$14,500
Generations before pickups were fashionable for anything but work, Detroit manufacturers were busy applying lessons learned producing trucks for the Allies during WW2. Trucks became tougher and better designed, and soon proved to be indispensable tools of U.S. commerce and industry at every scale, pulling their weight and planting a seed for the omnipresent pickup of modern American roads.
Generations before pickups were fashionable for anything but work, Detroit manufacturers were busy applying lessons learned producing trucks for the Allies during WW2. Trucks became tougher and better designed, and soon proved to be indispensable tools of U.S. commerce and industry at every scale, pulling their weight and planting a seed for the omnipresent pickup of modern American roads.
Introduced in 1947 alongside its near-identical twin the Chevrolet Advance Design, GMC’s New Design was met by a booming economy and high demand. Led by the Chevy, this new line of GM trucks became the best selling light-duty pickups in America, and without a four-door cab, automatic transmission, heated leather seat, V8, or 4x4 option in sight.
The auction truck is a one-ton, long-wheelbase example that was bought new at Gauker Motor Company of Mankato, Minnesota in August 24th, 1949 for $1,942.67
The truck gets details correct, like pie crust style 17” tires, stout, foursquare stance, and bare-bones equipment. Turn signals are optional Teleoptic items made in Racine, Wisconsin - check out the interesting arrow designs in their lenses, as well as the spectacular line of the tire-hugging rear fenders.
Graphics are modern vinyl items made in the period style, and the rear bumper has been replaced with a trailer hitch. Running boards wear great looking step plates cast with the same GMC script stamped into the tailgate, and the timber bed floor is correct as well.
The truck’s chrome grille, “radiator ornament”, and passenger side mirror were all optional, and each is listed with a corresponding price on the included original sales invoice.
The interior has real 1950’s machine shop office vibes, with lots of exposed, heavy gauge steel, Naugahyde, Bakelite, and the wonderful scent of well-oiled old machinery.
Despite the lack of a tach (shift with your ears!) Instrumentation is actually a good deal more complete than what is typical today, and includes gauges for amps, oil pressure and coolant temp, as well as fuel level and an 80 mph speedometer. Options include a heater and rare AM radio, the grille of which features prominent GENERAL MOTORS TRUCK signage as a focal point for the dashboard.
For 1949 the fuel tank was moved from beneath the bed to behind the tilt-forward bench seat, and the filler neck migrated from the right side of the bed to slightly higher ground immediately behind the passenger door. Note the cool little Teleoptic control pod and period flashlight strapped to the steering column.
Power comes from a 228 ci straight-six topped by a single carb with an OEM style oil-bath air cleaner, and is transferred to the 5.14:1 rear axle via a 4-speed manual transmission.
According to the seller, a service from February 2022 included a tuneup and fitment of a replacement brake master cylinder.
Notably, the serial number stamped into the engine block matches that of the “Motor No.” seen on the truck’s original sales invoice, as viewable in the full photo gallery.
The truck has spent time in Minnesota, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, and Washington, and is now offered in Oregon. The title wears notes from several different states, including Illinois (“parts only”), Kentucky (“odometer - exceeds mechanical limits”), and Washington (“classic”).
Sale includes a factory service manual, owner’s manual, a Kennedy Kits steel toolbox, and a framed sales invoice from August 24th, 1949.
There’s a lot to admire about a 73-year-old vehicle that can be maintained with a small collection of simple hand tools, that will spark conversations wherever it goes, and that could still earn its keep with the type of hard work it was originally designed for - not that anyone would ask it to. Estimated $40,000 - $50,000.
