What is this 1937 D5 referred to as ? (and don't say ugly)

[AusTJR-37-2dr]

G'day all

Just wondering if any of you DB enthusiasts could tell me what this body shape is commonly referred to as. I was told by the guy I purchased my car from (that's not mine in the photo), that it was a "Trunkback Coupe". Does this sound right? It's a TJ Richards Australian bodied 1937 Dodge D5, but was curious whether this other description was correct or not.

Thanks for your time

John

[Manuel]

We had special 2 door coupes here called "Slopers". They were sort of an early fastback.

GM and Ford had them in the late 30's.

Not sure about Richards.

regards

Manuel in Oz

[nearchoclatetown]

Did you Aussies make utes that far back. The '37 would look killer as a ute!

[Manuel]

Yep.

1933/4 officially but before that as well.

U could get roadster utes up to the 1940's.

Manuel in Oz

[keiser31]

So very sorry.....I posted the wrong year car photos. Here are the 1937s.

[AusTJR-37-2dr]

Yeah, maybe it's the TJR version of a Touring Sedan combined with a bit of Sloper with the practicality of a bigger boot. I just don't know. It's not quite the Touring Sedan, but it's not a Sloper either because of the boot.

Have you got any Fastback photos Keiser31.

Here's a 37 ute recently advertised for sale.

So, nobody has heard of the Trunkback Coupe reference before ? I'd really like to know what I own here.

[keiser31]

Could it be the business coupe with the cavernous trunk that you are referring to?

[keiser31]

I have also seen some conversions that are similar to the "ute" that you posted a photo of. It was actually a coupe with the trunk lid (boot) removed and a section of truck bed slid into the trunk. It protruded out like a pick up truck bed, but had the body of a coupe.

[AusTJR-37-2dr]

That's an informative looking book you have there. What's it called ? 10 x D5 body styles for that year. No need to paste photos, but does it list these 10 body styles.

It's very hard to find out much info on what bodies came out of TJ Richards in Australia. Google certainly is disappointing anyway. I guess the book you have doesn't talk about the Australian models.

[keiser31]

It's called "The Dodge Story" by Thomas McPherson.

ISBN Number 0-912612-07-X. It mentions some of the Canadian models, but not the Australian exports. My dad was an executive as a supervisor at Chrysler Export-Import, but all of his books stayed with Chrysler. You might contact the Chrysler Historical Collection and they may have more information.

[Manuel]

Keiser,

Or other blokes interested in Slopers. Do u have the Crestline book on Pontiacs?

If so on page 152 & 160 there are good pics of Slopers.

Found Chev/GM pics but I can't find any Mopar Slopers.

Restored Cars magazine is supposed to be working on an Oz Mopar book.

Richards did Dodges and Holden did Chryslers and Plyms.

Manuel in Oz

[nearchoclatetown]

Thanks AusTJR-37-2dr for the pic of the ute, they are probably my favorite foreign vehicle. We don't see many here in the US. Of course, they were way ahead of the El Camino or Ranchero of 1959 with the combination of car and truck. The truck version I believe Keiser is talking about was an aftermarket conversion bed that fit after the trunklid was removed. Some of them beds even rolled out on tracks for easy unloading.

[Rusty_OToole]

There is no hard and fast rule. Car makers made up their own names. What Essex and Chevrolet called a Coach, Ford called a Tudor sedan (as a mate to their Fordor sedan, get it?).

The car you show in your picture appears to be an Australia only model so there would be no official US name. You would have to discover what it was called by the maker when it was new. Through old parts books, sales literature, or magazine and newspaper ads.

[Manuel]

Nearchocolatetown,

Just out of curiousity I did a Google [& others] pic search of "Dodge utes" and got some good hits.

Manuel in Oz

[nearchoclatetown]

Thanks

[Guest imported_Bill-W]

The ute and green quasi-sloper 2-door sedan were Australian-built bodies, probably by T.J. Richards. Chrysler exported chassis/cowl units to Australia due to Australian import regulations. Bodies were built in Australia and placed on the imported chassis. Thus the unique styling.

When Chrysler in the U.S. restyled the big Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler for 1939, T.J. Richards came up with a new body to match, although the windshield is higher and the A pillar has more slope to it.

In 1940 Chrysler restyled again, but T.J. Richards came up with a new front clip, revised side stampings, new rear fenders and revised trunk lid. You can easily tell an Australian 1940 Mopar from an American 1940 by the balloony roof and two piece rear window on the Australian version.

After the war, the 1939-40 bodies received a new front clip and a one-piece rear window. The balloony roof remained.

Also, I believe body selection was much less in Australia. In America the 1937 Plymouth came a business coupe, rumble seat coupe, 2-door sedan, 4-door sedan, 2-door touring sedan, 4-door touring sedan, convertible coupe with rumble seat and long wheelbase 7-passenger sedan and 7-passenger limousine.

The "touring" models are the ones with the humpback look and the Australian "sloper" coupes were closer to the later 5-passenger coupes than 2-door sedans.

Bill

Vancouver, BC

[AusTJR-37-2dr]

Wow Bill, that's a lot of info to absorb. Thanks. I've been googling again today and again have given up on finding any info on this Australian bodied Dodge. Shame really. Can find build details for Oldsmobile and Buick Australian Slopers, one picture of a Plymouth P4 Sloper but a big blank on the Dodge.

Guess I'll just have to accept it's a bit of a mongrel "2dr touring sloper thingy" of whose build details have been lost in history.

[Manuel]

Good stuff there Bill W.

How did u pick all that up over there in Canada?

Holden did much the same with all the GM makes and models. We don't have the population compared to the USA so they just had a couple of basic bodies and changed the mudguards and the front ends.

There maybe another TJR badge in your car somewhere Aus37. Possibly on the floor or under a seat somewhere.

Manuel in Oz

[Guest DodgeKCL]

Those 'conversions' with the box sticking out of the back of a business man's coupe weren't aftermarket conversions. Many car makers offered them at the dealer level in the 1930s for travelling salesmen to carry their wares in. I've never seen one in the flesh, they seemed to have all gone to the big scrap yard in the sky, but I have several photos of them,mostly Dodge and Plymouths. They do indeed look some what like a ute.