Photo: Smyth Performance on Facebook
American coupé utility/pickup vehicles disappeared from the mass market in the late 80s, but they're not dead. There are people out there chopping up American sedans, slapping a bed on them and creating some stunners.
Some companies even sell specialized DIY kits to turn your car into a pickup, and one such company is Smyth. We've met them before, when we wrote about the current Jeep Grand Cherokee conversion project. Their Dodge Charger conversions look clean and natural like they just rolled off a production line.
Add a Hemi into the mix and we're talking about a full-on muscle pickup, in the vein of the El Camino SS. The aluminum bed is 6 ft (8 m) long, can hold about 900 lbs (408 kg) and ends with a stock Ford tailgate and a pair of modified Dodge Grand Caravan tail lights, while the back window is snatched from the GMC Colorado.
Other projects by Smyth look just as cool. Our favorite is the Volkswagen New Beetle conversion. Thanks to its oversized rear wheel arches and small taillights, it gives off a strong custom rod vibe. The Jetta/Golf kit, the company's oldest offering, is another Volkswagen conversion that works nicely and is easy on the eyes.
And that's not the last VAG model Smyth has covered, although purists might want to look away from the 2002-2008 Audi A4/S4 conversions. The S4's AWD and beefy 340 hp, 4.2 liter V8 seem very well suited for a pickup, but there's something unsettling about seeing a premium sedan turned into a utility vehicle.
Speaking of unsettling, how about a Subaru Impreza WRX conversion? Again, the AWD and the powerful engine work great for a pickup. The higher stance is achieved by swapping in some stock Forester suspension parts, but the looks aren't as good as the other kits. And the idea just gives us a bit of a shiver.
If you have an older sedan lying around, maybe one with a wrecked rear end, DIY kits are around $3,000 and the company offers manuals and videos to help you with the conversion.
Add a Hemi into the mix and we're talking about a full-on muscle pickup, in the vein of the El Camino SS. The aluminum bed is 6 ft (8 m) long, can hold about 900 lbs (408 kg) and ends with a stock Ford tailgate and a pair of modified Dodge Grand Caravan tail lights, while the back window is snatched from the GMC Colorado.
Other projects by Smyth look just as cool. Our favorite is the Volkswagen New Beetle conversion. Thanks to its oversized rear wheel arches and small taillights, it gives off a strong custom rod vibe. The Jetta/Golf kit, the company's oldest offering, is another Volkswagen conversion that works nicely and is easy on the eyes.
And that's not the last VAG model Smyth has covered, although purists might want to look away from the 2002-2008 Audi A4/S4 conversions. The S4's AWD and beefy 340 hp, 4.2 liter V8 seem very well suited for a pickup, but there's something unsettling about seeing a premium sedan turned into a utility vehicle.
Speaking of unsettling, how about a Subaru Impreza WRX conversion? Again, the AWD and the powerful engine work great for a pickup. The higher stance is achieved by swapping in some stock Forester suspension parts, but the looks aren't as good as the other kits. And the idea just gives us a bit of a shiver.
If you have an older sedan lying around, maybe one with a wrecked rear end, DIY kits are around $3,000 and the company offers manuals and videos to help you with the conversion.
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