1930 Chevrolet 1 1/2 Tonne Pick Up

“This Chevrolet 1½ Tonne Pick Up spent its life on a Kansas farm and came to the UK in 2014, via a collector in Belgium who had imported it from the US,” explains the vendor. “It was stripped at that time and sympathetically rebuilt, but not restored, so it still has its original corn buck body.”

That distinction is important because, as our photographs in the Gallery below and our Video both demonstrate, you get patina – and plenty of it. The Pick Up sits on a new chassis and has had a disc brake conversion upgrade to replace the (negligibly powered) original rod units. The interior had a re-trim at the same time in period brown leather and electrics were converted to 12v, with an alternator and an electric cooling fan fitted behind the radiator.

“The panels are all original and it’s never been painted,” says the vendor. “It’s an incredible and rare machine that’s as good to look at atop as it is underneath, with genuine usability and huge nostalgic appeal.”

The history file includes the V5C document, which shows just one UK owner since registration in 2015. Interested bidders should be aware that the registration mark BF7547 is non-transferable.

How cool does the exterior look? That’s a rhetorical question by the way, because the only possible answer could be: ‘funky as heck’.

The body panels are understood to be original and as such, it wears its scrapes, grazes and tarnishes with pride. If it’d been immaculately restored then it wouldn’t be 1/100th of the vehicle it is now.

“The time-worn patina is something else,” says the vendor. “And the corn buck body is believed to have been assembled and fitted by a Kansas coach builder – it still sports attractive period ironmongery.’

In the back of the truck you’ll find rear twin doors and extra panels (greedy sides) should you want to extend the height another tier to increase the load carrying capacity.

Tyres were replaced at the time of rebuild and still have tread-a-plenty and the whitewall look works well with the ‘bare smoothie’ rims. You’ll also find the battery located in the wooden box mounted on the offside running board.

We can’t help but smile every single time we pop downstairs and see this ol’ thang – in fact we’re each currently thinking of an excuse as to why we should own it.

The cabin is a glorious place. It’s been sympathetically finished in period brown leather/vinyl, which lends it a touch of luxury. It remains perfect having only been completed in recent years. Contrast that to the original steering wheel, dashboard and wood displaying an original patina and the overall feel is that of a shabby chic men’s barbershop –and that ain’t no bad thing.

“I love it,” says the vendor. “The interior bench seat and door panels were refinished in the period correct antique brown leather/vinyl. The gauges work, although the fuel gauge is a bit intermittent and the wind-up keep-fit windows do help to ventilate. The latter do work surprisingly well for 1930’s engineering.”

Power comes via the original straight-six engine mated to a 4-speed gearbox (with synchromesh on all but 1st gear) and conventional pedal positions.

“To start the truck, you turn the ignition on and press the foot push started button on the floor and she fires right up with a little choke,” says the vendor. “It drives exceptionally well for a 91-year old vehicle – although the non power-assisted steering can be a touch heavy when maneuvering. The 3.2-litre ‘cast iron wonder’ straight-six will happily sit at 55mph all day long.”

Popping the hood reveals a power unit in nice condition; it appears to be leak free, although we would likely ditch the modern blue silicon pipes on the cooling system for something a little more period perfect.

From a buying perspective the best view of this pick-up is underneath, as you can see that fresh chassis can in all its unmarked glory and the rest of the package is none too shabby either – suspension components, prop-shaft, exhaust system, axles and brakes all look to be in excellent nick.

It is a very sharp picture.

As well as the aforementioned V5C document, there are a number of other documents in the Chevy’s history file. These include instructions for the GM Intermediate disc brake upgrade that was fitted and also for the tapered roller bearings used and a number of invoices.

The biggest of these is dated 3rd November 2015 and is from North Hants Tyres & Wheels for the princely sum of £1888.08, which included supply and fitment of two Firestone 700x18 Blackwall and two STA 700x18 Blackwall tyres and four 18x7 Bare Smoothies rims. You’ll also find a couple of others for items such as a new thermostat and fuel gauge (October 2015) and other sundry items.

DVLA documentation includes a Number Plate Authorisation Certificate and the application letter.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been sympathetically rebuilt and then maintained to a very high standard.

Yee-haw! Sorry, couldn’t resist it…

It’s pretty difficult to look at this lovely ol’ thing and not feel yourself transported in an instant back to a different time, place and country. It’s such a superlative vehicle.

What could it be used for? Well it’d be perfect for the BBC show The Repair Shop; that’s not a shout out to the producers, but it’d certainly fit the bill for a multitude of businesses. Then again, you may just fancy a funky pick-up to cruise around in.

Given it’s excellent bill of health and lovely patina-tastic aesthetics, we think it’ll sell for somewhere between £18,000 and £25,000. The next owner can then get it out and about – one thing’s for sure, smiles are guaranteed from all that cast eyes upon it.

Viewing is always encouraged and as stated this car is located at THE MARKET headquarters near Abingdon; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.