Motoring | Features

Ford F-1

For more than three decades the Ford F-Series has been America’s best-selling vehicle, and the Blue Oval owes it all to the 1948 F-1, writes Sony Thomas

By Sony Thomas, Deputy Editor, wheels
Published: 14:57 January 23, 2013

Image Credit: Supplied picture
Collectors find the first generation Ford F-1 to be the most desirable.

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.