This rolled out of the garage yesterday, as Smyth Performance posted on Facebook. Ignore that the silvers don’t quite match – the rear has been vinyl wrapped, while the front is still the car’s original paint. They will wrap it to match soon, as well as drop it a couple of inches, which should look even better.
Some have criticized the small windows behind the doors for lining up with the top of the door frame, not with the top of the window in the door. Smyth engineer Michael Gallant says, “The builder can choose to paint a trim piece and put it on the top of the quarter window, or they can choose to paint the side window surround all black. I think the window surround in black will look the best.” I tend to agree with him, and the beauty of a kit like this is that you can customize it any way you like.
The bed is a similar design to Smyth’s Mk4 and Mk5 Jetta kits, aluminum with fiberglass body panels. The tail lights are from a Grand Caravan, staying true to the Dodge brand, though the back window is from a Chevy Colorado. This kit is sure to tickle the funny bone of people who love the Ute concept, but prefer an American V8 rear wheel drive car like the El Camino to the VW Jettas that Smyth has worked with up to now.
Smyth’s next Charger build “is going to be a police cruiser from auction to show how inexpensive this custom can be made. Gotta have the spot and front nudge bars!” I also think a V6 all wheel drive Charger Ute would be pretty cool in its own way, and possibly cost less than the more desirable V8. It would also be easy to drive year round here in New England, where it snows. Smyth prides themselves on building kit cars that you can use every day, unlike the Cobra kit cars of founder Mark Smith’s former project – a little company called Factory Five.
The Charger kit costs $3,590, and should be available quite soon. As we learned at the rallycross, future Smyth projects include B6 Audi and the E39 BMW. Ute all the things!!!
All photos courtesy of Smyth Performance.
UTE all the things! This is awesome. This is the sort of thing that could park next to a Lambo at a Cars and Coffee and get more attention. Very cool.