hey all you ute owners...
the corrigin (in WA) dog in a ute is on again next year 9th of april 2005
I know its early.... but this way we can make more people aware... so we can break the record of 1527 utes with dogs. I went last time, and it proved to be a great event. All it needed was a few more datto utes...
the site:
http://www.corrigin.wa.gov.au/default.asp?et=1&ei=6
see u's there!!!!

This record is a fake. A large number of the "so called" utes were in fact pickups [Hi lux etc] flat bed trucks, drop side tray backs etc' etc.

A ute is a ute, & the rest are just commercial vehicles. To be a ute, it needs a one piece body from the rear of the door opening to the tail light / tailgate area.

Our Datsun 1000 & 1200 utes are the real deal, but the current Falcon is a pickup. It might look nice [to some] but it aint a ute.

hmm sounds like we have a jealous eastern stater!! hahah sorry cheap shot, take no offence.

Bieng a bit pedantic though. I have to agreee with trucks should not be classified, but cab chassis commercials that are less than 2 tonne could be reasonably included. Hiluxs, tunnas etc are still utes.
anyways, I might be able to get to there this year, depending on work.

Pedantic? Jealous? Jealous of what?... Ignorance? We clearly diferentiate between coupe & a two door sedan which are surprisingly similar, yet thats not pedantic. We have two door sedans & four door sedans clearly diferentiated, & thats not being pedantc, yet i diferentiate between two clearly diferent commercial vehicle types & i'm being pedantic. It's not a good argument.

The Datsun ute is a passenger car derivative, while the Hi-Lux pickup is based on a pure commercial chassis, yet you want to classify them as the same. I think the level of hipocracy is getting out of hand [please, take no offence] as what we have are clearly a number of commercial category vehicles, yet many Australians seem obsessed with the aquisition of ignorance by lumping them all together under the name "ute".

We clearly define well over a dozen diferent passenger car styles, many of which are quite similar.
Can you describe the diference between a Convertible & a Club Roadster, or perhaps an Opera Coupe, a Victoria, & a Doctors Coupe. Lets throw in a Salon Brougham & a Close Coupled sedan.
Is calling a drop side, flatbed small truck, which is based on a commercial chassis, a ute being lazy, stupid, or ignorant? You chose.

A ute is a ute. Please don't belittle the only real body style that Australia has contributed to the global automotive scene by submerging it amongst other clearly identified, but diferent, commercial vehicle types.
Be proud of our humble contribution.

well that taught me alot.. you got a very good point there dodgeman

Clasifications exist for a reason, from broader to specific. If the fact of the matter calls for utes, then, utes and only utes should be there. Strictly speaking, there is no place for anything other than utes, if the call was for coupes, you would not want sedans, but I think the problem is not with the people having fun, but with the organizers, seems like they are a little bit disorganized.
Better enforce the definition, or else, change it to a more general name, because somebody might come in the future and throw away the achievement based on the erred definition. Do it right, or save your time.

later_____________________

You think that's funny ... Subaru has classified their Legacy Outback as a "truck" but their more-truck-like Forrester SUV as a "car" with the US government, and it's accepted. DaimlerChrysler registered their PT Cruiser as a truck, but they cannot get the new PT Cruiser Convertible accepted as one (that one is a "car"). This is important because mandated government fuel-economy and emission control requirements are less for trucks.

Anyways, where is it defined what "ute" means? Dodgeman, those other terms are in encyclopedias and dictionaries ... but what about "ute"?

[edit: OK, I found this from Holden:Quote:

"Coupe Utility" that's what a "Ute" is short for!

Anyway back to the point:
I can get hold of a dog, lost mine last year :(
The dog in a ute out at Corro is a great day. Will post closer to the time perhaps to cruze up there
cheers

Quote:
Actually "ute" is short for "utility" Nothing more, nothing less.
The first utes were produced as production bodies for Chevrolet & also for Dodge cars in 1924 by Holden.
Holden body builders were partly owned by GM & their sole line of business was to manufacture auto bodies for various car distributors within Australia, under contract. At that time they made Dodge bodies along with quite a few others.

These two cars were "Roadster Utilities" That means that they were ragtops. This style of ute was not to be phased out untill after the war years & i owned a 1939 Plymouth roadster ute in the late '70's

The Coupe Ute was created by Ford Australia in 1934 & this style quickly caught on, pushing the roadster ute off the market in about seven years. I am going to look at a 1933 Dodge roadster ute tomorrow with a view to buying it's very rare, but derelict remains.

The Ute is the only bodystyle that Australia has contributed to the automotive world & it grieves me to see the ignorant & the unknowing refer to other, clearly defined commercial vehicles, like pickups & flat beds, as utes. Grrrrrrrr!