Lewis Thornet Bandt (26 February 1910 – 18 March 1987) was an Australian car designer, most famous for designing and building the first

ute Ute or UTE may refer to: * Ute people, a Native American people of the Great Basin * Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, Utah * Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah * Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern ...

(

coupé utility A coupé utility is a vehicle with a passenger compartment at the front and an integrated tray#cargo tray, cargo tray at the rear, with the front of the cargo bed doubling as the rear of the passenger compartment. The term originated in the 19 ...

) cars in the 1930s.

Early life

Bandt was born the eldest of five children in the South Australian town of Moonta. The family moved to

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

after World War I, and in 1924 he began a fitting and turning apprenticeship with Duncan & Fraser Ltd who specialised in modifying Model T Fords. He moved to Victoria in 1927 and worked for the Melbourne Motor Body & Assembling Company. In 1929 he moved to the Ford factory in

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

as the subsidiary's first designer.

Ute design

The design of the ute was a result of a 1932 letter from an unnamed Victorian farmer's wife asking for "a vehicle to go to church in on a Sunday and which can carry our pigs to market on Mondays". In response, Bandt developed the ute and the model called a "coupe utility" at the time was released in 1934. When the Australian version was displayed in the US, Henry Ford nicknamed it the "Kangaroo Chaser". A convertible version, known as the

roadster utility A roadster utility — also known as a "roadster pickup" or "light delivery" — is an automobile with an open-topped roadster body and a rear cargo bed. The concept is similar to that of the coupe utility, however with a convertible roof instead ...

was produced in limited numbers by Ford in the 1930s.

Later career

During World War II, Bandt helped to design long-range fuel tanks for

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

and

Thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hel ...

fighter planes. He also worked on design innovations for the UK-sourced

Ford Zephyr The Ford Zephyr is an executive car manufactured by Ford of Britain from 1950 until 1972. The Zephyr and its luxury variants, the Ford Zodiac and Ford Executive, were the largest passenger cars in the British Ford range from 1950 until their r ...

, the 1967 Australian Ford Fairlane, and the never-approved

Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

convertible, of which six were built outside Ford in 1962.

Personal life

Bandt married Nellie Rowe on 6 September 1941. He was a lifelong member of the Methodist (later Uniting) Church. He was known for his charity work. Lewis and Nellie had three daughters: Sylvia, Val and

Ros Ros or ROS or RoS may refer to: Organizations * Raggruppamento Operativo Speciale, the Anti-organized Crime Branch of the Italian Carabinieri * Registers of Scotland, a Scottish authority responsible for compiling and maintaining records * Repart ...

. Later in life he also had four grandchildren: Brad, Tate, Eden and Joe. He was an accomplished artist, and painted Ford’s nativity scene at Christmas. He retired in 1975.

Death

Bandt was killed on 18 March 1987, while coming home from the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

television studios where he had been recording a documentary about the ute. He was driving a 1934 model home when he collided with a truck near

Bannockburn Bannockburn () is an area immediately south of the centre of Stirling in Scotland. It is part of the City of Stirling. It is named after the Bannock Burn, a stream running through the town before flowing into the River Forth. History Land in ...

. He was survived by his wife and three daughters.

On going Legacy

In 2008, the

Lewis Bandt Bridge The Lewis Bandt Bridge is an Australian feature bridge over the Moorabool River, close to the southern end of Stage 2 of the Geelong Ring Road. Section 2 from the Midland Highway to the Hamilton Highway at Fyansford, (along with Section 1), wa ...

, which crosses the

Moorabool River The Moorabool River is a river in Victoria, Australia, which runs for 160 kilometres through several small towns such as Meredith, Anakie, and Staughton Vale. It runs into the Barwon River at Fyansford. It is believed that the name Moorabool ...

as part of the Geelong Ring Road, was opened and named in his honour. In 2025 on the 4th of April, Lewis and the iconic and original Ford Ute were center stage at Ford Australia's 100th Anniversary at the Melbourne Showgrounds. The extended Bandt family attended including Lews two surving daughters, Val and Ros, with several pictures being taken as well as the entire event being covered by Channel 9 News. Ford Ute Front Profile

Photo Credits: Brad Smith, grandson of Lewis Bandt.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bandt, Lewis 20th-century Australian engineers 1910 births 1987 deaths