Lex Anteinternet: The birth of the "pickup"

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

The birth of the "pickup"

Courtesy of the 100 Years Ago Today Subreddit and the 365 Days of Motoring website we learn that today was the day that Ford introduced the TT, that is, its Model T based pickup truck. Or rather, truck, they weren't all boxed trucks, but trucks in general.

It wasn't simply a Model T conversion. The chassis was heavier than that of the Model T, reflecting its intended use.

Apparently it was originally just a chassis, and the body was up to the owners. According to 365 Days of Motoring, Ford offered the complete package, body and all, starting in 1924. The grand total for production for 1917 was three. Yes, only three, but the following year over 40,000 would be built and numbers were always higher than throughout its ten year production run.

Pickups have always been a big deal in the American West. Somehow, however, they've come to be a huge deal in the American automotive market in general and make up a big percentage of vehicles sold each year.

2 comments:

Merideth in Wyoming said...: Well that is a cool noteworthy birthday. Where we would be in Wyoming today without our pickup trucks?; Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at 10:26:00 AM MST
Pat, Marcus & Alexis said...: That's for sure. I'm always amazed that there are people who live here who don't own a pickup.; Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at 12:31:00 PM MST

Lex Anteinternet?

This blog has been around since 2009. In the very first post, we asked the question: "What the heck is this blog about?"

Our answer to the question was: "The intent of this blog is to try to explore and learn a few things about the practice of law prior to the current era. That is, prior to the internet, prior to easy roads, and the like. How did it work, how regional was it, how did lawyers perceive their roles, and how were they perceived?"

We also noted: "Part of the reason for this, quite frankly, has something to do with minor research for a very slow moving book."

All of this is still true, but the focus of the blog has changed somewhat. It now focuses on the era from 1890 to 1920 in general, rather than on the law and lawyers specifically, although that may be far from obvious. It's also become the location where we comment on anything we feel moved to comment on.

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