Ford pickup trucks have come a long way since the original Model TT. Now much larger, expensive and luxurious, Ford’s F-150 is also America’s top selling car.
The Model TT went on sale on July 27, 1917. It had the Model T’s cab and engine, but it had heavy duty frame and 1 ton payload capacity. Priced at US$600, just 209 were sold in 1917.
In 1928, it was replaced with the Model AA with a 1.5 ton payload. By then 1.3 million Model TTs were sold. The Model BB came in 1933, and 1935’s Model 50 came with Ford’s flathead V8.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, civilian production stopped as America joined World War II. In 1947, Ford introduced the first of the F-Series range, which went from the F-1 half-ton to the F-8 cab over truck.
1953’s second generation F-Series introduced the F-100, F-250 and F-350 names. Twin I-Beam suspension came in 1965, and the SuperCab body in 1974.
In 1975 the F-100 name was retired in favor of the high capacity F-150, and the company began using the Built Ford Tough tagline.
The 2015 F-150 introduced an aluminum body to the segment for the first time, and turbo V6 models began replacing V8 engines on non workhorse models.
