I thought it was cool before even noticing the tailgate
How many people do you know that use a truck as a car? I’d bet people are reading this that do. I owned a truck with a troublesome soft tonneau cover once, so I’m guilty. Why a truck as a car? Many reasons. First, they’re bigger, higher, and easier to see out of in traffic. Second, they don’t drag as deep in the snow, less likely to get stuck. Finally, they do gravel roads way better than a car. Everything is heavier underneath, and they follow the ruts in the road that are made mainly by other trucks. Back in the day, if you wanted something stylish and comfortable but slightly more practical than a car, you had choices.
The Ford Ranchero, Chevy El Camino, GMC Sprint, and Dodge Rampage were all offered at one point in time as a car that could haul little more than a car, just fewer passengers. Volkswagen even had a Rabbit pickup. Nowadays, the pickup car is an idea that is virtually gone from the OEM but not forgotten. For those that aren’t in Australia and can’t get their hands on a Holden Ute, Smyth Performance makes some neat kits to make Audi, Volkswagen, Dodge and Subaru cars into handy little ute pickups. They even have a kit to convert a Jeep Cherokee into a trail-rated mini truck. I’ve done some pretty extensive research on the kits, and they don’t look that difficult to install, but they also don’t come that cheap. Back in the late 1980s, Gruau did a Renault conversion, resulting in the smallest pickup I’ve ever seen. The Renault 5 Belle-Ile by Gruau was designed to fill a small hole in a small market, with the smallest pickup bed I’ve seen on anything other than a side-by-side.
It’s a neat concept, really. It’s a tiny little economy car, with the option of a Blazer-style removable rear roof section for the back seat convertible experience. Like utility more than other people? No problem! Pop the rear seats out, and it’s a pickup bed. The tailgate is one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen. It hinges at the top like a typical trunk lid or hatch gate, but it can also drop straight back behind the rear bumper. I’m guessing this is so the gate-mounted license plate is always visible, even when hauling longer cargo. It even has a roll bar for that rugged, off-road feel without necessarily having any actual rugged, off-road capability. Sadly, only around 500 exist due to low original sales, so they’re extremely uncommon. That being said, there are tons of old hatchbacks out there for pennies on the dollar, practically begging for a second life. All you need is a Focus, Civic, Accent, Golf, etc., an idea, and a reciprocating saw.
Have a question or comment for Kelly? Post it at lmtimes.ca/kirk
