Baseball, apple pie, and pickup trucks three symbols of the down-home American heartland. Americans tend to love all things American and the pickup truck is no exception. The very first pickup truck debuted, thanks to Henry Ford, in 1925. Although a bit lengthy for today’s marketing standards, Ford described it as a “Ford Model T Runabout with Pickup Body.” It was surprisingly similar to current pickups with an adjustable tailgate, a large cargo box, and heavy-duty springs in the rear.
Throughout the United States’ short history, the pickup truck gained popularity and continued to evolve. Three years later, Ford replaced the Model T with the Model A which was the first closed-cab pickup and included new features like roll-up side windows and a safety glass windshield. Capable of a whopping 40 horsepower (impressive at the time), the Model A sported a four-cylinder engine and three-speed transmission.
By 1931, Chevrolet stepped up and offered its first pickup model in an effort to compete with Ford. But Ford wasn’t going anywhere. They countered the following year by releasing an even more powerful pickup with 65-horsepower and the...