Posts from ‘Commercial Vehicles’
1950 Dodge B-2-B Panel Truck
Note: The following story was excerpted from the June 2013 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine
By John Biel
For decades after the old-car hobby got rolling in earnest, there was an increasing emphasis on exacting nut-and-bolt restorations, the results sometimes being vintage vehicles that looked better in retirement than the moment they left the assembly line years before. In recent years, though, an appreciation for worn but undisturbed originals has arisen. Even some prestigious car-club meets and concours d’elegance have created “preservation” classes to include these hardy survivors.
First Look: 2021 Ford F-150
2021 Ford F-150
When the best-selling vehicle in America gets a full redesign, it’s a big deal—even in the midst of a global pandemic. Ford officially took the wraps off the new, fourteenth-generation F-150 full-size light-duty pickup this evening via a streamed digital-reveal event.
1935 Ford Model 50 DeLuxe Panel Truck
Note: The following story was excerpted from the April 2009 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine
By Don Sikora II
The Ford Motor Company ambitiously introduced restyled lines of cars and trucks for 1935. The truck line was comprised of the light-duty Model 50 Commercial Cars and the 1½-ton Model 51. For the first time, Ford truck styling was starting to show the streamlined look the company’s passenger cars had been using since 1933. While the trucks clearly looked more modern, Ford’s recent practice of greater stylistic differentiation between car and truck models continued.
The Cars of Hogan’s Heroes
Set in a prisoner-of-war camp, Hogan’s Heroes would seem an unlikely program in which to find interesting vehicles, but there were several cars and trucks featured on the hit sitcom that merit consideration.
Hogan’s Heroes, the zany WWII-themed sitcom that ran on CBS from 1965 to 1971, isn’t in the same league as shows like Batman, The Munsters, or The Beverly Hillbillies when it comes to memorable “star cars.” However, while chronicling the havoc wreaked on the Nazi war machine by the fictional U.S. Colonel Hogan (Bob Crane) and his Allied crew in a German prisoner-of-war camp, Hogan’s Heroes nevertheless paraded some interesting vehicles. Check out the cars of Hogan’s Heroes.
1948 GMC ACR 723 Tractor
Note: The following story was excerpted from the August 2008 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine
By Don Sikora
GMC spent much of the early Forties concentrating on military truck production for American and Allied efforts in World War II. By the time hostilities ended, the division had produced more than 580,000 6×6 trucks and amphibious “Ducks.”
2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave
As shown at the 2020 Chicago Auto Show, Jeep is going after the desert-driving crowd with the new Desert Rated Gladiator Mojave.
While most think of “off road” as consisting of rocks, hills, and mud, it can also include sand. And for those who follow that path, Jeep has built a special vehicle.
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Custom Crew in Silver Ice Metallic
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 4WD Custom Crew
Class: Large Pickup
Miles driven: 216
Fuel used: 19.5 gallons
Review Flashback! 2011 Dodge Dakota
2011 Dodge Dakota
Marketing executives use the term “white space” to refer to an area of a given market segment (say, pickup trucks) in which no product yet exists. If you think about 3M’s 1977 rollout of the Post-it Note, you’ll get the idea.
Photo Feature: 1953 Dodge B-4-B-116
1953 Dodge B-4-B-116
Note: The following story was excerpted from the February 2011 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine
By Don Sikora II
Back in 1953, trucks were nearly always used for work. Dodge recognized this and attempted to tailor its truck offerings to every possible need.
2020 Jeep Gladiator
While FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) isn’t setting many sales records with its cars, its trucks are on fire. Jeep is maintaining its traditionally strong sales numbers, and Ram pickups have recently outsold Chevrolet’s (!!!) to become the nation’s #2-selling trucks behind the Ford F-Series. That’s huge.
