Something you don't see every day http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford...4984286?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item1e69db14de
Theres one of those near me in northern Virginia, but its a Chevy. Its in a little better shape than that one (straight solid and complete but showing wear). I believe its a 47 Chevy. As all Utes, it is a right hand drive model. It sat at a shop near my office for months and I asked about it. It was there as they were trying to find parts for one of the doors but I don't remember if it was door latch parts or window related parts.
In Kelowna, B.C. Tedy? Trying to figure out how they put these together...... Standard 'business coupe' roof and windows. Appears to have an extended wheelbase though. Rear fenders probably different from the standard coupe fenders. Hard to tell, but it looks like the P/U bed is welded to the body a la Ranchero / El Camino et al..... You'll also note that this style preceeded Ford's 'extended-cab' by 30+ years! Room for the kiddies, etc behind the front seat.
I never did understand why those weren't built in the USA. Room for a few kids in the rear and yet a real truck for light duty. I waited till 1975 to own my first truck when Ford came out with the supercab. All others before this were more utility and ugly.
Back in the 50's it was quite uncommon for anyone to own a pick-up, unless they used it for a business. The only pick-up owner I knew back then was my aunt & uncle, who had a '59 Ranchero - but they had some acreage, so they needed it. With the growth of suburbia, families (at that time) didn't really need a pick-up (a wagon would do). Most everything was within a short driving distance, and you could always have something delivered (for free). Pick-ups didn't start gaining real popularity in the U.S. until they started equipping them more like cars-power steering, automatic transmissions, two-tone paint and more chrome. It was only then that the public saw the pick-up as an alternative to the 2nd car in the garage. Question: Do you think the El Camino and Ranchero would have sold a lot more units when they first came out in '59 / '57 respectively if they had a small back seat in them, and a bit shorter bed, ala the Aussie utes? Personally, I don't think so. The styling would be a bit odd, and if you needed some more passenger capacity, you might as well just get a station wagon. The sales of the Aussie utes is unique. Lots of driving to get to town - and maybe you can only go once a month. Need room for lots of supplies, and maybe the whole family is going.....
KK ole wise one, you speak the truth. It did seem that pickup trucks didn't show up in the suburbs till around the late 60's where we lived. Then they were basic cabs with an eight foot bed. They actually rode like a ---truck! After the later 60's and 70's many were buying them to pull larger RV's. Exactly why I bought them.
Oh, you know it! I had more than one ride in the back of my aunt's Ranchero from West Los Angeles to Walnut, CA (near Pomona) - a distance of around 60 miles - about 2/3rds of it on the freeway.
