Car: ( Or in this case, truck ): Ford F1 Pick-Up
Year: 1951
What makes it special: The first-generation F-Series were a series of pickup trucks and commercial vehicles produced by Ford. Introduced in late 1947, the F-Series was the first post-war truck design and would remain in production until 1952. F-Series trucks were assembled at sixteen different Ford factories. The most common model was the F-1 with a 6 ½-foot bed followed by the F-2 and F-3 Express models with an 8-foot bed.
What made it famous: The 1951 trucks were restyled with a single bar type grille and a headlight at each end of the grille bar. The grille was painted argent silver to complement the chrome headlight bezels. During the model year, the grille was painted ivory and the headlight rings argent silver. The hood got new side spears and a three slot embellishment at the front. The front bumper was redesigned. A V8 emblem was used on the upper grille support on corresponding trucks. The pickup bed and tailgate were redesigned. The bed used a hardwood floor instead of the previous all metal floor. The rear window was larger. Door panels were also added. The F1 was a 1/2 ton pickup, powered by various engines, such as a 95hp, 226 or 110hp, 254 Flathead-6, or a 100hp, 239 or 145hp, 337 Flathead V8, all mated to a 3-speed light or heavy-duty, or 4-speed spur gear manual transmission.
Why I would want one: Early pickups are just plain cool. If it’s left as an untouched “Survivor,” full resto or street rod, they are all awesome.
Fun fact: A red, faded 1951 Ford F1 pick-up was the silent star of the wildly popular 70’s Red Foxx / Demond Wilson TV comedy series “Sanford & Son.”
