The accepted story of America’s first factory-produced pickup truck goes like this: Ford introduced the Model T in 1908, and in 1913, a company called the Galion Allsteel Body Company, an early developer of the modern pickup and dump truck, slapped a hauling box on the back. It would eventually be called the Model TT, Ford’s first true, full-production pickup truck. But the TT shares its title as America’s first pickup truck with Chevy’s Model 490.
A Truck with No Truck Bed
See, at first, Ford didn’t technically build their trucks – or any finished, roadworthy cars – in house. In the early days of auto making, vehicles were sold as a rolling chassis only. The buyer had to fork out more cash to have a body of their choice made and installed. Although introduced in 1917, the Model TT wasn’t entirely built in Ford’s factories from bumper to bed until 1924.
The 1922 Superior Model One was the first Model 490 with a factory cab (Photo courtesy of Pickuptrucks.com)
Here’s where we clarify this technicality with a little bit of history. Chevy produced the Series 490 automobile from 1915 to 1922. The 490 chassis was a huge success and became the brand’s main seller. It took big chunks out of the Model T’s market and provided enough revenue to allow Chevy co-founder Billy Durant to buy shares of GM stock. Eventually, Durant merged Chevy with GM. That same year, Durant set out to supplant the Model TT with his own in-house pickup truck.
The Series 490 Light Delivery
That would be the 1918 Chevrolet Series 490 Light Delivery, America’s other first factory-built, half-ton pickup. To be fair, the Light Delivery didn’t include a wood bed frame or cab either, but it shipped as a fully assembled, ready-to-drive pickup that included stronger rear springs, designed to haul any weight a customer may place in his truck bed. Chevy also produced an ironically named Chevy Model T (“Ton Truck”) with a payload capacity of 2,000 pounds. These were often used as commercial vehicles and early firetrucks.
The GMC Tanker was built upon the confusingly named Chevy Model T (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)
The Secret First American Truck
What’s more, Chevy is said to have produced Model 490 trucks with cabs and beds for internal use in 1916. Although not available for consumer sale, these 1916 Model 490 trucks technically count as America’s first factory-built pickup (but that’s an argument for another day). Priced at $595, the Light Delivery included a metal hood, grille, instrument panel with gauge cluster, front fenders, and windshield mounts. The customer would provide the (usually wooden) cab and bed, and the result would be an agile and economic light pickup, perfect for the entrepreneurs returning from World War I to start small businesses across the country.
The 1930 Model 490 was Chevy’s first pickup to include a factory, steel cab and bed (Photo courtesy of Pickuptrucks.com)
Cast Iron Wonders
The Model 490 Light Delivery featured a 2.8L four-cylindered OHV motor that produced 24 horses, mated to a selective-sliding 3-speed cone clutch. In 1929, Chevy ditched the four-banger for their classic Stovebolt straight six, which quickly earned a reputation for reliability. This would serve as Chevy’s sole motor until 1954, when they introduced their first small block V8.
In 1930, Chevy bought the Martin-Parry Body Company and began producing their own steel-bodied pickups, complete with factory-installed beds. Nicknamed the “Cast Iron Wonders”, Chevy’s steel pickups took the truck market by storm and would serve as precursors to the Advance Design Series. The rest is history.
