Dodge Charger ute channels HSV Maloo
US mod-shop delivers spiritual successor to beloved Aussie Falcon and Commodore utesAustralians have a special place in their hearts for the homegrown car-based rear-drive two-door utes that ceased production about five years ago now, which is precisely why this new Dodge Charger pick-up conversion caught our eye.
Developed by US vehicle conversion company Smyth Performance in Rhode Island, the package comes as a kit and comprises aluminium plate panels, riveted sub-sections and fibreglass gel-coated external body sections.
These computer-generated renders of the final product show a top-spec SRT Hellcat version, complete with bonnet scoop, vents and an optional wide-body kit to fit ultra-fat 315-section rear tyres.
The engine of choice will depend on the donor car, but you can bet your bottom dollar there’ll be a number of Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat utes blasting around the States in due course, with a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 belting out an astonishing 527kW of power and 880Nm of torque.
By way of comparison, the most powerful Aussie-made ute was the HSV GTSR W1, powered by a 474kW Chevrolet LS9 supercharged V8. Just four of the brawny utes were built and one of them was listed on carsales for an eye-watering $1.5 million.
The most potent Ford Falcon ute was also a last-of-the-line special in the form of the GS, whose Miami 5.0-litre supercharged V8 was good for 315kW.
The Aussie ute landscape may be dominated by imported dual-cab 4x4 diesels like the Ford Ranger today, but homegrown car-based workhorses like the Ford Falcon Ute (1961-2016) and Holden Ute (1990-2017) were popular among both recreational buyers and self-respecting tradies over many decades.
The US market had one notable car-based ute in the form of the Chevrolet El Camino (1959-1987), which was almost revived in the modern era when the Holden Commodore was exported to the US as the Pontiac G8, after the Pontiac G8 ST concept was shown at the New York motor show in 2008.
But if you want a new car-based rear-drive V8 ute today, it looks like you’ll need to buy a family sedan and cut its doors and boot off – and soon, before Dodge enters a whole new world of electrification.
Related: Dodge to detail its electric future in August
Related: MOPAR winds Hellcat V8 up to 660kW
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Related: SEMA: Carbon-clad 1970 Dodge Charger
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