Pickup Trucks

There are vehicles designed for sophisticated urban transport, vehicles intended to provide economical family motoring, and then there are pickup trucks, enormous mechanical declarations that their owners are prepared for almost any conceivable emergency involving livestock, building materials or the sudden necessity of transporting a refrigerator across several hundred miles of open countryside. In America, the pickup became something approaching a national institution, proving that a vehicle originally intended for hard work could eventually become a fashion accessory for people who had never lifted anything heavier than a briefcase.

In Pickup Trucks, John Carroll celebrates the remarkable history and enduring popularity of these distinctly practical machines. Published by New Line Books, this illustrated volume explores the character, development and unmistakable styling of vehicles that helped transform American agriculture, commerce and everyday motoring.

The pickup’s original appeal was wonderfully straightforward. It combined the essential comforts of a motor car with an open cargo bed capable of carrying tools, equipment, supplies and anything else that might otherwise require borrowing a horse and cart. Farmers, builders and tradesmen quickly recognised its usefulness, while manufacturers discovered that customers were remarkably enthusiastic about purchasing vehicles that could genuinely earn their keep.

Naturally, matters became considerably more extravagant as the decades progressed. Manufacturers such as Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge developed increasingly powerful, comfortable and stylish machines, introducing elaborate chrome grilles, impressive engines and interiors that gradually acquired enough equipment to embarrass a respectable luxury saloon.

Carroll’s celebration of pickup trucks recalls the changing designs and engineering that made these vehicles an essential feature of American automotive culture. From charming vintage workhorses with rounded bodywork to substantial modern machines possessing enough road presence to intimidate a small European hatchback, the pickup has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to evolve without abandoning its fundamental purpose.

There is something particularly appealing about the honesty of the traditional pickup. It possesses a cab for people, a load bed for everything else and an engine sufficiently powerful to transport both without excessive complaint. Of course, the increasing popularity of luxury pickups introduced a fascinating contradiction: vehicles designed to carry filthy industrial equipment became so beautifully finished that their owners were understandably reluctant to scratch the paintwork.

The pickup also became an enduring symbol of American independence, associated with rural life, wide highways and the comforting knowledge that one could purchase an enormous piece of furniture without having to arrange delivery.

Condition: Good. This is a previously owned copy displaying ordinary signs of age and handling. Unlike a hardworking pickup truck, it requires no replacement suspension components, rust treatment or considerable expenditure at the nearest filling station.

Published by New Line Books. Publication year unspecified. ISBN: 9781597642002.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where we appreciate splendidly practical machinery, particularly when admiring it does not require acquiring a commercial-sized garage or explaining an alarming fuel bill to the accountant.

An excellent addition to any collection of American automotive history, commercial vehicle literature or classic truck photography. Particularly recommended for enthusiasts who appreciate the magnificent absurdity of a vehicle capable of transporting half a ton of building materials, yet increasingly likely to spend its working life carrying nothing more demanding than its owner’s lunch.

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