Classic Ford Trucks

01
of 11

Ford's 1911 Model T Lineup

Ford 1911 Model T Lineup
Ford 1911 Model T Lineup. © Ford

A Look Back at Ford Trucks Featured in Ford Advertising

In 2008, Ford released this collection of its advertising memorabilia to coincide with the 60th Anniversary of its popular F-Series pickup truck.

It's interesting to see what was regarded as innovative and comfortable fifty years ago -- most of those trucks wouldn't even be considered bare bones today, they'd be a lot lower on the food chain. But we still renovate the trucks, some to their original condition and some with more of the creature comforts we've all come to expect in our automobiles.

Looking back, it's easy tosee that every generation of pickup trucks brought us a little closer to today's feature-packed lineups.

Ford Trucks Memorabilia

Ford's 1911 lineup was a lot easier to memorize than the cars and trucks the company offers today. Ford didn't build a truck yet, but aftermarket companies were already fabricating pickups on the Model T chassis.

02
of 11

1948 Ford Truck Ad - "Bonus Built ... Built Stronger to Last Longer"

1948 Ford Truck Ad
1948 Ford Truck Ad. © Ford

Ford Trucks Memorabilia

This year was the first for Ford F-Series trucks. Bonus Built and Built Stronger to Last Longer were the themes of the day.

Bonus Built represented all of the new features that were standard on the F-Series.

03
of 11

1948 Ford Truck Ad - "Six Years of Newness Packed Into One"

1948 ford truck ad
1948 Ford Truck Ad. © Ford

Ford Trucks Memorabilia

Ford's new Big Job trucks were capable of carrying up to 21,500 pounds gross vehicle weight, the largest numbers yet for Ford. Notice the claim Ford trucks last up to 19.6% longer -- that's similar to recent ads that say more trucks still on the road.

04
of 11

1951 Ford Trucks - "My Truck Runs for only 2-1/2 Cents a Mile"

1951 Ford Truck Ad
1951 Ford Truck Ad. © Ford

Ford Trucks Memorabilia

I have some work to do before I can start driving my 1951 F-1 pickup, but I have a feeling it'll take more than 2.5 cents per mile to operate it these days.

For curiosity, I figured how much it cost to drive 7,200 miles in my 2003 F-150. With one oil change at $30, and each $4 gallon of gas getting 16 miles, it worked out to about 25 cents per mile, ten times as much as operating a truck in 1951.

05
of 11

1953 Ford Truck Ad - "Ford Economy Trucks - Save Time, Save Money, Last Longer"

1953 Ford Truck Ad
1953 Ford Truck Ad. © Ford

Ford Trucks Memorabilia

The 1953 through 1956 F-100 Series pickups are possibly the most recognized trucks that Ford ever built. Ford made a lot of them and the trucks have become popular for restorations and customizations.

Ford coined the term driverized cab in 1953, and introduced three new low friction engines -- a feature that resulted in improved performance and gas mileage.

Ford's new slogan was Ford Economy Trucks - Save Time, Save Money, Last Longer.

06
of 11

1957 Ford Truck Ad - "Ford Trucks Cost Less"

1957 Ford Truck Ad
1957 Ford Truck Ad. © Ford

Ford Trucks Memorabilia

Ford still used the term driverized cab in 1957, a description they came up with four years earlier to describe a cab with more creature comforts. The 1957 truck got a new heating and ventilation system, but lost its running boards. Ford's first Styleside, full-width bed was introduced, but the Stepside bed was still available.

The slogan for 1957 was Ford Trucks Cost Less, less to own, less to run, and last longer too.

07
of 11

1959 Ford Trucks - "Go Ford-Ward for Savings and Style"

1959 Ford Truck Ad
1959 Ford Truck Ad. © Ford

Ford Trucks Memorabilia

Ford's theme for 1959 was Go Ford-Ward for Savings and Style. Cab improvements were important updates, and included more adjustment options for the seat bottom and back. The truck's seat cover material was updated for 1959, and better padding was added.

Ford introduced its own four-wheel drive system in 1959 -- prior to that the units were Marmon-Harrington conversions.

08
of 11

1965 Ford Truck "Two Independent Front Axles Share the Shocks, Smooth the Road"

1965 Ford Truck Ad
1965 Ford Truck Ad. © Ford

Ford Trucks Memorabilia

In 1965, Ford introduced "Twin I-Beam" independent front suspension in its F-100 trucks. The company also added two new 6-cylinder engines, including the 300 cu.in. six that was a mainstay for years to come. Ford trucks got a new big block engine in 1965 -- a 352 cu.in. V-8.

Ford's theme in 1965 was Built to Last Longer.

09
of 11

1975 Ford Truck Ad - "Introducing Two New '75 Fords"

1975 Ford Truck Ad
1975 Ford Truck Ad. © Ford

Ford Trucks Memorabilia

Ford's F-100 truck remained in the lineup for 1975, but got a stablemate. The F-150 was introduced that year as a "heavy duty" half ton pickup.

Ford's SuperCab body, with its fold-up seat, was introduced the same year. The original SuperCabs had just the two front doors, so getting in and out of the back seat was a little more difficult than accessing the second row in today's trucks.

10
of 11

1975 Ford Truck Press Release Announcing New F-150 Truck

1975 Ford Truck Press Release
1975 Ford Truck Press Release. © Ford

Ford Trucks Memorabilia

This August, 1974 press release was Ford's official announcement of the new F-150 truck. The release mentions that the trucks are designed to operate on leaded or unleaded fuel -- pickups were just starting to switch over to unleaded.

11
of 11

Brochure for 1975 Ford Pickup Trucks

1975 Ford Truck Literature
1975 Ford Truck Literature. © Ford

Ford Trucks Memorabilia

Here's the front page of an advertising brochure about 1975 Ford trucks. It illustrates the Regular Cab and new SuperCab.