Why is the Ranchero considered the first American coupe utility vehicle over a Coupe Express?

[DudeStude]

Anyone know?

[Roscomacaw]

Sure - cause Ford's still in business. And if we treat them right, they'll honor us with more ad revenue.

[StudeMann]

It probably has more to do with the fact that the Coupe Express had a separate bed from the cab whereas the Ranchero and El Camino had bed and body combined.

[raprice]

Actually, it's probably nothing more than the fact that people don't have a clue that Studebaker had the Coupe Express long before the Ranchero came into existance.

[Roscomacaw]

I think that's probably closer to the truth. In a word - ignorance. It's like my spreading the word about how Studes rule at the muscle car drags. You can see the degree of receptiveness in the eyes of non-Stude types. They pretty much figure I'm spreading something other than "the word". <G>

[Pat Dilling]

And the Hudson folks will argue that the Terraplane Pick up had Studebaker beat by at least a year... Here's a 1936

[8E45E]

It probably has more to do with the fact that the Coupe Express had a separate bed from the cab whereas the Ranchero and El Camino had bed and body combined.

That is one parameter, and built on a passenger car frame. However, the first car-based pickup with an integrated body & box is the Crosley.

Craig

[53k]

That is one parameter, and built on a passenger car frame. However, the first car-based pickup with an integrated body & box is the Crosley.

Craig

Probably true, but with thousands of different car manufacturers over the years... who knows?

[BobPalma]

Anyone know?

For exactly the same reason the 1964 Pontiac LeMans with GTO package (it was not a separate model until 1966, contrary to popular belief) is generally accepted as the first muscle car, the 1963 Super Lark nothwithstanding...or any of a dozen other earlier cars, for that matter. BP

[CarCrosswordDan]

So few sold and most people alive can't remember that far back.

[kmac530]

Am I missing something?
A ranchero and el camino are different than a Coupe Express or a Hudson Terraplane mainly because it is a one piece cab/bed vehichle like StudeMann said where the Coupe express has a separated bed.
If you wanna spilt hairs and go way back, were not the teens and 20s Ford model A and model AA the same basic chassis and same hood, fenders, cowl, grill shell, and even doors?
Wouldn't that make the early fords the first american coupe utility?

[avantilover]

I think the first "Ute" vehicle was designed and built by Lew Bandt of Ford Australia in the 1930s. he later died in it but it was restored. http://www.fastlane.com.au/Features/First_ute.htm

[Blue 15G]

I think it's because most hobbyists today are most familiar with post-WWII cars and don't know about many automotive "firsts" that occurred before the early 1940s.

For example, everyone thinks Chevy's first V-8 was the 1955, but they also came out with one way back in their early days. (It was a real piece of junk too, IIRC what I read about it.)

Dave Bonn
'54 Champion Starliner

[8E45E]

I think the first "Ute" vehicle was designed and built by Lew Bandt of Ford Australia in the 1930s. he later died in it but it was restored. http://www.fastlane.com.au/Features/First_ute.htm

Australia is the car-based truck (Ute) capital of the world! For years, there were, and still are car-based trucks you would never think of such as Armstrong-Siddeley who exclusively marketed them there. And Ford and Holden still have them on the market today. http://www.holden.com.au/vehicles/ute#/overview

Craig

[raprice]

Just for the record, the first Chevrolet V-8 was 1917. It wasn't very good.
Rog