Given the current state of affairs, chances are the sixth-gen ‘Stang remains the only V8 muscle car on the market. And with less variety outside the Blue Oval realm, some customers may seek this inside the pony range. So here we are, discussing the possibility of an S650 Ford Mustang pickup truck conversion kit—you may prefer the Ute (coupe utility) term as Australians do.
Earlier this week, GM quietly put a stop to sixth-gen Camaro production, about one month ahead of schedule. Alas, unlike Chrysler, which is ending production of the 2023 300 on the final day of this year, Chevy didn’t introduce any special edition to quench our thirst one more time before retirement.
As for Dodge, we only have rumors or hints on the next-gen 2024/2025 Charger getting ICE power in addition to the confirmed EV motivation. Plus, the unofficial talk revolves around the new Charger getting Hurricane twin-turbo straight-sixes, not V8s (alas, the current third-gen HEMI is dead after 2023).
The 2024+ Mustang, on the other hand, lets you choose between two flavors of the Gen IV Coyote V8: the standard 5.0L making 486 hp and the 500 hp, dual throttle body/intake setup of the Dark Horse. Ford will sell you a Fastback Coupe and a Convertible (the Dark Horse Convertible is not a series production model, though). As for an S650 Mustang pickup truck/Ute conversion kit, this is aftermarket territory.
With the seventh-gen Mustang having only been in production since May 2023, the only truck/Ute conversion step made to date is this 3D rendering. Sure, you may wish to label these pixels as a mere dream. But there’s something worth mentioning here: the S650 Mustang pickup truck was drawn by Oscar Vargas (wb.artist20). This is the digital artist who rendered the newest addition to Smyth Kit Cars’ car-to-truck conversion kit range, the Chrysler 300.
Rhode Island-based Smyth Kit Cars is responsible for most modern car-to-truck builds you see on the road, having released Ute kits for the VW Jetta/Golf and New Beetle, the Audi A4, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Subaru Impreza and—the people’s choice—the 2005-2020 Dodge Charger. Hey, here’s a Charger cop car gone Ute via this kit.
Oscar’s Ute work also stretches to the real world, where he joined the ranks of DIY builders relying on Smith Kit Cars plans and parts to put together a Dodge Charger Hellcat Widebody Ute, which he nicknamed Project Rampage.
An S650 Mustang truck (Ute) conversion kit could come from Smyth Kit Cars
One merely needs to connect a few dots and see that Smith Kit Cars may build an S650 Mustang pickup truck (Ute) conversion kit further down the road. After all, with Ford having recently dismissed the rumors about an early departure for the seventh-gen Mustang, we’re back to the assumption that the S650 will stay in production at least through 2030.
A 2024+ Mustang Ute conversion would bring the Ranchero name back on our lips. As some of you know, the Ranchero is the very reason the more famous Chevy El Camino was born. Having been built in seven generations between 1957 and 1979—in the US—the Ranchero has a powerful legacy. Then again, with trucks having grown considerably since, it’s probably best not to get our hopes up for a Blue Oval resurrection. If Ford does bring back the Ranchero one day, it will probably be for a small electric truck.
Nevertheless, Oscar’s idea of an S650 Mustang pickup truck/Ute conversion, which he’s clearly branded as a Ranchero (from the fenders to the grille and the tailgate), has a 5.0L V8 under the hood. It spices that up with flared fenders for a mean widebody look, extended side skirts, and even small side rear windows, but also retains the Mustang GT’s optional rear spoiler on its tailgate. You know, for that OEM look.
A couple of decades ago, the Ranchero and the Mustang shared their Falcon base (and somebody recently built a classic Mustang Ute based on a Ranchero). Then there’s Ford Australia’s side of history, with the multi-generation Falcon Ute being nothing short of a legend. But you don’t need to be a car history buff, as the sheer idea of mixing the seventh-gen Mustang’s attitude with a bed sounds—and looks—like the kind of dream we want to see in the real world.
