The car-based pickup never really caught on in America like it did in places like Australia. Sure, we got our Rancheros and El Caminos, but nothing as crazy as what our friends from Down Under got. But that can’t stop us enthusiasts from dreaming about the perfect small pickup. What car would make a great pickup truck?
There was once a time when modern America was supposed to get its shot at ute greatness. Bob Lutz of all people wanted to slap a Pontiac badge on an Australian ute, but we never got the Pontiac G8 ST and Pontiac itself isn’t even around anymore, either. Nowadays, hungry American ute enthusiasts are satiated through importing utes from Australia, enjoying what we already got here in America, or taking a Sawzall to their ride in an effort to build something like a Smyth ute conversion.
As of right now, there are only a handful of models that companies like Smyth sell conversion kits for.
For years, Smyth has sold kits to convert a couple of Volkswagens, the Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ, the Dodge Charger, and the Subaru Impreza into little pickups. That’s not a lot of choice, but yes, it does mean that you can make a Hellcat ute if you wanted to!
Let’s go further than this and think of cars we haven’t seen turned into trucks before. If you know me well enough, you already know my answer. I’d love to see someone make a ute kit for the Smart Fortwo. Custom builds have been done before, like the first-generation Smart utes that were made in Europe or the weird one-off made in Canada that’s pictured below.
Sadly, this car didn’t have two drive axles or anything wild like that. The builder just extended the car by adding a small bed and two more wheels. That makes it middle-wheel-drive, I guess? Still, I would totally daily drive this thing.
If I expand out of my little Smart bubble, I’d love to see some real oddballs turned into utes. How about a hyper luxury ute by way of cutting up a high-mileage Volkswagen Phaeton?
Maybe speed is your jam? Alright, I got you. Let’s break out the reciprocating saw and make a Chevrolet Corvette truck! Sure, tow ratings for some of these utes might be embarrassing and payloads may leave you with only barely useful loads, but let’s have some fun here. For the purposes of this question, the only limit is your imagination.
I want to know, what car would you think would make for a cool truck? Also, if that Canadian guy happens to be a reader, can you make one of my Smarts into a truck?
Volvo 740 or Mercedes 240D
The Civic Del Sol is basically a ute. The trunk is huge!
Bring back the Baja! Turn that Outback (Wilderness optional) into a ute with 2 doors.
In the spirit of Travis McGee, I would like to see a Rolls Royce Phantom ute conversion. Really, any ute conversion would be great because utes rule.
Basically any 2 door. Jeep Wrangler, Miata, etc.
All of ‘em. I mean, I’ve seen all manner of cars converted to pickups and used as farm vehicles, and I think in many cases it’s a good repurposing of a vehicle to give it a second life. Three personal examples:
-My great grandfather used a ‘55 Buick sedan to haul hay bales. Not sure if he removed the trunk or not.
-The old guy down the road had a cut-up 1st-gen Cavalier that he used to move cows.
-Talked to a guy with a SRT8 Charger with a Smyth conversion bed. It wasn’t a farm truck (bike hauler), but the fact that he used it for truck stuff was very cool.
I’ve also seen Ford Fiestaminos, Subaruaminos, SN95 Mustang-aminos, Jettaminos, Saturnaminos…I could go on but you get the idea. An old crappy car may no longer be a useful or particularly functional vehicle, but that doesn’t mean it can’t live a second life as a deathtrap pickup truck.
As far as the best? I dunno, whichever one you can get cheaply, in running condition, and you don’t feel bad about sawzalling the back half off. Also, no V10 TDIs.
The current Accord, if only because adding a six-footer bws behind the rear seats will actually downsize it a bit.
Trying to get new ideas for The Bishop I see?
The new Jaguar.
I know of an Aston DB5 pickup, brilliantly half assed thing, As a gentleman of taste and no distinction a Silver shadow trucklet seems a good idea.
As someone who’s by no means a gentleman and who lacks taste as well as distinction, I think it would be an even better idea to make it out of a Camargue.
Following on the Camry idea, there are many many 2004-2006 Lexus ES330s still on the road. Convert this, and we will truly have a Cajun Cadillac.
A Camry, there are tons of them
We could call it a ElCamryoo
Miata is always the answer. So we’ll go with the Miata. If someone can make a Fiat 500 work, they can make a Miata work.
I’ve always wanted to convert a 1973 Hurst Olds 442 into a ute by way of a same-year El Camino body shell. They’re built on the same platform, so the only custom bodywork necessary would be transferring the lower body lines of the Oldsmobile quarter panels into the El Camino body shell. Also possibly grafting the firewall of the Oldsmobile into the El Camino to keep the Hurst Olds VIN, since doing the simple thing and drilling out the rivets to swap VIN plates is illegal, but “major bodywork” is perfectly fine totally definitely probably maybe. Otherwise, everything should bolt right up like GM LEGO.
This is the perfect union because it improves both vehicles. The ’73 Hurst Olds has an epic front end while the rear end looks horrid, and the ’73 El Camino has a spectacular rear end with a horrid front end. Combine the best parts of both and you’d have one sexy Oldsmobile ute.
Honestly though, any car with a damaged roof or rear end is a good ute conversion candidate. Ute-ify all the things! Anything to give a heavily damaged vehicle a second life.
Back in the 90’s I used to frequently pass a Sklymino parked in a grocery store/strip mall parking lot so it was someone’s daily driver. They did do a good job of putting the side sweep onto the El Camino body. It was definitely an older build as the paint was showing its age. Being a Buick fan I definitely would have drove it.
Bentley Continental SC. Yes I want a Bentley pickup with a targa top.
Obviously the Fiat 500 or if you want to go hardcore the Toyota iQ
I have actually seen a Fiat one. Someone in Germany has one for sale with a matching trailer. I’ve only seen screenshots or I’d link the listing.
Edit: It seems this is an actual conversion that’s been done many times. One example:
https://www.classic.com/veh/1966-fiat-500-giardiniera-pickup-conversion-163892-47P3zXn/
Tbh I was thinking more of the new one but I’ll take it. It’s adorable.
Not made anymore, but the HHR looked great as a truck.
Generally boxy cars, like how the Maverick was done, that’s an Escape but it totally has a truck look. So like the Venue would probably look better than the Santa Cruz, a Kia Soul they actually made a concept ute looking thing and it looked pretty neat, the Honda Element would’ve looked better than the Ridgeline, Subaru Forester already drives fairly trucklike so that’d be a good fit, probably could fit a bench in it too.
The Hornet. As someone else said, you can use it to get the parts to fix it.
Mustang- if only Ford had a history of a car-based, rwd, v8 (available) powered truck that they could poach the name from.
But then they also left the ‘Thunderbolt’ name off the roster.
Amen. And why isn’t Galaxie adorning an EV already?
I miss the Thunderbird 🙁
Thunderbolt seems like a good name for a high performance version of the Lighting. Or the upcoming smaller EV pickup.