Ford Celebrates A Century Of Building Pickup Trucks

It’s been 100 years since Ford first started building pickup trucks, with the 1917 Model TT making its appearance nine years after the first Model T.

The original Model TT retained the Model T’s cab and engine but came with a heavier-duty frame which allowed it to carry one ton of payload. Henry Ford’s idea was a chassis that could host third-party beds, cargo areas and other add-ons to deliver the required increased functionality.

By 1941, Ford had sold more than four million trucks, with the switch to war production resulting to a significant gain in experience building heavy-duty military truck chassis and four-wheel drive personnel carriers. One year after consumer production returned in 1947, Ford used that experience to offer better trucks to its customers.

44 years after the Model TT, Ford launched its fourth-generation F-Series model. The company introduced its revolutionary twin-beam front suspension in 1965 while the upscale Ranger package was launched in 1967. The first Supercab made its debut in 1974, featuring for the first time more comfortable seating to attract buyers looking for a dual-purpose vehicle.

Fast forward to today and Ford has continued pushing the envelope with innovations such as the industry’s first high-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy body for the 2015 F-150 and the EcoBoost V6 engines for better fuel economy.

The company today offers the second-gen 2017 F-150 Raptor with a 450hp EcoBoost V6, a ten-speed automatic transmission and specific off-road performance suspension as the range-topping Ford pickup truck.