Lexus really made its name in the U.S. thanks to its luxury sedans, which people generally found extremely reliable, easy to live with and quite nicely equipped.
Further down the road, Toyota’s luxury arm also started building SUVs, and since demand is at an all-time high, it has more of them in its range than ever before.
What it hasn’t done is enter the pickup truck segment. Probably a wise decision, although Mercedes begs to differ – but that’s another story.
However, a privateer made sure that there is at lease one Lexus pickup truck out there. Meet the Lexamino, a fourth-generation ES that was forced to ditch its two rear doors, trunk and half of its roof in order to accommodate a read bed, similar to the iconic Chevrolet El Camino. That much is evident from its moniker, which combines the Lexus and El Camino names and is actually displayed above the right tail light.
What’s the story with those Utes?
This type of design is highly popular in some parts of the world, especially Down Under where people tend to really appreciate Utes. Originally, models such as the El Camino were dubbed ‘coupe utility’ vehicles, and the first one to ever hit mass production was the 1934 Ford Coupe Ute, followed by the Studebaker Coupe Express in 1937.
The body style then made a comeback in the late 1950s with the Ford Ranchero, immediately followed by the Chevy El Camino.
Does it work with a Lexus? We’ll let you be the judge. From a practicality standpoint, this design should work with any car as long as you can fit the truck bed comfortably over the rear axle and rear bench, leaving enough room for yourself, a passenger and whatever cargo you’re carrying. Also, the fact that the image hails from Reddit’s Awesome Car Mods thread indicates that people found it good-looking, although of course you might think otherwise.
