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Dio_Frybones t1_isnfgp5 wrote

Reply to comment by stumcm in TIL that before the invention of regfrigeration in 1851, ice had to be imported to Australia from Boston, Massachusetts. The ice blocks travelled through the tropics inside ships insulated with timber, straw, peat, and sawdust by stumcm

We also (arguably) invented the ute in Geelong at the Ford factory. Sadly, with globalisation, that factory closed, and it's probably only a matter of time before we start importing ice as well. In fact, if memory serves, there was a proposal to tow a small iceberg from Antarctica into Sydney Harbour. Possibly cut up and stashed inside boogie boards.

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TacTurtle t1_isnhhdt wrote

In America they were made in the 1920s as a “roadster utility”.

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goshdammitfromimgur t1_isnje5b wrote

Always made me chuckle that Australia thinks they were the first when they were being made in the USA for about 10 years prior.

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bluaqua t1_isoahp8 wrote

Technically a ute is different from a pick-up truck. It’s come to mean the same thing now, but the original utes are actually a “utility coupé.” Notably, it’s the front part that’s different. The front of a ute is a sedan, just with the trunk sawed off and replaced with a tray. This is different from the American roadster utility, which was a soft-top. The modern pick-up I’d say has more of a trunk front, and is still different from the classic Commodore or something.

I found this out when I was curious as to why the ute has its own wiki. Turns out it literally is a different thing, way back when it was first invented.

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goshdammitfromimgur t1_ispz5vv wrote

I have always heard the justification was that the "Australian ute" was unibody and pick ups have a seperate tray. The 1927 Chev national roadster is unibody and was available as a coupe and four door sedan.

So that meets both our requirements for an "Australian ute" but built before the first one in Geelong.

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ArmageddonSnakeEye t1_isom8yh wrote

Tldr: the front of our truck looks different so we claim to have made an entire new thing.

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TheSpoonKing t1_isqhr2a wrote

So you would argue an SUV, a crossover, and a sedan are all basically the same thing and just look different, and theres no reason to bother classifying them separately at all? LMFAO

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ArmageddonSnakeEye t1_isqigkw wrote

Those are different. You're talking about a truck and just calling it another name. Aussies and their pridefulness

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TheSpoonKing t1_isqk2q3 wrote

I'm Canadian, and all I'm defending is the initial creation of the term, not the continued use of it to refer to vehicles that don't necessarily conform to its original requirements.

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