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May
26
Australia’s In Love With the Ute
May 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment
When driving on Australian roads, you will see plenty of Utes ” The Utility Vehicle made first by Ford and then by Holden but proudly Australian. A Ute is not really complete unless you have a dog chained to the roll bar in the back open tray, loving every minute of its journey and the wind blowing through its ears!
Legend has it that the Ute was designed by a young engineer at Ford Australia named Lewis Brandt who responded to a letter from a farmers wife from Victoria. She wanted to know why there wasn’t a car available for her husband to buy that could enable him to take her to church on a Sunday and be able to still take the pigs to Market on a Monday. And Lo! The concept of a passenger/load carrying vehicle -The Ute- was born. I should have known a woman was behind the idea! Since that time in the 1930s Ford, Holden and Chrysler have manufactured Utes and they are as popular today as they were then and are found in town,city or country areas.
There are distinctly different features to Utes depending on where you are:
In Towns the Ute is preferred by young adolescent men who have recently gained the privilege to drive. They use it for work and to impress the ladies. They are usually customized with a V8 engine, for faster driving and made lower than country models. The preserved classic Ute will also be spotted around town. They owners of these, rarely drive them and are usually the vehicles original owner.
The Country Utes are owned by rural young men and are the sole object that their lives revolve around. It will be used as a mobile home, a chick magnet, an entertainment machine, a means of transportation, and a conversation point. Their main accessories include huge aerials, bull bars , and country number plates. It is said that without the country number plates you do not own a true country Ute!
These days any load carrying car, to small to be a truck, is called a Ute. However, a true Aussie Ute is one based on the passenger sedan.
To quote the UASA, The Ute Appreciation Society of Australia, yes there really is such a thing(!)- The Ute is more than just a car .The Ute is a thing of beauty. The Ute is part of our National identity. The Ute is an expression of ones lifestyle. The Ute makes boys into men. The Ute is Australian. Says it all really!
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