Here in the United States, we love our big and bulky pickup trucks. But not every utility job needs such a large vehicle or towing capacity. That's why in Australia, our counterparts down under prefer something called a "Ute."

Utes are short for "utility vehicle," or "coup utility," and typically consist of a two-door passenger front cab, and a long pickup bed. Oh, and they're low to the ground with an aggressive muscle car profile. Unfortunately, we don't have Utes in the United States, but that hasn't stopped mechanically inclined people from making their own. These 25 cars didn't start out with a pickup bed, but for better or worse they all have one now, and I can't help but feel like American automakers are missing out on a huge opportunity here. (I would buy the heck out of many of these.) 

Here are 25 cars that have been turned into unexpected utes.