never to be.
Somehow, the body style just never appealed to mainstream Americans in real numbers. Never mind that you can have V8 power with truck-bed practicality in a chassis that’s perfect for chucking donuts with abandon.
Indeed, that’s my personal take. Burnouts, donuts, and circle-work are such a big part of Australian motoring culture that we needed the ute. You just can’t spin a jacked-up body-on-frame pickup in quite the same way as a low-slung ute based on a unibody sedan.
Anyway, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this ute build, and the concept in general. Meanwhile, I’ll be daydreaming about the alternate universe where Dodge became the third manufacturer in V8 Supercars, and we never saw the farce of rear-wheel-drive Nissan Altimas rounding the hallowed roads of Mount Panorama…
Image credits: Bring a Trailer
I think it’s kind of rude to sleep on the 20 odd years that Chrysler built Dodge badged vehicles right here in Australia.
Even the aforementioned Chrysler utes were sent out wearing the Dodge name.
There’s also the International based Dodge AT4 that was built here. There are some REAL Australian Dodges, and that’s not to say I’m shunning the Charger, but I will always fight for Australian car history to get the spotlight where deserved.
I feel like those levels of Australianity could be a little more specific. I’m thinking Crocodile Dundee -> Fosters -> Ute
Fosters? That would be in the negative territory, mate!
Bahaha I figured I’d throw something in incendiary in there so the actual Aussies would pounce. If Dundee didn’t get em, the Fosters would 😉
Speaking of pouncing, I put forth kangaroo or wallaby or drop bears pending actual recommendations from real wrenchers down under. Big Fucking Spiders also a strong candidate.
How about Crocodile Dundee — VB — Jimmy Barnes — Ute.
The Aussie beer market is about as polarised as the American Pickup market, but nobody can deny VB as particularly wrapped in Aussie culture.
Negative territory would be, in increasing order of wrongness: Outback Steakhouse — Fosters — Americans attempting an Aussie accent.
I reckon that stance is spot on for a ute… low enough to turn and high enough to work
Agreed, need to be able to tow without the bum dragging on the ground
It could be bagged for low looks and usefulness… but keeping it high riding tells the whole story without anyone having to ask
Why not made? Like EVERYTHING in existence the so called experts rely on their own ignorance instead of proper research. And once their experience is proven wrong they build of their mistakes. It’s really common sense. Toyota came from a tiny foreign car manufacturer to a number 1 manufacturer by producing several basic quality products in several demographics. The big three sat on their buts, bought out the competition, which led to knew competition, and Toyota just kept making better and better vehicles. Can you imagine if all the big 3 kept improving their product instead of the crap they made or cost cutting and killing customers. Yeah using that 29 cent plastic part that caused death and dismemberment saved 10 cent a truck, maybe was cheaper than the lawsuits but lost sales by the dead people and family and readers of the stories probably not a long term savings. American managers still operate on a quarterly basis while Asian markets use long term knowledge. I have seen so many high paid managers screw the company to make a quarterly bonus that owners should not give quarterly bonuses. If you make 6 figures only profits based on long term. It had allowed the USA TO grow quickly but now screw us.
Or just go and buy an actual factory Dodge ute, they were around for years
https://www.shannons.com.au/club/news/super-models/valiantdodge-utes-and-vans-chryslers-twin-badged-aussie-workhorses/
You do realise that Project Cactus is a Dodge?
Such great production savings as rubber plugs in the door pillars instead of dome light switches, no chrome (bumpers were painted silver) and no left-hand interior sun visor, they didn’t even weld in the mounting boss for one in the roof!
A VG Dodge with a 215 and three on the tree passed through my hands many years ago, and I remember thinking that all the good parts had been stolen from it……but no, it was all there. Perfect example of a “base” model!
The rear bumper is virtually non-existent, and the bed is too long “just to make it practical”.
But hey, it’s someone’s cup of tea. Just not mine.
People commenting here are acting like these are taking over or something. There’s a reason these are kits that sell in low volumes—it’s not for everyone. It’s not for me, either, since if I needed a truck, it would be more for towing and the tow rating on these is no more than the car, plus it looks like the seats don’t recline enough. Still, I like that someone is building them. IMO, these make the most sense of all their kits as the other ones look goofier and even less useful. Now do wagon conversion kits! (I’m fully aware that wouldn’t be practical and would cost way too much.)
At least for this one, the wagon conversion is easy. Magnum, charger, 300C and Challenger front clips all interchange. Put your favorite face on a Magnum, and boom, Wagon kit. Personally, I like the 300C on a Magnum, which they sold from the factory in Europe as the 300 Estate.
Yeah, I liked those, too. Rarely see them anymore. Really, it was just the face of the Magnum that I didn’t care for—too much jammed-on corporate face nonsense with that overwrought crosshair front—but I guess they wanted to differentiate it in the US from the other models instead of it just being an additional body style of the Charger or 300. Going to a 4-door already annoyed purists about the Charger, so why not a wagon version? There must be some kind of advantage on paper to having a different model name for the same cars with a different body styles since almost everyone does that now. Pepperidge Farm remembers when a single model might have 4 or more different body styles.
Hmmm. To perfect this, I would want the ability to put in 4WD with Warn hubs on the front. Maybe an air suspension to lift it up a bit when taking it camping. Perhaps a manual 6-speed, and that lever next to the shifter to engage 4H and 4L.
Actually the El Camino had strong sales well into the 80s, the problem was that backwards emissions and safety regulations here made building more utes prohibitively difficult compared to pickup trucks which are much easier to homologate for the American market.
Many people have begged American automakers to build utes again, and El Caminos have held their value well, it’s just not going to happen when regular trucks are selling fine.
I see stuff like this and ask why?
This is why God invented a proper truck…
Because it has the potential to be considerably lighter and more efficient than a standard pickup while doing the same work, and because lifting to a lower load floor is better.
Do you really not see the several very real advantages of a ute/coupe utility over a pickup?
Understand your comment. My point is why hack up a vehicle never designed to be a truck? There are a shit ton of trucks for sale everywhere. And I would venture to guess that a decent used one could be acquired for less time and money than what was spent on this example.
And no, I do not see the advantages of a ute/coupe utility over a pick up.
If you need/want a truck. Then buy a truck.
If you can’t understand why somebody would modify a car in a cool way even though it doesn’t make financial sense, then you are waaaaay out in the deep end of the pool on the Autopian here.
You really don’t understand why lifting heavy things less is better than lifting them more, and why burning less gas is better than burning more gas, and why hauling around less weight is better than hauling around more weight? I’m not saying that a Dodge Charger conversion is a better pickup than pickups, but the concept of a ute(literally just a pickup but lower) has some obvious advantages. If you need/want a truck, why wouldn’t you want to buy the best truck possible?
So I guess you just want to die on this hill? Seriously?
BTW I did a ton of builds/conversions. Just because you can do something, does not make it a sensible idea. And no, I don’t think this was modified in a “cool way.” Sorry/ not sorry. And these are not the best truck possible. There’s reasons they don’t build these type vehicles anymore.
But you do you, ok?
and find someone else to pontificate with please.
If you don’t think it’s cool and you don’t want to do a conversion like this, that’s understandable. I wouldn’t build one(like this anyways) either. But it is very clear that Lewin, many Autopians here, and the entire country of Australia does think it’s cool, and so I understand why other people would.
Die on this hill? Not really. Help you understand why, since you’re the one who said, “I see stuff like this and ask why?” Yes, I do want to do that.
If you don’t care about going off road or towing things and just want to haul stuff in a truck bed, utes make more sense. It’s not about utes being better than conventional pickup trucks by all objective measurements… just a few specific ones. If your specific pickup truck needs do involve going off-road and towing heavy loads, then of course you wouldn’t buy a ute for that job. But suppose you’re a hobbyist who doesn’t care about off-roading and doesn’t have heavy trailers to tow, for example. You frequently need something that can transport large objects, but don’t want to sacrifice fuel economy, ride comfort, or perhaps even sporty handling. So, you buy a ute. It’s based on a car and behaves like a car for doing car things, but can also haul large things in the back. It’s perfect tool for certain types of jobs/tasks without any compromises made for the sake of things you don’t intend to ever do.
Saying utes aren’t the best truck possible is like saying a scroll saw isn’t the best saw possible because it can only cut fine details in thin boards, whereas a bandsaw can perform much heavier-duty work and cut through a wider range of materials. Which tool is “better” depends entirely on what you want to do with them, so you pick the right tool for the job, the tool that’s ideal for what you’re specifically going to do with it.
Also some people just love the look of the ute body style, and that’s valid as well.
You probably don’t see the advantages because your ideas of what trucks are used for is pretty narrow and inflexible compared to the actual full spectrum of “truck stuff”.
My Dad bought a Dodge Rampage new in ’84. Not just a ute, but damn near the smallest ute you could get in the states. He did truck stuff with it. Why didn’t he buy a truck?
A C/K 1500 or F150 would have been absolute overkill for him. Even a base Ranger was more truck than he needed to accomplish his “truck stuff”. Back in the day, utes/coupe utilities were a way to trade off that overkill capacity for other features that would be more useful to your situation, be it comfort, operating cost, agility, etc. The Santa Cruz and Maverick are, in part, successful because the “small” end of the truck market has been vacant for so long in the US, and are the closest cousins currently available. And yes, some utes were bought simply as a status symbol. Much like some full-size trucks these days.
That’s why you are wrong. The UTE gives a car driving experience with the truck utility that is needed a few days a year. Now you can’t buy a small truck, or a medium truck, just monster trucks that don’t fit in older garages and ride like a truck. Studies show most pickup truck owners dint use it as a truck so buy a Ute get a car driving experience and move a few lite item a couple times a year.
Oh I see many since most people don’t use the pickup as a pickup 360 days a year. And then mostly for lite weight.
Interesting. I’ll mullet over.
Boo!
Kentucky Waterfall
Soccer Rocker
10/90
Whorehouse Cut
Tennessee Tophat
What else am I missing?
Indiana Headress
Iowa Wave
Texas Two-type
Quality response
Every year I look up Smyth kits and rear ended Chargers. I can never make the math work, because while it would look cool, I’m basically stuck with a worse single cab “truck”. I could have taken the money and bought a proper extended cab Dodge/Ford/Chevy and be able to do more with a similar sized engine and 4WD.
However, I still find their Audi A4 ute to be hilarious and I would make an exception for that if I could find a cheap S4 and do the conversion.
Appreciate your take here.
Common sense is a real thing.
Stating that this is common sense assumes the ONLY reason to build this is utility. Yes, dollar per unit of utility is higher is likely higher on other vehicles. If that is your only measure, you best be driving a used minivan. David proved those are the most utility per dollar on the market just recently.
Otherwise, perhaps consider love, a desire to be different, a love of building something you haven’t built before, shits and giggles, because I can, and why the hell not to all be COMPLETELY REASONABLE basis for building a car like this.
Sorry to disagree. My point was obvious, trucks are everywhere. And are there to do truck things. Yes it’s easy to understand that people want to build something different. That’s ok by me.
I spent many years building custom vehicles for a living. And understand the desire for fun, or something different. No problem with that at all.
I’m sorry but I don’t understand your point. Your point was “trucks are everywhere”. But Charger Utes aren’t…. so if “truck” was not the main reason this was built, your point that trucks are everywhere doesn’t have anything to do with the existence of this vehicle.
That same logic can be applied to everything in the car world. Fast cars are everywhere, so why would you put a supercharger on something slow. Pretty cars are everywhere, so why would put a body kit and a paint job on a car to make it look better. New trucks are everywhere so why would you spend thousands of dollars and years of time building an old truck.
I don’t understand why the existence of trucks precludes someone from building their own truck, even if it is arguably worse at all the truck things.
People can do/build whatever they care to. Just saying it’s not a truck, so it does not “work” for me. Sorry if my logic is offensive or not understood.
I can’t tell you how many people I did this kind of stuff for in the past. The sad part is they usually ended up regretting the time, effort, and money that was expended to end up with a ride that they ultimately ended being disappointed with…
I can totally understand why folks want a ute, or truck.
And not looking for a “debate” here. Just was saying in the first comment that I don’t see why people feel the need to build their own, when there are already vehicles that were designed to do the job.
A unibody car does not usually make for a decent truck.
But appreciate hearing your POV just the same.
Fair enough. I appreciate discussion, though I don’t typically play the keyboard warrior I seem to be playing today. We disagree on the value of a ridiculous Charger Ute build. Real important topic *sarcasm font*. I seem to just be picking fights over nothing around here today. Sorry to create a debate around a silly Smythe build.
No harm, no foul amigo. And agreed. I just don’t care for them because to me they look pretty bad. The roof and lower body don’t fit well. So it sort of ends up looking like some guy did it in his backyard. And do appreciate creative people a lot, yet have seen a ton of good cars/trucks in the junkyard a couple of years after conversions like this. If I wanted a truck looking vehicle would do something really stupid and order the TESLA pos. /s
But sure don’t mean to disparage you, or anyone else. We all see stuff differently, a good thing. So hope you can also excuse me. too. I see the world through a different lens than most.
And one of the issues with brain damage and OCD is for me it causes some dumb need to try and convince others to see things my way.
Wish you a good one.
I first came across smyth’s conversions when I was trying to explain to my wife what a vw caddy is (they make late model golf and jetta conversions too), what I’m hoping is that one day they’ll do the jeep renegade based comanche concept as a kit. It would be a perfect little runaround for my daughter when she’s old enough, plus I like to build things with my kids so having her help put it together would make it that much better. Until then I’ve also been eyeing the charger and vw conversions for her, she’s got several years to go but I try to plan ahead.
These are neat. You can watch Jared Pink assemble on on the Questionable Garage YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheQuestionableGarage
I WANT.. SO BAD.. signed a MAGA American
Real MAGAs drive BRATs.
https://japanesenostalgiccar.com/the-story-of-ronald-reagans-subaru-brat/
Love those too!
Smyth ute conversions are excellent and, for ute lovers, such a great idea. I know two people who have them. One did the build himself, the other had it built by a shop recommended by Smyth. Both came out great
I’ve always been a ute fan and owned one. My best ute memory occurred in Port Hedland, Australia forty years ago. I was there on a joint military training exercise. We stayed in the Walkabout Hotel (motel?). The Walkabout had a very large bar (pub?) that seemed to serve as a main watering hole for the area. It also featured an indoor cricket court. While we were there a women’s tournament was being held. The place was absolutely packed. What I remember most though was walking over to the court through the parking lot where every single vehicle (except our rentals) was a ute. I had to take a photo. It was sublime.
Yeah, those flat panels in the bed are a bad idea.
I wonder why utes flourished in Oz instead of trucks?
Because they (utes) originally were body on frame with a 3/4 to 1 tonne payload. And we also had plenty of mid size (up to 3 tonne) trucks from the likes of Bedford and International.
US ‘trucks’ like the F Series and whatever equivalent that GM or Chrysler had nothing much different to offer and a suitable business case was almost never made…so they were rarely if ever offered here.
Agreed. I don’t have any evidence at present, but hypothesise that it was much less expensive for the Big Three to make utes out of the station wagon versions of their regular car range as it could be done on the same production line.
They had separate facilities for the larger Dodge/Bedford/International trucks, and so adding a third production line or facilities for F-Trucks and the like didn’t make sense as there probably wasn’t enough demand.
I’m pretty sure Smyth used to sell these conversions for VW Jettas.
Edit: Looks like they have them for as few different cars. https://www.smythkitcars.com/
Still do.
I don’t know why I thought they had stopped making these kits.
You just don’t read about them often unless you’re looking for them.
America yearns for a ute. The wait times on the Maverick proved it. The only people who don’t want to make utes are the automakers, who won’t make enough profit off them and were more than happy to watch the El Camino become a trailer park icon.
I would buy one of these if it was factory stamped steel / aluminium. Not too much of a fan of fiberglass for truckish things. But imagine how much easier it would be to throw a pick-a-part used steering rack into the back of this, compared to one of those huge new full sized pick ups the big companies are making now. So much friendlier to use.
Wait until you find about every Chevy and Dodge dually with fiberglass or considerably worse plastic bedsides.
I don’t see a problem with fiberglass fenders unless you intend to bash stuff against the bed sides constantly. The bed itself is aluminum, and you’re free to spray all the bedliner you want on it for protection, as several of the builds featured on Smyth’s website do. There are also structural reinforcements as part of the kit to keep the frame of the vehicle rigid.
As long as you clarify 4 door only. 2 door vehicles have to be at a record low market share. Coupes, regular cab pickups, and convertibles are all in terminal decline. A traditional ute like this one would go over like a lead balloon.
How *dare* you suggest on this website that a two-door, single cab small truck wouldn’t have good market share in this day and age. We just had a whole thread of people proclaim luxury trucks were trash; the sales figures will reflect that mindset soon enough.
The beatings will continue until the crank window 2WD grandpa edition S10 is on sale again.
Make it a flareside Extreme with a loading floor at knee height.
When you’re all hunched over with age, you need that low bed, you consarn disrespectful young whipper-snapper!
As they should.
I’m picturing the ‘There are dozens of us!” gif.
I say this as someone actively looking for a single cab two door truck because it’s all I need for the time being.
They are offered in Oz in a couple of different flavours from the usual suspects (Ford, Toyota, Isuzu, Mitsubishi…). However, they don’t sell very many – single percentage points of total sales last I heard.
Have you checked nearby lakebeds and rivers?
This is up there with that Challenger-ized Magnum wagon from a while back.
I don’t know how or why it happened, but somehow, this style of car became synonymous in the states with “lowlife.” Not saying it is true, but the El Camino in “My Name is Earl” was perfect car casting.
I desperately need one now….
They had that reputation long before My Name is Earl.
Around here, many of them were Grandpa cars for some reason
At least Earl’s wife was hot. These are not.