You never know, it may have been hit in the bum and this was how it was saved?
I look at it as a good way to have a tow car that is comfortable in the back. Tray size is really irrelevant in those circumstances, not really that different to the tray size on most twin cab utes. The fact it has a tonner chassis means it'll tow better than the Statesman ever would have.
I never said I despise the 70's flares, just they make me cringe because I know how much work it takes to fix the damage created by them. The inbuilt mudflaps or whatever they are on this car aren't all that bad anyway, the treatment behind the doors at the top looks worse. No-one will be trying to undo any of it in the future anyway. Plus it looks better to me than some of the attempts i've seen to do something similar with 80 and 100 series Landcruisers where the original chassis has been retained.