I’m taking a break from writing about exotics and luxury liners to write about the most popular vehicle in America. Large pickup trucks are the last segment where Detroit still has total domination, stuff like the Nissan Titan and Toyota Tundra barely make a dent in sales. And the best selling of them all is the Ford F-series, it has topped US sales charts since 1986, and last year they sold 1 million in the US and Canada. How did this happen?
In 1948, Harry Truman was President, the Soviets blockaded Berlin, and Ford brought out its first ever purpose-built pickup truck. Before, pickup trucks were offered as bodystyles on normal cars, but this was the postwar era, and car design was changing rapidly and becoming an unsuitable base for the needs of farmers and tradesman. The most popular model was the F-1 with the 6.5 foot bed, but an 8 foot bed was optional in the F-2 and F-3. As it is today, the truck also offered a wide variety of engines and transmissions. But it was 2 door only, new fancy crew cabs for you. Even windshield wipers were an option!
A new F-Series arrived in 1953. It brought along the now familiar naming scheme. The F-1 became the F-100, the F-2 and F-3 became the F-250, and the F-4 became the F-350. This new truck offered creature comforts such as power steering, automatic transmission, radio, and dome lights. 1953 would be the last year for the venerable flathead engine. It would also see the option of a Lincoln Y Block V8. Its styling, with the headlights integrated into the grille, turned out to be ahead of its time.
In 1957, the old Droopy Dog front end made way for something much more appropriate for the space age. The new styleside bed was flush with the rest of the body. And it now even had ponton fenders that were fully integrated into the body. The result was a much cleaner and more modern shape. The number of engines offered fell down to just 3, a Mileage Maker I6 and 2 Y-block V8s. In 1958, Ford became the first manufacturer to offer 4 wheel drive directly from the factory. Previous conversions were done Marmon Harrington.
In 1961, Ford got way too cocky. They decided to make the F-series into a unibody. It had the cab and bed as one single unit. It was all mounted on a seperate ladder frame chassis, so it’s not really a unibody pick up truck like the Honda Ridgeline, but it was an ancestor to the Chevy Avalanche. The unibody was cheaper to assemble, offered more load space without the gap, and Ford hoped the stylish and clean appearance would allow it to appeal to suburbanites who needed more than what was offered by a traditional station wagon. The “styleside” unibody was available on both the F-100 and F-250 and only in two wheel drive. Buyers could get a “flareside” with seperate cab and bed. All four wheel drive models used seperate cab and bed because the unibody could not withstand the torsional flexing of off road surfaces.
Unfortunately, this design came with problems. Owners would find that putting a heavy load in the bed would bend the frame to the point that the doors would jam shut. Others say that the twisting motion of driving over railroad tracks would pop the doors open. Ford, realizing what a disaster this was, rushed to fix it. Midway through 1962, they started offering a separate cab and bed styleside arrangement. They had no time to tool up for a new bed, so they used the one from the 1960 pickups. By 1964, the unibody was discontinued and that experiment was over.
In 1965, the F-series gained a serious refresh. There was a new frame, one which would be used until 1979. There was also a new I-beam suspension with coil springs up front for the 2 wheel drive models. New engines were also introduced, straight from the Mustang. Most notable, the first ever crew cab F-series was introduced.
The 5th Generation F-series arrived in 1967, it was a very evolutionary change. It was wider and heavier and offered a spate of new large V8s. You could get a 5.8, a 5.9, or even a 6.4 liter. The F-series was built in 11 different factories in the United States, plus ones in Canada, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, and Australia.
The 6th generation F-series arrived in 1973. The biggest engine was now a monstrous 7.5 liter V8, introduced just in time for the energy crisis. Most important, in 1975, the now iconic F-150 trim level arrived, slotting between the F-100 and F-250. This F-series is known for its durability, thanks to extensive use of rustproofing. In 1976, the F-series became America’s best selling pickup truck, a title it has held ever since.
The 1980 F-Series was meant to be more fuel efficient than its predecessor. One way they did this was by cutting a bunch of holes in the frame to save weight. The 1980-1981 models are known by enthusiasts as “swiss cheese” due to their habit of buckling under load. It was eliminated in 1982. This F-series would be the first American pickup to offer independent front suspension on 4 wheel drive models. Also in 1982, a very small but important styling change; the grille now had the Blue Oval logo. Believe it or not, Ford had not put the blue oval on the exterior of any of its cars since the Depression era. In 1983, the F-100 was dropped and the F-150 became the entry level model, as it is today. In 1986, the F-series became America’s best selling vehicle, which it has remained ever since.
In 1987, the F-series’ underpinnings remained largely the same, but a new aerodynamic body arrived. There were also standard rear antilock brakes, a pickup first. In 1988, the F-series became the first pickup truck with an entirely fuel injected lineup of engines. The Flareside bed was discontinued in favor of the flush Styleside.
The 1992 F-series gained a more aerodynamic shape with rounded edges. The Flareside model was reintroduced with fenders that matched the width of the cab. Ford worked to make its pickup truck more livable. A CD player and power driver seat became optional in 1994. There was also now an airbag. When I say the F-series was the best selling pickup in America, that’s a bit misleading. GM’s pickup trucks sold by Chevrolet and GMC are essentially identical, but are counted separately, and their combined sales have frequently topped Ford’s. But in 1996, Ford topped GM’s combined sales with 800,000 F-150s.
Ford also tried making their truck into a muscle car with the SVT Lightning in 1993. The Lightning had a 240 hp 5.8 liter V8 along with suspension and transmission upgrades. It was not a strong seller, however, and was discontinued in 1995, but would reappear.
1997 was the first true redesign of Ford’s full sized pickup trucks since 1979. The heavy duty F-250 and F-350 were spun off as their own models in 1999, leaving just the F-150. It sported a new soft and rounded front end. Ford was so worried about how well the new styling would be received that it continued to sell the old F-150 during 1996. But people liked the look a lot. It was named Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year in 1997. This was the first F-150 to use Ford’s Modular V8, in 4.6 and 5.4 liter forms. In 1999, the SVT Lightning reappeared, this time sporting a supercharged V8 producing 380 hp. This generation would also spawn the highly profitable Ford Expedition SUV.
In 2002, Ford tried to make the F-150 into a luxury car with the Lincoln Blackwood. Offered in rear drive only, it was a sales turd whose discontinuation was announced before the model year ended.
The 2004 F-150 brought back Tonka Truck styling. In 2005, it sold 939,000 units, the highest ever for a pickup truck. It won all the accolades from car magazines. The Lightning was discontinued and a new Harley Davidson trim was introduced.
Lincoln tried another go at the luxury pickup truck idea again with the Mark LT. It was much more successful than the old Blackwood, managing to survive 4 model years. In Mexico, it became Lincoln’s best selling model and would survive the 2009 redesign and go on until 2014.
In the late 2000s, pickup trucks suddenly turned into luxury sedans, with first Chevrolet then Dodge offering more comfort and more convenience features than ever thought possible. The new 2009 F-150 was still a rough riding workhorse but it did have lots of neat features such as a step ladder on the tailgate and a step on the side of the bed. It now had stability control and a 6 speed automatic transmission. For 2 years, the F-150 made do with the same antiquated V8s from the old one, but then in 2011, came a great leap. The F-150 now offered the 3.7 liter V6 and 5.0 liter V8 from the Mustang making 302 and 360 horsepower, respectively. It also offered Ford’s 3.5 liter turbocharged Ecoboost V6 making 365 horsepower. This meant more power and better fuel economy.
Ford introduced the Raptor, a spiritual successor to the old Lightning. It offered a 6.2 liter V8 with 411 horsepower along with beefed up suspension and 35 inch tires.
The 2015 F-150 saw the boldest move since the 1961 unibody, and one that seems to be going much better than that debacle. Most of the F-150’s body panels are aluminum. This saves a lot of weight, 700 lbs worth. This, however only makes it as light as the Ram 1500 and Chevy Silverado since the old F-150 was a behemoth. This F-series is really a true luxury car now. It has active cruise control, lane keeping assist, and blind spot detection. It has Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system with bluetooth and satellite navigation, you can even get automatic climate control and a heated steering wheel. Although still, the F-150 is not as refined as the trucks from Ram and Chevy. Powertrains are also new, the 3.7 liter V6 was replaced by 2.7 Liter Ecoboost Turbo engine, you can also now get a diesel. The transmission for 2018 is a 10 speed automatic, I can remember when 6 speeds was considered a lot. The Raptor continues, this time with an even more powerful version of the 3.5 liter Ecoboost engine making 450 horsepower.
It is remarkable how far the F-series has come in 70 years. From being a spartan workhorse that could be had without mirrors or wipers to being a genteel suburbanite with aluminum body panels and electronic safety features out the wazoo. Through it all, the F-series has retained a reputation as durable and versatile truck that has kept it at the top of the sales charts for 32 years with nothing from Toyota or Nissan being able to knock it off its perch.