Smyth Ute: The Affordable Kit Car

"Justin Hughes" (justinhughes54)
12/02/2016 at 11:20 • Filed to: smyth ute, smyth performance, ute

Photo credit: Smyth Performance

I’m a fan of alternative history fiction. What if the Confederacy won the Civil War? What if Germany won World War I or II? What if Volkswagen never stopped building the Rabbit Pickup? While the answers to most of these questions can only be answered in our imagination, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! has created real life examples of what the Mk. 4 and Mk. 5 Jetta Pickup might have been. And thanks to them, you can also build your own with the Smyth Ute kit.

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These “El Jettamino” truck/cars (or more accurately “utes,” since they don’t have a separate bed like a truck) came not from a wormhole to a parallel universe, but from the mind of Mark Smith. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s also the man behind !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , famous for their Cobra replicas, and more recently the 818. These are awesome kit cars, but at Smyth Performance Mark has switched his focus to simpler kits that are easy for the average enthusiast to build. Smyth’s first such kit is the Ute for the 1999.5-2004 VW Jetta and Golf. The Mk. 4 Jetta is as common as dirt, and about as cheap, too. Craigslist is filled with 2.0 liter cars in decent running condition. With a little more digging you can find affordable sporty 1.8T and VR6 examples as well. The kit is designed so that the average shadetree mechanic can cut the car and install the kit in 20-40 hours without paint. Surprisingly, no welding is required, which opens up possibilities to people like me who don’t have welding skills or equipment. Don’t believe me? Then watch for yourself.

At $3,500, the kit will likely cost even more than the donor VW. This may seem like a lot. But keep in mind that most of what you’re paying for is the engineering, rather than just the parts themselves. The reason the kit can be assembled by an average enthusiast with average mechanical skill is all of the work that went into designing the kit to be exactly that. Anybody can throw a bunch of steel panels at you to weld together yourself, but to design a kit that requires no welding after cutting 1/4 of the car away - that takes some serious brains.

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Many of those brains come from Michael Gallant, who works with Mark Smith to engineer the Smyth Ute kits. By an insane coincidence, I met him at the MassTuning Trackfest event at Canaan (NH) Motor Club last month. He had hoped to bring his own Ute to drive on the track, but he wasn’t able to get it into trackworthy condition in time. So he brought his Scion FR-S instead, which is the silver car ahead of me in this video.

At this point, I need to fully disclaim any non-biased journalistic integrity. I’ve been interested in this kit since I first heard about it. I’ve seriously considered buying a Jetta and building one of these for myself, even before I met Michael. I live close enough to their factory to go there and pick it up myself. I even spoke with Mark Smith on the phone about visiting their facility at some point, but then life happened and I never followed up. My bad.

And so I met Michael, played with him and our Toyobarus on the track, and even hopped in his car as an instructor. I mentioned in passing that there would be a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! at that same track the following weekend, which led to him getting hooked on rallycross. Conversations continued, one thing led to another, and suddenly I find myself not only looking at, but co-driving his Smyth Ute at another rallycross tomorrow. We’ll be in exhibition class, since cutting away a big chunk of the car is illegal in any regular class. I don’t care. Look for more details about Michael’s Smyth Ute and how it drives in the dirt soon.

Photo credit: Smyth Performance

Earlier this year, Smyth Performance introduced a new ute kit for the 2005-2010 Mk. 5 Jetta. This was a smart move, as the Mk. 4s are getting a little long in the tooth these days, and let’s face it, they weren’t exactly known for their reliability either. The Mk. 5 is a good improvement, more modern, and more refined. These two kits together give us a good look at what hypothetical VW Jetta Pickups might have looked from the factory in both of these generations.

Photo credit: Smyth Performance

Are Volkswagens not your thing? Would you prefer a ute more in the style of the Chevy El Camino, with a V8 up front and drive wheels in the back? You won’t have to wait much longer. Smyth’s next project is a ute kit for the Dodge Charger, which will be available sometime this month. That’s mighty tempting.

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DISCUSSION (23)

not for canada - australian in disguise > Justin Hughes
12/02/2016 at 11:26

Chargers should just come from the factory with a ute bodystyle as an option. Especially considering it’s basically already North America’s answer to the Commodore and Falcon.

Kinja'd!!!

Eberle-Hills-Cop > Justin Hughes
12/02/2016 at 11:27

Saw the car at the Canaan RX, it was pretty cool in person.

bob and john > Justin Hughes
12/02/2016 at 11:28

can it carry a motorcycle, that all I need to know

Justin Hughes > not for canada - australian in disguise
12/02/2016 at 11:29

The Jetta bed is 6 feet long. I’ll be the Charger’s will be long enough for my Honda Shadow 1100, which barely fits on my 8 foot long ramp trailer.

Justin Hughes > bob and john
12/02/2016 at 11:32

The Jetta Ute bed can carry 750lbs, which should be enough for most bikes. It’s 6 feet long, which could be a bit short. You can also leave the tailgate down to extend it a bit. I imagine the Charger’s bed will be bigger in all dimensions.

Since you install the kit yourself, I imagine you can install a motorcycle wheel chock and tie-down points anywhere you want while you’re at it.

Justin Hughes > Eberle-Hills-Cop
12/02/2016 at 11:33

I’m looking forward to seeing and driving it tomorrow! Pics, video, and article to follow...

Eberle-Hills-Cop > Justin Hughes
12/02/2016 at 11:36

My car can’t stop leaking things so I won’t be able to make it tomorrow :(

Justin Hughes > Eberle-Hills-Cop
12/02/2016 at 11:37

Aw, bummer! I won’t put my low BRZ on stock suspension through a rallycross, so I’m psyched to get the chance to co-drive anything at all. We need a beater. Maybe a Jetta...

bob and john > Justin Hughes
12/02/2016 at 11:41

the length is what i was worried about. I want to keep the tail gate up, but I also want to keep the bike in one direction. also maybe load up 2 bikes in there. Looks like I’m going to have to get a AWD chargers for canada winters then.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Justin Hughes
12/02/2016 at 11:47

I’m still going to call it a Caddy.

Klaus Schmoll > Justin Hughes
12/02/2016 at 11:55

This prototype sits in Wolfsburg next to some other stillborn projects.

Kinja'd!!!

Justin Hughes > bob and john
12/02/2016 at 11:57

You know, everyone thinks of evoking the V8 RWD El Camino with a Charger ute. So did I - that’s exactly the version I described. But there’s something to be said for the AWD version. Even the 3.5 V6 has 250hp. The Charger can also tow 2000lbs, so if your bikes don’t fit in the bed, it’ll easily pull the rest on a trailer.

I’d actually consider a ute build on an AWD V6 as a commuter/winter car. I already have my BRZ as a summer car.

Justin Hughes > Klaus Schmoll
12/02/2016 at 11:57

Awesome! I didn’t know they’d even made a prototype Mk. 3. Thanks for sharing!

Justin Hughes > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
12/02/2016 at 11:58

You do that! The rest of the world did.

bob and john > Justin Hughes
12/02/2016 at 11:59

for the kind of drive I normally do (only winter time, or going to see/pick up/drop off a bike, or something where I need storage space) and I dont want a fuck-off yuge truck, that would be a great deal for me.

when is it going to be ready, and off what body style is being done?

Justin Hughes > bob and john
12/02/2016 at 12:08

The web site says December 2016. It’s based on the 2006-2010 body style. Get shopping. :)