Chevrolet Pickups

Since 1930 General Motors manufactured dozens of pickup trucks which were different depending on size, exterior design, engine or number of passengers. However, after World War II Chevrolet begun paying a closer attention to the suburban market and tried to produce the Chevrolet pickups as a second family car. As a result, the standard duty pickup suffered a lot of major changes and it became nowadays the second best sold American-made pickup, a little behind the Ford F-Series.

But speaking about the early days of this incredible Chevrolet pickup history, the postwar era was the first step made by Chevrolet in its attempt to enter and why not to conquer the suburban market. In that era the Chevrolet pickups improved their sleeker aerodynamic look in 1947 and designers resized the cabin making it larger. Starting with 1954, the pickups were equipped with headlamps integrated into the fenders and with a more powerful 235 cubic inch engine. The six cylinders and a Hydramatic automatic transmission were other choices made by the engineers.

Another page of the Chevrolet pickups history was wrote in 1960 when the company begun to manufacture the C/K series. We can say that 1960 was the year when the Chevrolet pickups entered the modern era. The pickups were redesigned and benefited from new engineering components. This series was the most long-lasting line of Chevrolet trucks which suffered gradual style changes during four decades.

During that era the Chevrolet developed its truck models including the Apache and the Viking models. These pickups were manufactured using the Fleetside or the Stepside body styles and featured rear fenders along with a footstep. By doing so the access to the cargo bed was made easier.

The late 1960s meant a new era for the Chevrolet pickups. A new look became available for the pickups in 1967, a look that was squarer and more masculine. Because of this new look the Chevrolet pickups became popular in 1972, popularity that hasn’t decreased among today’s truck owners. The pickups were equipped with a 283 cubic inch V8 engine with a three or four speed manual transmission. It was also available a more economical version of the engine which had 250 cubic inches and six cylinders.

The Chevrolet continued its work of completing the standard light-duty pickup line offering to its customers the well known “mini” pickup. This pickup was called Chevrolet Luv and was manufactured between 1972 and 1982 when it was replaced by the S-10 models which are manufactured even nowadays. Some examples of “mini” pickups include the El Camino, a pickup manufactured from 1959 to 1960 using the Impala body style and the sport utility Chevelle manufactured between 1964 and 1987.

The Chevrolet pickups reached a new level in 1998 when the Silverado was released replacing the C/K series. This new pickup came with many interesting and useful features. An interesting version of the Silverado was the high-performance Super Sport package that became available for buyers in 2003. This package included a 6 liters Vortec V8 engine and a high performance suspension. But the most important step made by the Chevrolet pickups was the reveal of the Silverado hybrid in 2005. The customers were able to see that the Chevrolet has amazing future plans regarding the fuel consumption of pickups and it is interested in using alternative energy. The Silverado hybrid is equipped with an electric motor which starts the engine and feeds all the accessories.

The Chevrolet pickups suffered a lot of changes during the years and proved that Chevrolet is always ready to embrace future challenges.

Post tags: Tags: Chevelle, chevrolet luv, Chevrolet Pickup, el camino, General Motors