Art & Inspiration What's the best[-looking] pickup truck design?

A historic 1958-60 racer/daily driver version of a Ford pickup truck with a surprise under the hood.



Hello,

The controversy has always been in the forefront of hot rod talks. Ford vs Chevy. In trucks, they have the same strong camps that expound on the +/- of one over the other. The facts are not disputed, but, “potato/potaato.”

My first introduction to the hot rod/custom truck was a full custom Ford truck with a chopped top, white tuck/roll upholstery, lowered rake and chromed reversed rims. It was the only daily driven custom car/truck we had ever seen in our Long Beach area.

It was unusual as it was a custom truck in a neighborhood of "working trucks..." The custom Ford Truck was a daily driver for the owner and we saw it everyday parked out in front of his business.

Then over time, trucks were equivalent to being relegated to “work” vehicles, tow/push vehicles at the drags and just not the usual Friday-Saturday night cruising hot rod.

Jnaki

But the controversy of Chevy trucks vs. Ford trucks gets thrown aside with some cool “other” trucks…

 

1940 Ford trucks are hard to beat! HRP

 

Another vote for the 40 ford!

 

I like dodge trucks but they always look like they need to pull their pants up. Compared the 40 ford above the bed sides are soooo low. The hood stands up proud, cab windows in line and then the bed is several inches lower. I wonder why they designed it that way.

 

Off the internet….

 

There are few orphans out there that appeal as well

 

Pontiac actually built and pitched this beautiful Catalina.

 

My two trucks 57 big window and my 52 AD with a little off the top. Had a 41 ford also and it was sweet. Love those trucks

 

So, the question posed was what is the best pick-up 'design'. I think there are too many to choose from. Once people began buying pick-ups as second cars, which kinda began in the '30's. All the manufacturers were doing their best to win over buyers and, thus, styling began to matter. These are a few of what I consider the prettiest,toughest, most thought out, HAMB era designs.
(All images found on the web, credit to those who own and those who snapped the shots)

'34 Ford


'35 Ford (can't help it, I'm bias) (owner, @AVater Peter T. posted on Pg.2 of this thread)




'35 Dodge



'37 Studebaker


'38 Chevy


'40 Ford



'45-46 Chevy


'50 Ford F-1


'50-53 Chevy


'57 Ford F-100


and one of my personal favorites, '57 Chevy Cameo Carrier



Honorable mention to the '57 Ranchero


and the -59 and 60 El Camino
( okay, I took this one
(Owner ^^^ Bob Hendrix of Warren, MI) an incredible car, ... er ... Pick-up!

 

It probably had to do with convenient loading height over the side. The low sides made it easier for in-town delivery. Farmers were used to making side boards for their particular needs. The later ('48 and up up) design pickups offered an optional 'high sided' bed. We tend to forget that the aesthetics of a pickup didn't matter...

 

I think the black '56 might be the one Sam Foose did for Chip. Note the front wheel arch has been moved forward to get rid of the goofy factory location, which I understand was an afterthought used to improve the tuning circle.

 

I love the '56 Ford enough to have them on my bucket list. I just don't personally find them to be the bast disign, looks wise, when sided up to other trucks. They do have strong appeal. I think all the pie cuts and chops and tucks, etc. the guys did to bring Chip Foose's vision for Sam's truck to reality checks all the right boxes and really highlight how beautiful that rig can look.

 

I didn’t see a mention of any Dodge Sweptlines so I’ll post one from online for some opinions.
They were very rare with only about 3000 built for 57, 58 & 59. They’re kind of odd looking to me but I haven’t seen many in my lifetime.
Dodge basically took the rear quarters from a wagon and grafted them on to a pickup bed.
Here’s a ‘58.

 

Looks like they moved it forward to matched the rear wheel opening….

 

1940 Ford
1953-1956 Ford
1955 Late Chev to 1959 Chev
These are the classic pickup trucks. Hands down. You can debate between these but these are the classics. I love all of these and like my grandchildren I just cant pick one over the others

 

1937-1942 Hudson Terraplane(?) Utility Coupe.

 

The Rare Deluxe Fordy...

 

Happy Happy Joy Joy. This is a fine ride.

 

Loved mine.

 

Here we go- The Grapes of Wrath truck, a 1926 Hudson Super Six converted to a cross country family truckster:



https://www.imcdb.org/v125825.html

The last comment says:

... the filmakers took the care to get this vehicle just as Steinbeck described it. "A Hudson Super-Six sedan, and the top had been ripped in two with a cold chisel."


“The house was dead, and the fields were dead; but this truck was the active thing, the living principle,” Steinbeck wrote. “The ancient Hudson, with bent and scarred radiator screen, with grease in dusty globules at the worn edges of every moving part, with hub caps gone and caps of red dust in their places — this was the new hearth, the living center of the family; half passenger car and half truck, high-sided and clumsy.“

https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/features/grapes-of-wrath-hudson-part-of-film-history


The truckster was turned into a speedster:



https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Details/1926-HUDSON-SPEEDSTER--GRAPES-OF-WRATH-80959

 

I'm a truck guy. I get more excited about trucks than cars. trying to pick a favorite is impossible because of the hot rod hobby. The mods make or break the truck.

 

A good choice

 

'56 F100, but then, I might be a little biased...