It seems like a good idea, but the coupe pickup just never caught on in the US, unlike in some other parts of the world.
Vintage Brochure Shot: 1936 Chevrolet Coupe Pick-Up – It Never Caught On Here
– Posted on May 4, 2023
-
-
Curbside Classics Archives
The rear bumper step pads are back on some new pickups now.
Looks like GM’s answer to the 1934 Australian Ford Coupe utility (‘ute’) that would become so popular in that country (and remains so) to this day.
Strangely, it doesn’t appear that the 1936 Chevrolet Coupe Pickup was available in Australia.
Sadly, you can’t buy a new one though, the last Holden ute was made in October 2017, the last Falcon came off the line in June 2016.
This style was actually common in rural South Africa and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). They weren’t business coupes though, they all had front and rear seats. For farmers they were very practical cars, their entire family fits in it while they can haul livestock and cargo around with it too.
Some of them still exist, I hope that the pic I attached is visible.
And another one…
And the last one
Good ol’ Bakkie.
Because Jeeps had (and still have somewhat) absurdly short cargo beds, there have always been retractable bed extenders out there for them. Not particularly popular, but not unheard of either.
In my younger days, I was the proud owner of a 1936 Chevrolet Master Deluxe 4 door sedan. It ran and drove, but did not pass PA inspection. With a few simple hand tools and parts mail ordered from J. C. Whitney, I fixed a few of its problems. But I was unable repair the knee action front suspension which leaked fluid badly, some of which would find its way down over the front brakes. I sold the car for what I paid for it. I often wish I had it back.
Holy Moley! What a sweet machine!
I’m just spitballing here, and someone will correct me, I’m sure…
In 1936, most people who drove pickups were farmers or tradespeople. The country is still in The Depression. The Dust Bowl has driven many farmers in the plains broke, or out of business, or moved away (see: “The Grapes of Wrath”).
People either have money or they don’t; there isn’t much of a middle class at this point in history. The concept of the coupe utility is that it can haul the family and also haul some stuff. Maybe Australians didn’t suffer The Depression as much as Americans did, I really don’t know.
In some way, this “coupe pickup” the grandfather of the modern Ford Maverick. But times are a whole lot different now.
Ive seen a couple of those kits in NZ whether they were genewine or not I dont know but actual utes existed and plenty of cars were cut down into flatdecks.
These coupes with a cargo bed (source unknown to me) seemed fairly popular in the oil patch of West Texas in the 1940s. I think many were used by firms which did on the spot analyses of likely looking drilling cores right at the drilling rig.
In he late 1970s I had a maroon & black 1937 Terraplane Coupe-Pickup. Both the Hudson version and the Terraplane had a regular coupe trunk lid, that on opening showed a short 3′ long pickup bed inside. There were handles on the ends of the pickup bed that when twisted and pulled, would extend the bed out to almost 6′.
In 1979 I took the Terraplane to the local Sulley Plantation car show [Near Dulles Airport in VA]. I put 2 hay bales in the bed along with two 5 gallon milk cans, and dressed in farmer’s denim bib overalls & a straw hat. I entered the Terraplane for judging, and took home the trophy for most popular car!
About 40 years later I was at a H-E-T club national meet and saw what I believe was my old car there, and this photo is of that car. Don’t know for sure if it was my car, because it had passed thru several owners and the current owner had no history for his car.
Found this old Aussie Hudson ute rotting away on private property.
I well remember these in older farms in the early 1960’s, the Chevrolets were called “Coupe Express” and the beds were fairly easily removed so one could use the Coupe on weekends to go to town, church or whatever .
I wanted one so badly as child, the only one I even encountered in the flesh was given to a NISEI work mate of mine who’s grandfather had bought it new in 1941 *just* before hostilities broke out .
Like so many Japanese Americans they treated every thing they owned very well and it was still in good nick when he got it, he said he’d scrap the bed and make the beautiful car over into one more So. Cal. Hot Rod……
-Nate
Very cool! I never knew this design existed until now. A clever reinterpretation of the rumble seat. They must have been viewed as too compromised regarding load size and ease of access. Most Americans seem obsessed with single purpose vehicles. Having only owned two and four door smaller cars I have surprised a few people when it comes to how much I can stuff inside.
Meanwhile, in Australia, if you could only afford one vehicle….
In 1979 I bought a ’69 Chevy Nova for $100 (w/ a broken waterpump;), which I then had modified into a pickup. The engine was a 350/325 hp w/ hi-lift cam and full-corvette carbs, a 4-speed automatic, and bulletholes in each front fender. You could order a ‘Vette engine in any Chevy back then, but this was a drug dealer’s car who needed FAST. It beat everything I ever foolishly raced at stoplights by a large margin, and was dangerously sqwizzzly on turns due to the lightened rear pickup-box. So I carried several sandbags in the bed.
One day soon I’ll find the pics.. Meanwhile…in 1982…
It was a Nova Coupe pickup!