My 200th Page! A Tribute to the History of Pickup Trucks

1 1918 Dodge Army pickup truck. The first official pickup truck was built by the Dodge Brothers in 1918. Originally designed for the U.S. Army during World War 1, the Dodge Army pickup truck was used as a tool truck during the war.

2 1918 Dodge Army pickup truck. This marked the beginning of a vehicle type that has since evolved into a popular choice for both work and personal use in America.

3 1918 Dodge Brothers Engine. Used by the Army during and after World War 1. The Engine was powered by Gasoline, an L-head in design, 212 ci 24 hp 4 cylinders with magneto ignition and hand-cranked starter.

4 1918 Dodge Brothers Military Light Repair truck engine 212 ci 24 hp Inline 4 cylinder.

5 1918 Dodge Pickup Truck U.S. Army. The Dodge M1918 light repair truck was an open cab pickup truck used to carry tools for emergency repair of vehicles, to repair other trucks or anything that was broken. This is an original 1918 colorized photo of the Dodge Army truck with its canvas top.

6 1918 Dodge U.S. Army Pickup Truck at the Hershey PA Car Show. They were hand cranked with no electrical system and sported kerosene cowl lights and taillight.

7 1918 Dodge U.S. Army Pickup Truck. The truck consists of a small steel body on a Dodge commercial car chassis. It carries chests containing carpenter's and mechanic's tools, supplies, and lubricants for emergency repair.

8 1918 Dodge Pickup Truck. There were 1,012 trucks built but only 5 are known to exist today by the Dodge Brothers Club. There is one at the Fort MacArthur Museum in San Pedro, CA, a second one at The Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg, PA and three in private collections.

9 1918 Chevrolet Four Ninety pickup truck. The first Chevy pickup truck produced for individual buyers was built in Flint, Michigan in November of 1918, and left the factory in December 1918. It cost $490.

10 1918 Chevrolet Four Ninety pickup truck. Chevy introduced two four-cylinder trucks for the 1918 model year, both cowl chassis designs that were only outfitted with sheet metal on the front.

11 1918 Chevrolet Four Ninety pickup truck. Truck buyers of that era typically added a wooden cab and cargo box or a panel van body.

12 1918 Chevrolet Four Ninety pickup truck. Chevrolet launched its first pickup truck over 100 years ago in 1918, and there’s been no looking back ever since.

13 1918 Chevrolet Four Ninety pickup truck. Chevrolet has had over 100 years of brilliance, experiments, success, failures, and a lot of love for different models of the bowtie company.

14 1918 Chevrolet Four Ninety pickup truck. Chevy has a long history of designing and building the perfect pickup truck for the right time and place. The Engine is 171 ci 26 hp Inline 4 cylinder.

15 1918 Chevrolet Four Ninety pickup truck. Chevrolet has become an American symbol, constantly battling with other truck makers but still putting in the extra effort to produce better models.

16 1918 Chevrolet pickup truck. The standard engine is 171ci 26 hp Inline 4 cylinder.

17 Hollywood starlet Carol Dempster watches a 1925 Ford Model T Coupe come out of the factory for the first time in February 1925.

18 May 13, 1925. Ready for shipment new Ford Model T cars at the assembly line in St. Paul, MN.

19 1925 Ford Model T Cab long bed pickup truck. Commercially Henry Ford gets the credit for both the first factory-built pickup truck and for coining the term “pickup.”

20 Ford pickup body was introduced in March 1925. Ford sold two million cars and trucks in 1925. Of that total nearly 400,000 were trucks. It had a suggested retail price of $345.

21 The First Commercial Pickup truck a 1925 Ford. The 1925 Model T Roadster with Pickup Body was created when Ford saw that many farmers were modifying the simple and rugged Model T automobiles for work in their fields.

22 1925 Ford Model T pickup truck. On April 25, 1925, Ford released the Ford Model T Runabout with a pickup bed. This was the first time in American truck history that you could go buy a factory-built pickup. The pickup came with an all-steel bed that was 56-inches long, 41-inches wide, and 13-inches high.

23 1925 Ford Model T pickup truck. Henry Ford first termed the word “pickup” when he wanted to make a vehicle suitable for farmers

24 1925 Ford Model T pickup truck. Back in the early 1900s the pickup truck was essential in moving around thousands of pounds of produce by farmers.

25 1925 Ford Model T pickup truck. In 1925, Ford followed up with a steel-bodied half-ton based on the Model T with an adjustable tailgate and heavy-duty rear springs. Billed as the Ford Model T Runabout with Pickup Body.

26 1925 Ford Model T pickup truck. The bed also included an adjustable tailgate and four pockets for stakes. The Ford Model T automobile was produced from 1908 to 1927.

27 1925 Ford Model T pickup truck. Standard engine is 176 ci 20 hp Inline 4 cyl.

28 1925 Ford Model T pickup truck. By the time the pickup version arrived, the Model T was approaching obsolescence, and it was replaced in 1928 by the larger and more powerful Model A.

29 1928 Ford Model A pickup truck. In 1928 the Model T was replaced by the Model A, which had a closed-cab, safety-glass windshield, roll-up side windows, and three-speed transmission.

30 1928 Ford Model A pickup truck. The Model A featured a wide variety of updates, such as a redesigned engine, hydraulic shocks, shatterproof windshield, and conventional driving control arrangement.

31 1928 Ford Model A pickup truck. The Model A also refined the driver's controls, adopting the more intuitive three-pedal with separate shifter and steering wheel layout we know today.

32 1928 Ford Model A pickup truck. Standard engine is 201ci 24 hp 4-cylinder L-Head motor. The Ford Model A automobile was produced from 1927 to 1932.

33 1940 Chevy Pickup. In 1940, Chevrolet introduced the dedicated light-truck platform, separate from passenger cars. The truck saw a larger nameplate, sealed beam headlights, parking lights on front fender tops, a windshield that could be opened slightly for cab ventilation, decorative metal strips on the dash and a slightly larger pickup bed.

34 1940 Chevy Pickup. The front axle and the live rear drive axle hung from longitudinal semi-elliptic steel leaf-springs attached to a steel ladder frame. Single-acting hydraulic shock absorbers were installed at each wheel. The trucks had a torsion-bar front stabilizer that bolted to the front springs.

35 1940 Chevy Pickup. The pickups used a semi-floating spiral hypoid rear axle. The 1940 Chevy pickups had four-wheel manual hydraulic 11-inch drum brakes and worm-and-sector manual steering. They had a six-volt negative-ground electrical system.

36 1940 Chevy Pickup. The 1940 Chevy pickups were driven by a cast iron, six-cylinder, inline, normally aspirated, liquid-cooled engine developing 78 hp from its 215.5 cubic inch engine. The half-ton pickup had a 113-inch wheelbase, was 195.25 inches long and weighed 2,980 lbs. It had a 78-inch bed and a 16-gallon fuel tank. The trucks came with a tool kit, a jack with handle and a hammer. Chevrolet produced 194,038 pickups in 1940.

37 1940 Ford pickup. In 1940, Ford offered a dedicated light-duty truck platform called the Ford F-100. Ford trucks were updated in 1940 as 1/2-ton trucks took on car styling for the first time in almost 10 years.

38 1940 Ford pickup. For 1940, 1/2-ton pickups adopted the look of that year’s Standard-series cars — the first time since 1932 that trucks shared car styling.

39 1940 Ford pickup. Styling included a Vee’d grille, pointed hood, and tear drop headlights mounted into the fenders, giving these haulers a modern, classy look.

40 1940 Ford pickup. Power continued to come from a choice of two flathead V-8 engines: a 136-cid 60-hp unit, or a 221-cid 85-hp version. Shown is the 221ci 85hp Flathead V8.

41 1948 Ford F-1 Pickup Truck. The 1948 F-Series F-1 half-ton load, F-2 three-quarter ton and F-3 full ton was Ford’s first all-new vehicle line following World War II. The new trucks were introduced on January 16, 1948. In 1945 Ford increased production of an improved version of their pickup but struggled to stay afloat.

42 1948 Ford F-1 Pickup Truck. The 1948 F-Series trucks were most remarkable for their design with substantial improvements to the engine. The trucks had the rugged durability required of a work vehicle. The Ford F-Series was no longer a car-based pickup. Americans were interested in trucks for more than just farm work, which helped make the F-Series the most successful vehicle line in history.

43 1948 Ford F-1 Pickup Truck. In 1948, a game changer arrived; Ford released their F-Series, the trucks that would take them through to modern times. Ford marketed this new truck as the "Million Dollar Cab" because they spent over $1,000,000 to redesign the cab. It was more comfortable and roomier, seven inches wider, the doors were wider, there was more headroom and legroom, larger instruments, a sun visor, and ash tray.

44 1948 Ford F-1 Pickup Truck 226 ci 95 hp Inline 6 Cyl Flathead V8 shown. Fords came standard with an in-line six-cylinder 95 hp engine called the “Rouge 226.” For more power, buyers had the option of a 100 hp Flathead V8 called the “Rouge 239.” A three-speed, floor-shift transmission was standard, with an optional fourth speed.

45 1955 Chevy Cameo Carrier Pickup. In the 1950s, consumers began purchasing pickups for lifestyle rather than utilitarian reasons. Car-like, smooth-sided, fenderless trucks were introduced, such as the Chevrolet Fleetside Cameo Carrier pictured here.

46 1955 Chevy Cameo Carrier Pickup. Pickups began to feature comfort items such as power options and air conditioning. The 1955 Chevy Cameo pickup truck used the taillights from the 1954 Chevy automobile, hubcaps from the 1955 Bel Air, whitewall tires and a full chrome bumper. It also had a stylish wraparound windshield and wraparound rear window.

47 1955 Chevy Cameo Carrier Pickup. Inside, the 1955 Cameo Carrier included every available option, including carpeting — a feature almost unknown in the bare-bones trucks of the day — a two-tone red and ivory dash, two-tone upholstery, and a radio. The Cameo’s interior and instrument panel was very similar to the newly redesigned 1955 Chevy automobile.

48 1955 Chevy Cameo Carrier Pickup. But the best improvement of all was the brand new 265 ci 162 hp OHV V8 engine. The Chevrolet 265 V8 was first introduced in 1955 and was the first small block V8 ever produced by GM. In just a little less than 4 months, the 265 went from the drawing board to a production engine and decades of success.

49 1957 Dodge D100 Sweptside Pickup. Rare when new and one of the most expensive collectible pickups today, the Dodge D100 Sweptside pickup is everything you would expect from a finned fifties pickup. Leave it to Dodge to do it differently, in more ways than one. To counter the 1955 Chevy Cameo, it took until 1957 for Dodge’s response.

50 1957 Dodge D100 Sweptside Pickup. Midway through the 1957 model year, Dodge yanked the 1957 station wagon rear stampings off the assembly line and adapted them to standard Dodge pickup boxes. They trimmed them, filled the now-unnecessary gas flap and trim holes and attached them with brackets to the sides of the bed. Rear station wagon chrome bumpers were also used, along with the taillights and the tailgate had to be modified to fit between the fenders.

51 1957 Dodge D100 Sweptside Pickup. Unique chrome trim was attached, highlighting the standard two-tone paint. Full wheelcovers and white sidewall tires completed the transformation. Inside a push-button “Loadflite” shifter was standard with the new three-speed automatic transmission. A 12-volt charging system finally found its way to the trucks. Wrapping front and rear glass visually lightened the upper and added driver visibility.

52 1957 Dodge Sweptside Pickup. A new 315ci 204hp V8 was now standard, the largest in the industry. Its uniqueness and rarity make it an expensive addition to collector’s garages. Over the past couple of years, at least a few have been auctioned at or above $100,000. The premium prices will continue as there are estimates that less than 100 remain out of 200 built.

53 1957 Ford Ranchero Pickup. The Ford Ranchero is a coupe utility that was produced by Ford between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a standard pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run.

54 1957 Ford Ranchero Pickup. Introduced in December 1956, three months after the traditional September model year start-up. The Ford Ranchero was based on the standard and new-for-1957 full-sized Ford platform. Specifically the short-wheelbase Custom sedan, two-door Ranch Wagon station wagon, and utilitarian Courier sedan delivery were all used.

55 1957 Ford Ranchero Pickup. Essentially a Courier with an open, reinforced bed, its own unique rear window and integrated cab and cargo box, the Ranchero was initially offered in two trim levels. It was built on the corresponding automobile assembly line but sold as a truck through Ford's truck division. An extremely basic standard model was marketed to traditional pickup truck buyers such as farmers, and the Custom picked up most of the options and accessories available on the Fairlane line, including stainless steel bodyside moldings and two-tone paint.

56 1957 Ford Ranchero Pickup 292 ci 212 hp OHV V8. "More Than A Car! More Than A Truck!" The Ranchero was a hit with both the automotive press and the buying public, filling an untapped market niche for vehicles with the utility of a light pickup and ease of operation and riding characteristics of a car.

57 1959 Chevy El Camino Pickup. The Chevy El Camino is a coupé utility vehicle that was produced by Chevrolet between 1959–1960 and 1964–1987. Unlike a standard pickup truck, the El Camino was adapted from the standard two-door Chevy station wagon platform and integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body.

58 1959 Chevy El Camino Pickup. Introduced in the 1959 model year in response to the success of the Ford Ranchero coupé utility, its first run, based on the Biscayne's B-body, lasted only two model years. Production resumed for the 1964–1977 model years based on the Chevelle platform and continued for the 1978–1987 model years based on the GM G-body platform.

59 1959 Chevy El Camino Pickup. Chevrolet responded with the El Camino to compete with Ford's full-sized Ranchero. El Camino was introduced for the 1959 model year two years after the Ford Ranchero. According to Chevrolet stylist Chuck Jordan, GM Harley Earl had suggested a coupé pickup in 1952.

60 1959 Chevy El Camino Pickup 348 ci 250 hp V-8. A total of 22,246 El Caminos were produced for 1959. That bested the count of 21,706 first-year Rancheros made in 1957 and the 14,169 Ford sedan pickups built in direct competition for the 1959 model year.

61 1963 DODGE POWER WAGON W200 CREW CAB. For 1963, Dodge introduced a four-door crew-cab, becoming the first "Big Three" American manufacturer to market a factory-produced truck with two rows of seating.

62 1963 DODGE POWER WAGON W200 CREW CAB. The Dodge Power Wagon is a four-wheel drive medium duty truck that was produced in various model series from 1945 to 1980 by Dodge. A crew cab, or double cab, seats five or six and has four full-sized, front-hinged doors.

63 1963 DODGE POWER WAGON W200 CREW CAB. The Power Wagon was the first 4x4 medium duty truck produced by a major manufacturer in a civilian version.

64 1963 Dodge Crew Cab 318 ci 260 hp V8. The Power Wagon represents a significant predecessor to the many modern four-wheel drive extended cab trucks in use today.

65 1965 Ford F250 Crew Cab. The fourth generation of the Ford F-Series is a line of trucks produced by Ford from the 1961 to 1966 model years. Introducing a lower and wider cab over the previous generation, Ford introduced several design changes to the model line. Ford’s first factory-built four-door crew cab appeared in 1965 in F-250 trim and was sold as a special order.

66 1965 Ford F250 Crew Cab. In line with modern pickup trucks, the bedsides, hood line, and windowsill were all the same height. Ford returned the F-Series to two headlights (a design change that remained in place for over 50 years).

67 1965 Ford F250 Crew Cab. In October 1964, the 1965 F-Series introduced an all-new frame, which would be used on the F-Series through 1979. Replacing the rudimentary straight-axle in the front was an all-new independent "Twin I-Beam" suspension with coil springs on two-wheel-drive trucks.

68 1965 Ford Crew Cab 352 ci 208 hp V8 engine. The change in suspension also lengthened wheelbases slightly. A 4-door crew cab was first introduced on F-250 and F-350 models.

69 1973 Chevy Crew Cab Pickup 3500 HD 454 V8. First Year Dually/Crew Cab. The first year of the Chevy Crew Cab truck was 1973. This marked the introduction of the crew cab model, which was considered to be the first modern Heavy-Duty Truck and reflected a significant increase in capability for customers who used their trucks for both work and recreation.

70 1973 Chevy Crew Cab Pickup 3500 HD 454 V8. First Year Dually/Crew Cab. The new 1973 Chevy Pickup trucks started with an aerodynamically designed look. These were the first pickups designed by computers and with wind tunnels to optimize the exterior for less drag and increased fuel efficiency. The new design had been four years in the making.

71 1973 Chevy Crew Cab Pickup 3500 HD 454 V8. First Year Dually/Crew Cab. GM designated this generation under the “Rounded Line" moniker. Offered as a two-door pickup truck and chassis cab, the Rounded Line trucks marked the introduction of a four-door cab configuration for the first time.

72 1973 Chevy Crew Cab Pickup 3500 HD 454 ci 250 hp V8 engine. It’s officially a “dually,” precisely because it has dual wheels on each rear side. It was the auto industry’s very first Crew Cab one-ton pickup with dual wheels. It was also the star of the new third-generation pickups…and revolutionary for its time. It’s seen as the granddaddy of the heavy-duty pickup and predecessor to the SUV.

73 1982 Chevrolet S-10 Compact Pickup. In the 1980s, the compact foreign pickup trucks debuted. Subsequently, US manufacturers built their compact pickups for the domestic market, including the Chevrolet S-10 and the Ford Ranger.

74 1982 Chevrolet S-10 Compact Pickup. The Chevrolet S-10 compact pickup truck was the first domestically built compact pickup of the big three American automakers.

75 1982 Chevrolet S-10 Compact Pickup. The first generation of the Chevrolet S-10 Pickup was introduced as a "quarter-ton pickup" for the 1982 model year. These compact pickup trucks were built in a regular cab or extended cab pickup body style with short or long bed options.

76 1982 Chevy Pickup 116 ci 1.9L 82 hp Inline 4 cyl engine. A range of inline four or V6 engines were offered as well as two-wheel or four-wheel drive and manual or automatic transmissions. Production of the 1st Gen S-10 Pickup ended in 1993, when it was replaced by the 2nd Gen Chevrolet S-10 Pickup.

77 1983 Ford Ranger Compact Pickup. The Ford Ranger is a compact or mid-size pickup marketed globally by Ford over a series of generations, varying between both in-house or outside development and manufacturing.

78 1983 Ford Ranger Compact Pickup. Debuting as a compact pickup in North America for the 1983 model year, the Ranger was later introduced in some South American countries.

79 1983 Ford Ranger Compact Pickup. Chevrolet inflicted damage on Ford during their six-month head start in sales. Ford got a late start with the Ranger—leaving the S-10 alone in the segment for six months. Chevrolet reported 152,965 sales between October 1982 and September 1983. Ford reported 76,684 sales between March and September 1983.

80 1983 Ford Ranger Compact Pickup 140 CID 82 HP 4-cylinder Engine. Through its production, the Ranger has served as a close rival to the Chevy S-10.The Ford Ranger has a larger 4-cylinder than Chevy but the same horsepower. Eventually the Ranger overtook the Chevy S-10 in sales.

81 1994 Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie SLT Cummins Dually. The second-generation Dodge Ram pickup trucks debuted on January 5, 1993 at the North American International Auto Show and going on sale on October 1, 1993. The redesigned 1994 Ram was a sales success and was named "Truck of the Year" by Motor Trend in 1994.

82 1994 Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie SLT Cummins Dually. Sales increased from 95,542 units in 1993 to 232,092 in 1994, 410,000 in 1995, and 411,000 by 1996. It was prominently shown as the hero vehicle in the film Twister, as well as the CBS television series Walker, Texas Ranger starring Chuck Norris holder of a 10th Degree Black Belt. Amazing!

83 1994 Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie SLT Cummins. The engine offerings were carried over from the last generation, which were 3.9L V6, 239 ci 175 hp; 5.2L V8, 318 ci 200 – 230 hp; 5.9L V8, 360 ci 230 – 245 hp; 8.0L V8, 488 ci 310 hp.

84 1994 Dodge Ram 5.9-liter 360 ci 175 hp Cummins turbodiesel inline-six 24-volt (2-12 Volt batteries).

85 2022 Rivian R1T Electric Pickup. First year model. The 2022 Rivian R1T is a battery electric mid-size light duty luxury pickup truck produced by the American company Rivian based in Irvine, California, with its manufacturing plant in Normal, Illinois.

86 2022 Rivian RIT. The first ever high volume manufactured electric Rivian R1T pickup rolls off the Illinois assembly line September 28, 2021. Rivian became the first automaker to bring a fully electric pickup to the consumer market, beating industry mainstays such as GM, Ford, and Tesla.

87 2022 Rivian R1T Electric Pickup. In October 2021, Rivian began delivering the R1T truck to customers. The official EPA range for the Rivian R1T ranges from 255–420 miles, depending on drivetrain, battery pack capacity and wheel size.

88 2022 Rivian R1T Electric Pickup. The R1T is a pickup truck which features four electric motors, two located on each axle (front and rear). The front two motors produce 415 hp while the rear two motors produce 420 hp.

89 2022 Rivian R1T Electric Pickup. The Rivian R1T is offered with three battery sizes: 105 kWh, 135 kWh, or 180 kWh. The R1T has a projected range of 230 miles with the smallest battery, 314 miles with the medium battery and over 400 miles with the largest battery.

90 2022 Rivian R1T Electric Pickup being charged. Dual-motor four-wheel drive with differential at each axle. Quad-motor four-wheel drive, individual wheel drive.

91 2022 Rivian R1T Electric Pickup. Extra batteries can be mounted in the R1T's bed for improved range. Those backup/auxiliary batteries can be charged by another R1T, if no charging infrastructure is available.

92 2022 Rivian R1T Electric Pickup. Voted as Motor Trend 2022 Truck of the Year. Sales through Q4 2024 were 132,048.

93 2024 Tesla Cybertruck All Electric Pickup first year. The Tesla Cybertruck is a battery-powered electric pickup truck manufactured by Tesla, Inc since 2023. Its body design is reminiscent of low-polygon modeling, consisting of flat stainless steel sheet panels. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, stated that it had to drive like a sports car but have all the utility of a pick-up truck.

94 2024 Tesla Cybertruck Crew Cab unveiling. Serial production began in November 2023. Production-specification Cybertrucks were sent to Tesla showrooms starting in late November 2023. During the delivery event at Gigafactory Texas on November 30, 2023, Tesla delivered the first 12 production units to customers.

95 2024 Tesla Cybertruck Electric Pickup. The Cybertruck has five seats, two in the front and a three-seat bench in the back row. The vehicle has an 18.5 in touch-screen display in the front for most of the climate, media, and vehicle controls. The vehicle also contains a 9.4-inch touchscreen for the rear seat passengers.

96 2024 Tesla Cybertruck Electric Pickup. The Cybertruck was highlighted as being able to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds. Three models were announced: single-motor RWD 315 HP; Dual-motor AWD 600 HP; and a tri-motor AWD 845 HP branded as the "Cyberbeast". Driving Ranges 250 to 500 miles on a full charge.

97 2024 Tesla Cybertruck Electric Pickup. Rollaway top. The cargo bed is 72 in long and 48 in wide. It has a motorized roller shutter style tonneau cover enclosing a storage area of 67 cu ft. The cargo bed has sloped side walls.

98 2024 Tesla Cybertruck Electric Pickup. The bed area is illuminated with LED light strips along each side, contains a storage area below the main cargo deck behind the rear wheels, and has 120 and 240 VAC power outlets.

99 2024 Tesla Cybertruck Electric Pickup. Big screen TV. To aid visibility when reversing and towing, the feed from rear-facing cameras is displayed on the main touchscreen. The steering wheel is in the shape of a "squircle" (combination of a square and a circle), with a flat top and bottom, and round sides.

100 2024 Tesla Cybertruck Electric Pickup. As of June 2024, a total of 11,688 Tesla Cybertrucks have been sold, making it the top-selling electric pickup truck in the United States during the first half of the year. Total sales for 2024 were estimated at 38,965.