Splicing and dicing cars is nothing new. The original hybrids date back to the Sixties when stylish British cars would be fitted with American muscle motors. Jump forward half a century and you have a world of unusual creations such as this collection of European cars converted into pickups. From unique utes undertaken by carmakers to homemade garage projects, we have brought together an eclectic mix of modern high-performance pickups, SUVs, and one standout design based on a 1967 VW Beetle called the "bugtruck."

The one-off M3 Pickup was originally an April Fool's Day joke and was really built just for fun. Essentially an M3 hardtop convertible with half the hood removed and a tweaked rear, the base weight is 110lbs less than the M3 Convertible and the Targa roof cuts off another 44lbs. The maximum load capacity of the M3 Pickup was raised to 992lbs. It remains an exclusive one-off and is currently used as a workshop transport vehicle for BMW M GmbH.

In the mid-90s the Volvo 850 T-5R was one of the fastest family haulers on the road. Only 5,500 examples were made, of which just 185 were delivered to the United States. The T-5R was available as a sedan or a wagon in black, banana yellow or (rarest of all) olive green, but this example is rarer still. Spotted at a Belgian dealership, this 850 was turned into a pickup ute. As you can see, it's also been painted red, and has a Christmas tree loaded onto its bed filling us with festive cheer.

The Skoda Yeti ETAPE Concept by BT Design was built to "showcase the endless possibilities of customization" for the versatile crossover. Czech in origin, BT Design is a subsidiary of Benet Automotive working closely with Skoda Auto on several projects and this is their latest creation. It's a sporty two-door pick-up truck based on the Czech crossover that features a wide-body kit with flared wheel arches, bigger wheels, redesigned interior and, of course, a flatbed in the back. The only thing left to stock is the hood.

This VW Bug pickup, dubbed the "bugtruck" is the handy work of one very cool car enthusiast who spent months converting a 1967 VW Beetle into what you see her. A lot of sheetmetal was borrowed from a 1950 Chevy pickup, in fact the entire rear half of the cab was chopped and channeled to match up with the donor bug's rear quarter section. The finished article is arguably the best pickup conversion we've ever come across.