Some ute-ful information
Dear Classic American,
Being in Australia I’ve only bought my July 2021 issue today, but I felt I needed to respond to the ‘Hudson First?’ letter in this issue, in case no one else has. We Australians claim to have the original ‘car pick-up’, which of course we call the ute, with the release of the Ford Coupe Utility in 1934.
Ute versions of every US Ford from then up until the late Fifties were produced (after which the utes were Falcon based) and Australianbuilt GM products and
Chrysler products soon followed. I believe the first US product in a similar vein was the Studebaker Coupe Express in 1937.
I’ve included a photo of the 1934 Ford ute and a particularly nice 1956 Ford Mainline ute. I always enjoy your magazine.
Peter McDonald Nhill, Victoria, Australia
You are completely right Peter and we stand corrected – the Australians had the first car pick-ups and there’s no doubting this fact!