Top 11 Groundbreaking GM Pickups - PickupTrucks.com
Now that General Motors has entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy to create the “New GM,” we thought we’d take a look back at the Top 11 Groundbreaking Pickup Trucks built by the “Old GM. ” These trucks innovated in capability, functionality or design. Chevrolet set a new standard for truck power when it introduced the light-truck segment’s first overhead valve (pushrod) six-cylinder engine and a four-speed transmission for its 1929 International Model Series LQ truck lineup. The 194-cubic-inch, 46-hp "cast-iron wonder" produced a great increase in power and torque over the old four-cylinder engine that allowed Chevrolet trucks to move or pull more significant loads than they could before. After almost six years of war and product stagnation, Chevrolet's radically different 1947 Advanced Design light-duty trucks represented a sea change in pickup design and appearance that kicked off the nation’s post-World War II era of trucks. The cab of the Advanced Design pickups was 8 inches wider and 7 inches longer than the truck it replaced, allowing Chevy engineers to fit in a true three-person seat, which was also fully adjustable. Another new feature that contributed to driver comfort and safety was a fresh-air heater/defroster system that brought fresh outside air into the cab and forced used air out through vents at the rear of the cab. Source: news.pickuptrucks.com
