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There were utes of all shapes, sizes and colours taking part in the Autobarn Beaut Utes competition at the Dubbo Show on Sunday.
It was the second year the competition has been run and organisers were pleased to see more utes taking part and they hope the competition will continue to grow in size.
This year's grand champion was John Davis with his Dodge Ram but it was a only a last minute decision to take part.
The Dural resident owns a company that converts American vehicles like the Ram to right hand drive to allow them to be used in Australia and also the campers that go on the back of them. He had a stall at the show and someone suggested he enter Beaut Utes.
"I didn't even know there was a ute competition until someone mentioned it last night. I thought I would give it a go," he said.
In addition to the major award, he also took out Best Tradies' Ute and best Rural and 4WD Ute.
Mr Davis is no stranger to modifying vehicles. In addition to his current business, he used to custom make a vehicle called the Bushranger, which was a heavily modified Range Rover with a custom shell. He also built 30 hunting vehicles for the President of the United Arab Emirates, which also took range rovers and stretched and widened them, as well as boosting their power.
Autobarn manager Neil Sturrock and his fellow judges were impressed with the entries they had for the competition and they want to see more next year.
"Last year was the first time we did the judging. We had more entries this year and added a few categories like B and S ute," he said.
"People love their utes and we want more people to get involved next year. We would love to see tradies taking part, with their ladders and toolboxes and signage. People aren't competing for sheep stations but it's a bit of fun."