Ford Perfect Ute
Australian coupe utility was small on horsepower but big on looks
09/23/2018
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These cute little "trucks" were manufactured exclusively in Australia and derived from the 1938-'49 Ford Prefect E93A four-door saloons. The coupe utility was built from 1949-'53. Designed as a working Prefect, the unique coupe utility or "Ute" body style was crafted from the same four-door, five-passenger saloon chassis and shared the same 94-inch wheelbase. At the time, Fords sold in Australia were shipped unassembled, and then constructed at Ford's Geelong assembly plant, to save import tariff charges for assembled vehicles.
Many ranchers and farmers wanted to haul light loads inexpensively without having to pay a full-size pickup's price tag. The Ute is more business coupe than pickup, with a 5½-foot utility box and rumble seat-looking tailgate built off the rear deck and into the rear fenders. The coachwork rear body was designed in Australia, and examples elsewhere in the world are certainly imported from there.
The A493A Ute featured the same 1,172cc side-valve four-cylinder engine as the Prefect car models. The engine bore and stroke dimensions were 63.5mm x 92.45mm, and the 6.16:1 compression engine was rated at 10hp for taxation purposes, or 32 bhp @ 4,000 RPM. It generated 46-lbs.ft. of torque @ 2,400 RPM. The Prefect Ute used a three-speed gearbox and Ford single-barrel carburetor, and had very little available in the way of options. The wheels wore 500 x 16 tires; the interior was functionally spartan, with faux leather and wood, and as with all of the other 1949-'53 Prefects, used six-volt electrics and vacuum-operated wipers. Hop-up parts are available such as an Aquaplane intake manifold that accepts twin SU carburetors.
Almost everything from the A-pillar forward was identical to the four-door sedan. The doors and rear fenders look very similar to the Prefect cars, but are not the same. Trafficators were also deleted, due to lack of room behind the door. With a top speed of about 60 MPH, the Ute could make the transition from 0-60 in about 60.9 seconds and complete the quarter mile in 27 seconds. Nevertheless, it did get an economical 27 MPG.
Brakes were 10-inch rod-activated drums, and the suspension used transverse leaf springs.
The Ute-bodies continued in Australia with the 100E series Prefects in the mid-1950s and then the Mainline cars in the late 1950s before Ford started producing the Falcon and Falcon Utes in 1960. Today, the Falcon Utes are still selling strong in the Australian market despite direct competition from Holden.
Our feature 1950 A493A was recently on display at a car show in Castlemaine, New South Wales, and belongs to the Ford 8 and 10 Side Valve Club Victoria Inc. More information and photos of these rare utility bodies are available at their website, www.ford8and10hp.com.
Recent
Photo: Hemmings Archives
Photo: Hemmings Archives
This new model would reflect Chrysler’s famed engineering prowess. While the Rambler introduced unit-body construction to America’s small-car market years earlier, the Valiant was among the first cars whose unit-body rigidity was optimized through state-of-the-art computer-aided design and testing simulation. Under a unique, Virgil Exner-penned skin, this model proved roomy for its circa-184-inch-long size thanks to a generous 106.5-inch wheelbase. Clever touches to boost luggage capacity included a spare wheel hidden below the trunk floor in sedans and run-flat “Captive-Air” tires on wagons that made space for lockable below-deck storage or a rear-facing third-row bench.
Photo: Hemmings Archives
The Valiant’s soon-to-be-ubiquitous, cast-iron Slant Six wasn’t as avant-garde as the air-cooled, horizontally opposed Corvair engine, but it was strong and clever. Canted at 30 degrees, it featured a 3.40 x 3.12-inch bore and stroke, 8.6:1 compression ratio, and a one-barrel carburetor sitting atop long, tuned intake runners. This inline-six made 101 hp and 155 lb-ft of torque, and it maintained battery charge with an industry-leading 12-volt alternator. Drive went to the rear wheels through a floor-shifted three-speed manual or pushbutton three-speed automatic.
Photo: Hemmings Archives
Supporting this model was a version of Chrysler’s famous Torsion-Aire suspension, which used longitudinally mounted front torsion bars, ball joints, asymmetrical rear leaf springs, and Oriflow shocks. Behind 13-inch wheels were 9-inch drum brakes, and steering was by recirculating ball; power assist could optionally be fitted to both systems. Other desirable Valiant options included a heater/defroster, variable-speed windshield wipers, and a pushbutton radio.
Photo: Hemmings Archives
The Valiant struck a chord with buyers, who purchased nearly 200,000 of the 1960 examples. This compact would come under the Plymouth brand for 1961, when two-door variants—with and without a B-pillar—were added to the lineup. Decades on, this car remains a good buy, with values that make it a very approachable collectible. Classic.com reports just one example sold publicly in the last five years, that being the original V-200 sedan that brought $3,500 in May 2023 as a Make Offer listing on Hemmings.com.
Specifications - 1960 Valiant
Photo: Hemmings Archives
SPECIFICATIONS
- Engine: OHV I-6, 170 cu.in., one-barrel downdraft carburetor; 101 hp at 4,400 rpm, 155 lb-ft of torque at 2,400 rpm
- Transmission: Three-speed manual/three-speed automatic
- Suspension: Front, torsion bars, ball joints, tubular shocks; Rear, leaf springs, tubular shocks
- Brakes: Four-wheel drums
- Wheelbase: 106.5 inches
- Curb weight: 2,635-2,810 pounds
- Price new: $2,053-$2,488 ($16,225 today)
- Value today: $3,500-$26,500
Photo: Bradley Iger
The flip side of the coin is that, since the 4Runner remained on the same platform for more than twenty years, so did the GX. So, much like the 4Runner, the GX has been in desperate need of an extensive overhaul for some time.
The new twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V6 dishes out 349 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. These figures represent gains of 48 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque over the naturally-aspirated V8 in the outgoing GX.
Photo: Bradley Iger
Now, at long last, the GX has received that comprehensive update. Built on Toyota’s new TNGA-F body-on-frame platform – which is shared with the all-new Tacoma, Land Cruiser, and 4Runner, among others – the new GX550 boasts a wheelbase that’s 2.36-inches longer than its predecessor, while its width has increased by 3.74 inches for Premium and Luxury trims (or 4.52 inches for Overtrail models). The larger footprint is complemented by a boxy exterior design that gives the GX a much more aggressive look, and it backs up the new aesthetic with revamped technology throughout.
The question is, can the GX550 make good on its purposeful appearance with legitimate off-road chops? And perhaps more importantly, can it do so while still delivering the luxurious on-road driving experience that we’ve come to expect from Lexus SUVs? We grabbed the keys to this Overtrail+ model and hit the road to find out.
Inside And Out Of The 2024 Lexus GX550
18-inch alloys with 33-inch Toyo Open Country all-terrain tires are standard on Overtrail and Overtrail+ models.
Photo: Bradley Iger
While the angular sheet metal inherently gives the new GX550 a more macho demeanor than the outgoing GX, the new Overtrail trim really takes things to the next level. Rolling on 18-inch alloys wrapped in 33-inch Toyo Open Country all-terrain tires, the model’s unpainted fender flares, front skid plate, and two-tone paint give the SUV a beefy, just-right look.
But don’t mistake this for some glorified appearance package: Further bolstering the Overtrail’s off-road credentials is the Electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (E-KDSS), which automatically and independently adjusts the front and rear sway bars as needed to improve wheel articulation. A locking rear differential and a locking Torsen limited-slip center differential are also on board, as is a two-speed transfer case.
Our Overtrail+ tester is motivated by a 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that sends 349 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic gearbox, a combination that provides a maximum towing capacity of 8,000 pounds. Lexus says that a hybrid will be offered further down the line, but for now, all GX550 models will use this powertrain. The suspension consists of a double wishbone setup up front and a solid axle with a coil-sprung four-link at the rear, while active dampers provide the ability to soften or stiffen the suspension as needed.
Photo: Bradley Iger
The cabin, meanwhile, is geared a bit more toward the expectations of a traditional Lexus buyer. A new 14-inch touchscreen infotainment display also finally does away with Lexus’s abysmal trackpad controls. The system boasts sharp graphics and quick response, along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. And in the case of our tester, it’s matched up with a bangin’ 21-speaker, 1,800-watt audio system as well as a wireless charging pad that, unlike many we've tested in recent memory, kept our phone charged without overheating issues or the need to constantly re-position the mobile device.
The layout of the switchgear is pleasing to the eye, and we’re thankful that Lexus hasn’t entirely abandoned physical controls, but the amount of similarly-sized knobs at arm’s reach had us grabbing the temperature adjustment to lower the volume of the stereo and attempting to start the engine by pressing the drive mode knob. We also found it frustrating that nearly all of the HVAC adjustments are now made through the infotainment system, and the need to make those settings available at all times means that they always occupy about a third of the screen’s available real estate.
But the Overtrail+’s heated, ventilated, and massaging front seats make these indiscretions easier to forgive, and aside from the utilitarian rubber floor mats and chintzy-feeling glove box door, everything you see and touch has a decidedly luxurious vibe to it.
Behind The Wheel Of The 2024 Lexus GX550
While Premium and Luxury trim GX550s offer seating for up to seven passengers, Overtrail owners are limited to five, as opting for the more off-road-focused trim requires forfeiting the third row.
Photo: Bradley Iger
On the road, the GX550 Overtrail+ is better behaved than the squared-off bodywork, tall stance, and chunky tires might suggest. While the latter doesn’t do the handling any favors (which in turn makes the inclusion of a Sport+ drive mode seem a little overly optimistic), the GX550 Overtrail+ tracks straight on the highway and requires few corrections to keep it on the intended path.
Aside from some faint wind noise that’s likely the result of the big side mirrors and the flat, steeply-angled windshield, the GX550 is nearly silent at speed. The torquey (and decidedly thirsty) boosted V6 and the ten-speed gearbox are generally happy to do their work quietly in the background. The pair provide noticeably more passing power than the naturally-aspirated V8 and six-speed transmission in the outgoing GX, but don’t expect mind-blowing acceleration here.
The new sport-utility features six drive modes – ECO, Comfort, Normal, Sport, Sport+, and Custom. We found ourselves leaving the GX in its default mode most of the time, though we occasionally switched over to Sport for more urgent powertrain response and tauter road manners at times when we needed to quickly make our way around slower traffic. Thanks in part to the Toyos’ substantial sidewalls, the GX550 Overtrail’s on-road ride quality never felt remotely abusive regardless of the road surface or the drive mode selected.
The Multi-Terrain Select system offers Deep Snow, Mud, Sand, Dirt, and Auto modes to keep the off-road guesswork to a minimum.
Photo: Bradley Iger
But it should come as no surprise that off-road park is really where the GX550 Overtrail+ proves its worth. Located about an hour north of downtown Los Angeles, Hungry Valley is a venerable candy land of off-road trails. We tested a Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 Bison here just a few months ago, but in the time since, winter storms have amplified the challenges with deeper mud pits, steeper inclines and drops, and bigger ruts.
The GX550 dispatched virtually all of it without complaint. Features like Crawl Control and Downhill Assist Control made particularly tricky obstacles and otherwise-sketchy descents feel effortless, while the Mutli-Terrain Select system eliminated the need to figure out the right combination of settings for the situation at hand. However, we did note that the approach, breakover, and departure angles of 26/24/22, respectively, pale in comparison to the Land Rover Discovery – let alone similarly priced versions of the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco – and the non-retracting running boards were occasionally cause for concern in especially demanding sections.
Still, there’s no question that this is a very capable overlanding machine, and the hardware that Lexus has outfitted it with make its on-road manners all the more impressive. Paired with its sharp aesthetic and luxury amenities, the GX550 marks a huge step forward for the GX line, and the new Overtrail trim just makes it an even more compelling proposition.
Gallery - 2024 Lexus GX550 Overtrail+
Photo: Bradley Iger
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