Celebrating 90 Years Of The Ute

In 1933 an Australian farmer’s wife wrote a letter to Ford asking them for a vehicle “to go to church in on a Sunday” that could also “carry our pigs to market on Mondays.” Ford listened and responded accordingly. A year later they released the “coupe utility vehicle” that we all know today as the Ute. It has been just over 90 years since that date and this forerunner of the F-series American pickup is still going today. Let’s have a look at a bit of the history behind this famous vehicle and its legacy.

Born on the Farm.

Australia is well known for its agricultural community. Whether its sheep, cattle, pigs or crops, 61% of the land is used for farming or gazing. Because of that a lot of life is centred on the farm, farmers needed tools, supplies and vehicles that to help on the farm.

Like many ideas, the design of the Ute came from a need, just like the original Ford Model T. In 1933, Hubert French, Ford’s managing director at the time, received a request from a farmer’s wife in Victoria. The letter said, “Dear Sir, my husband and I can’t afford a car and a truck, but we need a car to go to church on Sundays and a truck to take the pigs to market on Mondays. Can you help us?” She had a need for both passenger room and cargo room in the same vehicle. After French got the request, he passed it on to the company’s designer, 23 year old Lewis Bandt who then designed the vehicle that we have all come to know and love. Unfortunately however Bandt subsequently died in an accident whilst driving the utility vehicle that he had designed.

The Ute Design.

Bandt’s design combined the features of both a car and truck in such a way that it would maximise the good qualities of each. His new design cleaned up the overall profile of the vehicle and increased the area of the trick bed. His renderings were first drawn on a blackboard that was 10 meters long. His design would allow for a 545 kilogram payload, which was quite impressive for a ‘truck’ that was supposed to look like a car. Ford built and tested two prototypes before the vehicle was finally put into production. Even Henry Ford was impressed with the result. The first Ute model had a V8 engine and a three-speed manual transmission. Bandt’s surprising solution had a four-door cab, like other Model 40s, but the truck space was replaced by a wooden truck bed that was surrounded by a smooth panelled exterior. It caught on like wild fire and was very quickly declared a ‘must have’ vehicle for farming families. Over 22,000 were sold in the decade and a half that followed and since then, it has turned into a great Australian tradition. So, here’s to 90 plus years of Utes, Australia’s favourite utility vehicle.