More than 32 million examples sold over 65 years. Of these 65, for 36 consecutive years it was the best-selling model in its segment and for 31 years it was the country’s overall best-selling vehicle, making Ford’s F-Series one of the biggest success stories in automobile history.
Although Henry Ford built his first truck back in 1900, and the first dedicated truck chassis as early as 1917, the story of the legendary F-Series began in January 1948. The Second World War had just finished and automakers, including Ford, were getting back to making civilian vehicles again.
The F-Series was Ford’s first post-war model. Advertised as a Bonus-Built truck, it was named F-1 and was the first Ford truck to wear the F badge. The series also included other variants — the F-1 was a half-tonne pickup, F-2 for three-quarter tonne and so on — designated up to F-7 and F-8, which were heavy-duty trucks.
There was a choice of three engines, all offering more power than Ford’s earlier pick-up truck models. The base engine was the Rouge 226, an all-new 95 horsepower flathead six-cylinder, while optional was the 100 horsepower Rouge 239 V8. The larger trucks came powered by the Rouge 337, which was Ford’s new heavy-duty V8 that produced 145 horsepower.
The F-1 came fitted with a floor-shifted three-speed transmission as standard, while a four-speed was optional. The cabin, which Ford described as the “Million Dollar Cab” in its original press release, was wider and taller than before and was more comfort-oriented, offering more room and plusher, coil-spring-equipped seats.
It also featured a one-piece windshield that offered an unobstructed view. A significant shift from the previous car-based trucks, the F-1 and the other trucks in the series were built on stronger, heavy-duty platforms that were better equipped to handle the daily grind such vehicles were expected to take on. The F-1 had a six-and-a-half-foot cargo bed with an all-steel floor, offering impressive 45-cubic-feet of load space.
Sales picked up phenomenally in 1950 when news spread that civilian car and truck production would be stopped in the wake of the Korean conflict. Close to 80,000 F-1s were made that year alone. 1951 saw the F-1 getting a design refresh with a revised grille, restyled fenders and front bumpers. It also got larger rear windows, a new dashboard with a built-in ashtray and a glove-box.
The model year also saw hardwood replacing steel for the cargo-bed floors. 1952 was the last production year of the Bonus-Built series, and Ford introduced a 101 horsepower, overhead valve six-cylinder engine to the line-up, and the flathead V8’s output was bumped up to 106 horsepower.
From 1953 onwards, Ford trucks were completely revamped and started following a new naming convention, with the F-1 becoming F-100 and so on. However, none of the later trucks had the charm of the first generation, which could be yours for anything between Dh90,000 to Dh150,000 depending on its condition.
