History of Pick Up Trucks

The pickup truck has been a part of the U.S. landscape since the inception of the automobile in the late 19th century. Farmers and ranchers routinely modified horseless carriages by installing wooden cargo beds to suit their needs. The urbanization of the United States later required better built and more versatile trucks to move in heavy traffic. Today, the pickup truck serves both as a workhorse and a second family car.

The Beginning

The automobile industry was in full swing for nearly two decades before the Ford Motor Co. built its first truck chassis, the Model TT, in 1917. And it wasn't until 1925 that Ford formally released its first pickup truck: A Model T Runabout (see References).

Dodge Bros.

Dodge Bros. trucks, owned by John and Horace Dodge, furthered the cause of the pickup when it shipped trucks to U.S. combat troops in France during World War I. The trucks were not pickups in the strictest sense, but they demonstrated the durability and practicality of employing motor vehicles as work trucks rather than simply passenger cars.

Advanced Technology

In the late 1920s, technology in steel production and the perfection of the pneumatic tire increased the desire for a pickup truck. The truck was manufactured more in steel, especially the cargo bed, instead of wood, and air-filled tires allowed it to travel greater distances as intercity deliveries became more frequent.

Postwar Era

In 1948, Ford released the F-Series. It was the first pickup truck that did away with prewar styling, had headlamps integrated into the fenders, a flatter and wider hood, increased passenger seating in the cabin and a longer bed. Studebaker, Chevrolet and Dodge followed with similar styles.

Dramatic Shift

The groundbreaking Ford F-100 series was launched in 1953, and it created a seismic shift from workhorse to second family car. Pickups were still simply mechanical laborers in early 1950s, but the F-100 hinted at possibilities of comfort, aerodynamic styling and options to personalize the vehicle. It also came with a 239-cubic-inch flathead V-8 engine. The 1955 GMC Suburban and the Chevrolet Cameo expanded on that concept with a fiberglass cargo bed shell partially integrated into the cab and plenty of chrome flourishes and interior appointments.

Car-based Pickups

The car-based 1957-79 Ford Ranchero and 1959-60 and 1964-87 Chevrolet El Camino, known as coupe utilities, gave buyers the best of both worlds. The Ranchero derived from the Ford Fairlane and the Falcon with a cargo bed to serve as a pickup. The El Camino used passenger car Impala styling and later the Chevelle and Malibu.

Today

By the late 1990s, the pickup truck was performing workhorse duties or transporting the children to school and running shopping errands. Styling since the introduction of the retro-style 1994 Dodge Ram, today's trucks pay homage to the 1950s design of separating the fenders from a raised hood. This design also mimics elements of big-rig truck styling. Interiors feature luxury appointments. The Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, among other pickups today, are equipped with electric/gasoline hybrid engines.

Resources

• El Camino history