Chevrolet is among the legendary automakers. William C. Durant and his business partner, Swiss racing pilot Louis Chevrolet, launched the Chevrolet Motor Company in November 1911. With over 110 years of automotive design and production history, Chevrolet was among the few car companies to stand the test of time.
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Chevrolet’s history of building pickup trucks is nearly as long as its existence as a company. The early days of auto manufacturing were akin to the opening moments of a horse race, with everyone vying for the lead. The competition was fierce, and competitors had to keep up or fall behind. A new and innovative vehicle centered around this early automotive competition: the pickup truck.
The early American mass-produced pickup trucks were a unique breed, ideally suited for their time and place. Rugged, affordable, and repairable, they were versatile vehicles capable of everything from farming to traversing the vast distances of the world’s expanding roadways.
In the earliest days of mass production, companies like Ford and Chevrolet sold chassis-only pickup trucks, leaving the customer responsible for procuring and installing a cab and body.
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Chevrolet first put its pickup truck foot forward in 1918. Directed at competing with the recently released 1917 Ford Model TT, the Chevrolet Model T marked Chevrolet’s entry into pickup truck history.
