Australia was once the home of a vibrant vehicle manufacturing industry. The market was dominated by Detroit’s “Big Three” during the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s, although many models were either uniquely Antipodean or were North American models that were heavily reengineered to cope with the harsh road conditions Down Under. One unique vehicle from this era was the 1959 Chrysler Wayfarer. It demonstrated Australia’s love for the Ute, although this version didn’t enjoy the type of success of similar vehicles produced by Holden and Ford. It has received a significant mechanical upgrade that will provide the type of performance that Chrysler wouldn’t have imagined when it rolled off the line. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder T.J. for spotting the Wayfarer listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Hickory, North Carolina. You could take this project home once you have handed the seller $18,000.
Chrysler Australia introduced the Royal to its model range in 1957, with the badge evolving across three generations before production ended in 1961. It drew much from the 1954 Plymouth P25, although with a unique Down Under styling influence. Holden had demonstrated that there was a ready market for the Coupe Utility, selling its Utes at an impressive rate. Chrysler Australia sought to diversify, releasing the Wayfarer variant of the Royal in 1958. Sadly, the Wayfarer didn’t prove to be a sales success, with production ending in 1961. This Wayfaraer left the factory, located in Mile End, South Australia, in 1959. The seller states that it is 1-of-347 examples produced that year, and that figure seems to gel with those that I have seen. It is unclear when it found its way to its current location, but the listing confirms that it needs some TLC. It isn’t riddled with rust, but there are issues with the floors, one dogleg, the headlamp eyebrows, and the left-side rocker. None of the problems are extensive, and might be candidates for well-executed patches. The seller indicates that there are other small areas requiring attention, and while the underside shots reveal surface corrosion, it appears that this classic is structurally sound. Some trim pieces will benefit from a trip to the platers, but any items not firmly attached are included in the sale.
This Wayfarer’s interior is a bit of a mixed bag, with the seatcover ripped and the door trims heavily wrinkled. The buyer will have no alternative but to replace the seatcover, but I believe that careful stretching would return the door trims to pretty reasonable condition. The dash looks good, and the bright pieces are in good order. The wheel appears to be cracked, and there is a hole where the factory radio should be. However, none of these problems is insurmountable.
I typically prefer my classics unmolested, but I can’t help but admire the upgrades performed to this Wayfarer’s drivetrain. A bit of detective work has confirmed that this classic left the factory powered by a flathead six, but it is unclear which of the two available powerplants the first owner chose. The listing indicates that whichever one they selected, they teamed it with a two-speed Powerflite transmission. However, much has changed since 1959, with this vehicle receiving a significant upgrade. Occupying the engine bay is a six-cylinder engine that is a formidable beast. The uniquely Australian 265ci Hemi-6 saw service across various models from 1971 until 1981, and was tuned to churn out an incredible 302hp when bolted under the hood of Chrysler’s Charger E49. This engine isn’t quite as potent, but with a two-barrel carburetor and headers, it might come close to producing the 202hp and 262 ft/lbs of torque that the factory quoted in 1971. The Powerflite has made way for what I believe to be a three-speed TorqueFlite, with that combination promising a significant performance gain. The seller states that the vehicle runs, drives, and stops, facts that are supported by the embedded video in their listing. However, it hasn’t seen active service much in recent years, and will probably require a thorough inspection and some mechanical care before hitting the road with a new owner behind the wheel.
It is a harsh reality that of Detroit’s “Big Three” that produced cars Down Under, Chrysler always found itself firmly entrenched in third place in the sales race. This was despite the fact that the company produced some outstanding vehicles like the Charger E49. This severely limited its development budget, and this came to a head when Mitsubishi purchased the Australian arm from Chrysler in 1980. The last Chrysler-badged vehicle rolled off the line in August 1981, bringing to a close a golden age in Australia’s motoring history. The Wayfarer demonstrated the extent of Chrysler’s struggle because, while Holden couldn’t produce its Ute variants fast enough to meet demand, Chrysler only sold 1,205 Wayfarers between 1958 and 1961. That makes this an exceptionally rare vehicle, which is reflected by the fact that this is only the second example we have ever seen at Barn Finds. It needs work, and it is no longer completely original, but if you’re searching for a project candidate that will draw crowds of inquisitive onlookers at shows or a Cars & Coffee, it could be the ideal candidate.
Nice write-up Adam. I had never heard of a “Hemi 6” before I saw the FB post and now I just learned about the Charger E49, thanks to you – what a great looking car!
Excellent write-up Adam on a vehicle I knew nothing about. In fact when I saw the lead photo, my first thought was “what is that?”
This is terrific Adam. I always enjoying learning about a vehicle thats more specific to “Down Under”. I’ve never seen one of these Wayfarer Utes before. And certainly had no idea about a Hot Rod Hemi straight six!!! I’d absolutely love to see and hear one of those run in person. I didn’t realize that the Big Three had to do a lot of changes to the engineering for the rougher terrain and roads in Australia.
This is great!!! Thank you for writing it.
You can see more of this car (including it running and driving) on my YouTube channel: ObsoleteAutomotive
I had a 1973 Charger with the stock 265 in front of a 4 Speed manual, very quick car! That would be a nice beast, certainly rare in the USA. I believe the Chrysler Royal (Sedan version) had a 318 V8 in it, others more familiar with these will most likely confirm
The 313 Poly V8 was optional in these AP2 Chryslers including the Wayfarer Ute. The 313 was a Canadian engine that was used for export models as well.
Driving that around town would sure attract attention, I was surprised it was in the states, I always identified Hemi’s by the spark plugs being in the center of the combustion chamber, but they are calling this and the E49 a Hemi, maybe a Aussie definition.
They’re not a ‘real’ Hemi. The valves are slightly angled. That’s it.
Sweet looking ute. If only we could’ve gotten this here in the USA. We got the Chevy El Camino and the Ford Ranchero. For some reason Chrysler North America didn’t offer a version
Low sales. Chrysler probably just didn’t think there would be much of a market in the US so not worth tools by up to produce them. These utes didn’t sell well in Australia either. In fact the leftovers were sold as 1961 models even though production stopped in 1960.
The Aussie Ute dates back to Ford in the mid 30’s when a lady told the Ford salesman “her family need the same vehicle to go to church on Sunday that her husband took products to market with on Saturday” And Ford delivered!! I have only seen one Aussie Ute up here, An early 50’s Chevy at the ATCA national show in Macungie PA. Probably because of import regulations / tariffs as well as they are Right Hand Drive.With a little TLC this Ute would be wonderful to have as a friend maker at shows or Cars & Coffee. Hopefully that unique engine is OK as parts are probably unobtainable??
All the parts are available in Australia. These engines have a large fan base with many performance parts available. You just have to have it shipped to the States.
If a late 1950s Ford Consul, a ’55 – ’56 Packard and a ’56 Plymouth could be crossbred with a Ford Taunus 17M P2 Kombi and converted into a pickup truck the end result might resemble this Chrysler Wayfarer. And that’s not bad looking at all.
This is my car. You can see a video on this car on my YouTube channel: ObsoleteAutomotive
The transmission currently in the car is a Borg Warner 35 automatic which was what was installed behind the 265 Hemi in the Valiant Charger it came out of.
As far as what engine it originally came with… Originally it was a 251 flathead 6. All 6cyl cars with automatic were 251 cubic inches. Manual transmission 6cyl cars received the 230 cubic inch version. A Poly 313 (yes 313 from Canada) V8 was also available.
Thank you for checking in here and providing some engine specs that I’m sure most here have never heard of before, including myself. A poly 313? Ok then, and with that, I’m heading to your YouTube channel now to see what else I might learn today.
The early Plymouth poly started out as a 277 in 1956 with the Fury getting a 303 version….then came the 318 here in the states….think there might have been a 301 Plymouth poly but don’t quote me….
Interesting that this is a ’59 Australian markt Chrysler shares the body lines of a ’56 U.S. market Plymouth.
Interesting that this is a ’59 Australian markt Chrysler shares the body lines of a ’56 U.S. market Plymouth.
Interesting that a ’59 Australian market Chrysler shares the body lines of a ’56 U.S. market Plymouth.
Australia has always been behind the States on body styles. If they did not design their own as in a Holden which was GM. I do NOT know if the dies were shipped down later or what??? Their 58 Fords used our 55-56 body style with a Canadian V grille!!
If you look closely,you’ll see that the body started out with the 1954 (the windscreen is the giveaway here) model basic shell,with later model front and rear mudguards (fenders) adapted at the factory…all very Chrysler/Aussie unique indeed…!!
And if you’ll look even closer you’ll see that the front doors are still 4dr sedan doors with the rears filled in. The 2dr Ute did not get the typically longer doors found on 2dr cars.
When I was a kid I would hang out at the drug store and read more car magazines than I bought. In the summer of ’65 I thumbed through one of those “New Cars for 1966” magazines that featured line drawing prognostications of the new models – being a MoPar kid I was transfixed by what was to be Plymouth’s answer to the Ranchero – a Valiant based pick-up (and I tried to build a model of it from a ’66 Barracuda kit). I was disappointed that it never came out, but years later I discovered what must have prompted that line drawing: a photo of a ’66 Wayfarer!
A few nice examples in the wider area I live (south west Western Australia) , see them out occasionally & always at car shows
Noticed the really goofy location for the vacuum brake booster. Looks like a Hydro-Vac unit which is typically located remote from master cylinder.
A friend of my grandfather spent a few years in Australia and said the only cars that held up were AMCs and Lancias. He drove a Lancia Aurelia B24 roadster. Took me for a ride in it. He was pushing it, we hit some sand and he beautifully corrected it. My grandfather never drove like that.
I’ve always loved El Caminos, Rancheros and Utes. And this one is no exception, I love it too.
35 years ago I was in a Pick-A-Part looking for something for my59 El Camino and came across what looked like a 50s Ford wagon converted into a pickuup. But it was a Ford Ute. And being in a Pick-A-Part, there was no way to rescue it.