Chrysler Drifter ute - today's tempter

By: Unique Cars magazine

Date: 15.07.2021

Chrysler Drifter utility

Chrysler Drifter utility

Restored time machine

You'll no doubt be aware of the 'surfer' van and ute craze that hit these shores in the mid to late 1970s, which local makers saw as a means to attract a younger audience with relatively little in the way of development costs.

For Holden, Ford and Chrysler, it meant dressing up existing vans in lairy stripes, and renaming them as Sandman, Sundowner and Drifter. 

Of course the variants didn't stop there: Ford had a go with an Escort version, Holden with a Gemini and then there were the utes.

In Chrysler's case, it too was called the Drifter and marketed alongside the van from 1977. These days, they're very thin on the ground - though we wouldn't be surprised if one of two replicas or restorations are underway around the country.

This example (complete with matching canopy) in Sydney is with Pennant Hills Auto, claiming a full restoration and low mileage on the 318 V8. It's priced at $79,990. 

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