-
Ford Model T Runabout with Pickup Body
In 1931 Chevrolet produced its first factory-assembled pickup. Ford Australia produced the first Australian "ute" in 1932. -
The Advent of Four-Wheel Drive pickup
Component supplier Marmon-Herrington began converting Ford pickup trucks to four-wheel drive back in 1935, but the first production four-wheel-drive pickup was the 1946 Dodge Power Wagon
http://www.caranddriver.com/flipbook/an-illustrated-history-of-the-pickup-truck#3 -
Forward-Control Pickups
Forward-control, or flat-nosed, pickups offer the utility and bed length of a conventional design but with shorter overall length for greater maneuverability. It was first used by Voltswagon Know as the "1952 Voltswagon transporter" -
Smooth-Sided Cargo Bed
As Pickups left farms and moved into suburban areas Appearances became more important. Chevrolet’s 1955 Cameo Carrier and its GMC Suburban counterpart were the first pickups to ditch the distinct rear fenders that had been standard pickup fare since the 1920s, in favor of smooth fiberglass flanks for a more carlike appearance. -
Compact Mini-Pickups
As Japanese cars began to arrive in the United States, pickups were not far behind. Datsun (now Nissan) was the first to land a truck in stateside showrooms, with the Datsun 1000 arriving for the 1958 model year.
http://www.caranddriver.com/flipbook/an-illustrated-history-of-the-pickup-truck#12 -
Pickup Campers
Slide-in pickup campers like the Cree Truck Coach and the Sport King began to appear in the mid-1940s and early ’50s, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that the camping craze really caught on. -
Ford And cheverlote
In 1961 Ford and chevy joined in the party with volks wagon in the flat front pickups -
Diesel Power for Pickups
Diesels are common today in heavy-duty pickups and available in lighter-duty models from Nissan and Ram, but it wasn’t until the fuel crisis of the mid-1970s that domestic manufacturers came to embrace diesel engines, and their earliest efforts were so rushed that they may have done the diesel’s reputation more harm than good. -
Room for More: Crew Cabs 1957-1973
The now defunct International Harvester introduced the first crew-cab pickup, the Travelette, in 1957. As more people started owning pickups there space became more of a problem so they decided to make crew cabs. -
Room for More: Enlarged Two-Door Cabs
Throught the years truck makers thought of another idea 2 door cabs still with 5 seats but just 2 doors. The first was the Dodge Club Cab of 1973, which was a two-door with its cab stretched by 18 inches and a small back seat. -
Custom from the Factory
Personalizing trucks with custom wheels, tires, and performance bits is a long-standing tradition, but with the Li’l Red Express truck, Dodge cut out the middle person and offered a custom truck right from the factory. This option allowed for so much different and cool upgrades to be added to a pickup. November 1977 story "Flat Out in Ohio, -
Car-Based Pickups
Based on a two-door Ford station wagon, the ’57 Ford Ranchero combined carlike styling, comfort, and handling with some of the utility of a pickup truck. in 1959 to 1987 -
An Import Oddball
Now this year was an odd year for pickup buyers. Never a manufacturer to shy away from quirkiness, Subaru entered into the pickup market with something that was not just another truck. Based on a GL sedan, the BRAT. market ended in 1987. -
Smaller Car-Based Pickups
As the compact-pickup craze hit its peak in the era of rising fuel prices, smaller, car-based models became available. Dodge enjoyed modest success with the Omni-based Rampage of 1982–1984. Many people prefferred a smmaller mor cheaper pickup. -
The Convertible Pickup
If pickups are a lifestyle statement, a convertible version probably makes all the sense in the world. Or maybe not. Some softtop pickups from the 1920s and ’30s could arguably be called convertibles, but the first manufacturer to go with the lifestyle idea was Dodge with the Dakota convertible of 1989–1991. Now this is a wierd era for pickups aswell. -
First Compact Muscle Truck
The GMC Syclone didn’t even pretend to aspire to truck duty in the traditional sense. Its 500-pound payload capacity took care of that. But with a turbocharged and intercooled 4.3-liter V-6 good for 280 horsepower. The idea was a brilliant one because who dosent love a fast car but still able to make those tight spaces. -
First Full-Size Japanese Pickup
Japans started modifing there truck to be larger. Compact Japanese pickups established a reputation for reliability in the 1970s; they had been a familiar sight on U.S. roads for decades before Toyota and Nissan made a move toward building full-size models -
The Muscle Truck
The little-known Dodge Custom Sports Special of 1963–67 came with un-truck-like features for the time, including full carpeting, bucket seats, a console, and racing stripes. these trucks were the fashion icon of there times. Big-block engines also found their way into Chevrolet's and Ford’s full-size pickups during the same period.In 2004, Dodge escalated the performance-truck wars with the 500-hp, 8.3-liter, V-10–powered Dodge Ram SRT-10. -
Luxury-Brand Pickups
Cadillac has long been used to describe pickup trucks dressed up with luxury features, but Lincoln was the first to try a luxury-brand pickup back in 2002. Based on the four-door Ford F-150, the Black wood had a more posh interior and a short, 56.3-inch bed. much were very popular -
The Pickup/SUV Mashup
Once SUV started getting popular pickup truck makers wanted the same so pickup SUVs started hitting the streets. Combining the virtues of a pickup and a full-size SUV, the Chevrolet Suburban–based Avalanche had four doors, a folding rear seat, and a clever “Midgate” partition between the cab and the bed that could be stowed to enable the truck to haul full sheets of plywood in an eight-foot bed. -
Spercar pickups
Super car companies are starting making versions of there cars in pickups such as tesla.
