'50s Ford utes...I never knew !

[southpier]

anyone know why most utes have a cab that looks like it came from Joe's Garage & Novelty Company instead of a real automotive designer? if the El Camino & Ranchero styles can look like a professional created them, what harm would it have done to get a better looking job all 'round?

the above looks like there was a surplus of shoebox roofs going out to the bin and they got snatched up.

[Earl Marischal]

Because they were done on the cheap and 'design' wasn't a consideration?

steve

[Ace-Garageguy]

the above looks like there was a surplus of shoebox roofs going out to the bin and they got snatched up.

I'd bet you're closer to the mark than you think. Those were the days when cost-controlling was a little more practical and imaginative, and a bunch of surplus shoebox backlights and some retired stamping dies could go a long way towards making a relatively low-production vehicle based on a standard platform a profitable enterprise.