A40 Ute from the 1950s.
The photograph of an Austin pickup truck was sent over by Donna, asking if I could i.d. the vehicle for her.
Back to Car Photographs Page 3.
Several photographs of A40 pickups appear elsewhere on the site, including in this vintage photos section (see link above). Seen here is the Australian-bodied version of the British Austin A40. Whereas in the UK we had the factory bodied pickups, in Australia they received rolling chassis with the front end bodywork, onto which they'd build their own cab and rear body. It wasn't just Austins either, as chassis from Bedford, Humber, Ford and others received a similar treatment. The end result was usually a stylish looking truck, at least as (if not more so) attractive than the home-grown British types.
| As a comparison, here is the Mk2 Coupe Utility for the Australian market. The body is a one-piece job: |
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| And here is a UK market pickup, with its separate cab and pickup body. Earlier pickups had the saloon's chrome grille, and later pickups the revised rear arches: |
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This photo was taken in 1970, by which time the 8cwt A40 ute (or 'Hi-Lite Coupe Utility' as it was correctly known) was getting on a bit! The rear wheelarch profile on this ute is similar to that seen on late Devon pickups and vans in the UK (so is a Mk2 Utility), previously UK models had fuller rear spats that were removable. Earlier Australian bodied Utes had bulbous, separate rear wings.
Biggest giveaway of the Australian utilities is the curved shape to the back of the cab, affording more interior space than on conventional pickups. This Devon has also been fitted with an exterior sunvisor, and is populated by a group of excited looking children (well who wouldn't be excited when in the presence of an A40?!?!!!!! hehe). The tailgate has been lowered - many ute restoration projects that are discovered nowadays are missing the tailgate. They were often removed to allow larger loads to be carried, and get split up from the vehicle they came from.
Thanks for the photo Donna!
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