Tag Archives: classic trucks

Lowbed MacDonald

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1920 MacDonald Model A 7.5-Ton Lowbed Stake Truck

Offered by Mecum | East Moline, Illinois | March 24, 2022

Photo – Mecum

MacDonald Truck & Tractor Company was founded in San Francisco in 1920. There weren’t a lot of California-based automobile companies way back in the day. But MacDonald’s specialty was low-bed trucks. These were meant for use at docks or in warehouses, of which the West Coast had plenty.

This is a gargantuan machine, and very odd looking today. It has front-wheel drive, hydraulic power steering, and hydraulic brakes. The 6.3-liter Buda inline-four drives the front wheels through a complicated system of chains and driveshafts. It weighs eight tons. Empty!

The design looks so foreign because we don’t have a need for such trucks anymore. It’s got a low bed because fork lifts didn’t exist in 1920. After WWII, MacDonald was acquired by Peterbilt, and the brand disappeared around 1952. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $55,000.

WWII-Era Sterling Flatbed

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1944 Sterling Model HWS 160H Flatbed

Offered by Mecum | East Moline, Illinois | March 24, 2022

Photo – Mecum

The Sternberg Motor Truck Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was founded in 1907 and changed their name to Sterling in 1916. Though they remained based in Wisconsin for most of the company’s existence, their biggest sales outlet was California after Sterling acquired Fageol’s sales network in 1939.

The company was acquired by White in 1951, with everything relocated to Cleveland the following year. Sterling-White was the marque for ’52-1953, at which time the brand was shuttered. This WWII-era truck was one of a few models the company built for the government. This particular model was for the Army Corps of Engineers.

The 12.2-liter diesel inline-six produced 165 horsepower when new. This is what trucks looked like for a long time, and I’m sure there were quite a few Sterlings on the road for many decades after the 1940s. This restored example looks like it could still be used today. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $59,400.

The Pre-GMC

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1910 Reliance Model G3 2.5-Ton Stake Truck

Offered by Mecum | East Moline, Illinois | March 24, 2022

Photo – Mecum

The Reliance Motor Car Company was founded in Owosso, Michigan, in 1906. The company relocated its headquarters to Detroit in 1908. Why? Well, because it was scooped up by Billy Druant and merged into General Motors. Three years later, GM formed the General Motors Truck Company, and in 1911 Reliance (and Rapid, which they also owned) were phased out in favor the GMC brand.

So this truck was built the year before GM axed the marque. The original engine would’ve been a 5.1-liter inline-three that made 45 horsepower. Now it has an International-sourced 2.2-liter industrial inline-four.

The catalog description notes that the truck was formerly used in parades until the wood-spoke wheel starting cracking. So I guess if you want to drive it you’re gonna have to fix that… At any rate, Reliance trucks are not very common, and this one is proof that being a truck driver around 1910 was not a glamorous affair. You can read more about this one here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $22,000.

Pierce-Arrow Truck w/ Trailer

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1918 Pierce-Arrow Model X-4 2-Ton Lumber Truck

Offered by Mecum | East Moline, Illinois | March 25-26, 2022

Photo – Mecum

Pierce-Arrow is known for its luxury cars, but from 1910 through the early 1930s they also produced light and slightly heavier-duty trucks. We’ve featured one of their WWI-era trucks, but this is a civilian model.

Or at least an industry model. It was originally used by a sawmill to haul lumber. But that didn’t mean the truck wasn’t about as nice as it could be. Technical details on this truck are lacking, but it’s probably powered by an inline-four engine.

One of the most interesting parts of this truck is the flatbed trailer that actually can be stacked on the flatbed of the truck when not in use. It’s restored to match. If you think antique commercial vehicles are hard to come by, try finding a period-correct trailer. This one is coming out of a museum, and you can read more about it here. See more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $93,500.

Chevrolet Panel Delivery

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1928 Chevrolet Capitol LP Panel Delivery

Offered by Mecum | East Moline, Illinois | March 24, 2022

Photo – Mecum

Chevrolet’s AA Capitol series was produced for 1927 in passenger car form. There were commercial chassis available as well, with these carrying over for 1928, during which they were sold alongside the AB National.

This carryover model is a one-ton delivery truck powered by a 2.8-liter inline-four rated at 35 horsepower when new. The LP model signified a long-wheelbase (124″) 1928 model. It also has four-wheel brakes.

This example was given to the Petersen Automotive Museum in the 1990s as a disassembled project and has been with the current owner for 16 years. If you’re a business owner, imagine your company’s name painted on the side. Great advertising. You can read more about this truck here and see more from Mecum here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $21,000.

One-Off Iso Truck

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1966 Iso Centomila

Offered by Finarte | Online | November 29, 2021

Photo – Finarte

This may look like a Haflinger built by a refrigerator company but… oh wait, that’s sort of exactly what it is. When Iso Rivolta shifted from appliance to motorcycle manufacture after WWII, they also expanded into other territories, including microcars and sports cars.

So why not give off-road vehicles a go? This was the only one built, and it’s powered by a Fiat inline-twin sourced from a 500 Giardiniera. Apparently Iso sent it to Fiat for evaluation, and they liked it and wanted to take over, but Renzo Rivolta refused.

So the little truck returned to Iso, where it was used as a service truck. It’s the only one like it, and it’s expected to sell for between $21,500-$32,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $25,057.

Diamond T COE

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1956 Diamond T 931C COE

Offered by Mecum | East Moline, Illinois | November 11, 2021

Photo – Mecum

COEs were seemingly everywhere even 30 years ago. Now seeing one on the road is kind of a treat, but in the 1970s they were much more commonplace. The cab-over-engine design is still popular in Europe, but different laws in the U.S. make them less appealing today than they were 40 or 50 years ago.

Something I find interesting about older semis is that it can be hard to pin down a year (or range of years) of manufacture. Trucks were generally in use until they were no longer functional. So some of the trucks you saw on the highway in the 1990s may very well have been produced in the 1970s, ’60s, or even earlier.

Diamond T is perhaps best well-known for its beautiful Art Deco pickup trucks of the 1930s and ’40s. But they were also building heavier trucks for commercial and military use. This 1956 COE model is said to have a “262 engine,” which I think means a 12.2-liter Cummins turbodiesel.

It’s one of the tallest COEs of its day and is well restored. It’s being sold on behalf of the American Truck Historical Society. You can read more about it here and see more from Mecum here.

Update: Sold $18,700.

1909 Stanley Mountain Wagon

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1909 Stanley Model Z Mountain Wagon

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 7, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Mountain Wagon is a popular Stanley body style. We’ve featured one before – a real one. This one is a re-creation, as most of these were essentially commercial vehicles. And as we often lament here, commercial vehicles have terrible survival rates.

It was built by a well-known steam car restorer in 1987. The story is that he would build Stanleys using remnants of existing chassis. The 30-horsepower Model Z was only built in 1909. And only as a mountain wagon. So if this is a re-creation mountain wagon, it’s also not a real Model Z. But, apparently, there are some real Stanley bits in there somewhere.

It’s pretty convincing, and unless you knew the story, you’d probably never be able to tell. This nine-passenger mountain wagon is expected to sell for between $100,000-$150,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $132,000.

AEBI Transporter

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1972 AEBI Transporter TP20

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie Toffen | Toffen, Switzerland | October 16, 2021

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie Toffen

AEBI can trace their roots back to 1883 when Johann Ulrich Aebi set up a workshop to build farming equipment. The company remains Swiss today and continues to produce agricultural equipment.

The company’s first Transporter model was the Tp 1000, and it went on sale sometime around 1960. Approximately 10 years later, that initial model was replaced by this, the TP20. Yes, it’s an agricultural vehicle, but it’s also a truck and has the ability to be road-registered. AEBI continues to build versions of the transporter today.

This truck is powered by a 1.3-liter inline-twin that is air-cooled and made 28 horsepower when new. Apparently this this is geared to that it can hit about 15 mph. Maybe it’s not that road-friendly after all. This one was not registered until it was repainted by a previous owner. It has not been on the road since 2004, and it’s expected to sell for between $4,000-$5,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Packard Box Truck

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1916 Packard Model E 2.5-Ton C-Cab Box Truck

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Auburn, Indiana | September 3, 2021

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

Packard was one of America’s grandest automobiles around the start of WWI. But they were also producing some pretty heavy-duty commercial vehicles at that time as well. We’ve actually featured a 3-ton variant of the Model E in the past, but this earlier 2.5-ton variant features a C-cab design.

Power is from an 8.6-liter inline-six good for about 60 horsepower. This truck was built in 1916 – the first year for shaft drive after Packard ditched its drive chains. This thing is pretty massive and sports a cool period-style corn starch livery.

Old commercial vehicles are always a treat as their survival rates are dismal at best. This one is coming out of a Packard-focused museum and will sell at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $30,800.