Tag Archives: classic trucks

Morris CS8

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1935 Morris Commercial CS8

Offered by H&H Auctioneers | Duxford, U.K. | April 14, 2021

Photo – H&H Auctioneers

This thing is awesome. Let’s start with Morris Commercial, which was – as you’ve probably guessed – the commercial vehicle arm of British automaker Morris. It was founded in 1924 and was phased out during the British Leyland consolidation of the late 1960s.

The original CS8 was introduced in 1934 and used a 24-horsepower inline-six engine. They were built in every imaginable body style variant that the military could need. The big problem was that they were very heavy and only rear-wheel drive. Production lasted through 1942 when it was replaced by the 4×4 C4, which was in turn replaced by the popular C8 in 1944.

H&H describes this as the “finest example” they’ve ever encountered. I mean, I have never seen another one, but I can’t imagine there is a nicer one around. The pre-sale estimate is $55,000-$69,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Austin K2/Y

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1943 Austin K2/Y Ambulance

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 27-April 1, 2021

Photo – Brightwells

Every major manufacturer got involved in the war in some regard. Consider that right up until the war started, Austin was building this tiny car. Then all of a sudden, they’re manufacturing heavy trucks (though they did build armored cars during WWI).

Between 1939 and 1945, Austin built 13,102 examples of this field ambulance. And that’s all it was… there was no “troop-carrier” variant. Ambulance only. The 3.5-liter inline-six made 60 horsepower when new, enough to propel this three-ton truck to 50 mph. The gruesome record during the war is apparently 27 injured soldiers carried in one load, including on the fenders and hood.

This example was used by the Royal Navy and has been in the same family since it was disposed of by the War Department in 1948. It can now be yours for between $26,000-$27,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Dodge M37

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1953 Dodge M37

Offered by Mecum | Glendale, Arizona | March 18-20, 2021

Photo – Mecum

There is no way this truck was this pretty when it was new. I mean, it is clean. Dodge’s M37 was a follow-up to the WC series of trucks and command cars the company built during World War II. The M37 was produced in various forms between 1951 and 1968 and was used by the U.S. during the Korean War and Vietnam. They were also exported and used by other countries, mainly in Southeast Asia and Latin America, the former, presumably, being U.S. military leftovers from Vietnam.

Power is from a 3.8-liter inline-six rated at 78 horsepower. The engine was actually shared with the WC trucks, as well as the civilian Power Wagon. This is a 3/4-ton truck with four-wheel drive, a canvas soft top, and a lot of military-style add-ons.

About 63,000 examples of the M37 and its variants were produced between 1951 and 1954 before other versions took over. You can read more about this well-restored example here. Check out more from Mecum here.

Update: Sold $66,000.

Diamond T 201

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1941 Diamond T 201

Offered by Mecum | Glendale, Arizona | March 18-20, 2021

Photo – Mecum

The Diamond T 201 is probably the most beautiful Art Deco pickup truck ever built and is definitely the best-looking pre-war pickup. But doesn’t it look pretty beefy for a pickup? It looks much more heavy-duty than it’s GM or Ford counterparts.

The Diamond T Motor Car Company was founded in Chicago in 1905 by C.A. Tilt. They were always a truck company, even though they dabbled in SUVs for a hot second. In 1958, they were acquired by White, who merged them with Reo in 1967 to form Diamond Reo, which stopped manufacturing trucks in 2010.

The 201 went on sale in 1938 and was a 1-ton truck, the equivalent of a Chevrolet 3800. Production continued through 1949, and when it went out of production, Diamond T turned to heavy trucks only (though there were some half-ton models offered through 1951. Power is from a 3.9-liter Hercules inline-six rated at 91 horsepower.

This one has been restored and features a polished oak bed floor. It’s a beautiful truck with a dashboard worthy of the finest luxury cars of the day. Who said luxury pickups were a new thing? Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $55,000.

The Lion

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1932 Fowler 10HP B6 Showman’s Locomotive

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 30, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

Well here’s a new class of vehicle we haven’t featured before. The Showman’s Road Locomotive. It’s basically a steam traction engine that is made to go down the road, helping transport a circus or carnival. And then once it gets to where it’s going, it’s the powerplant for the show. They are very large and very ornate.

This one was manufactured by John Fowler & Co. of Leeds. The company built four B6 “Super Lion” road locomotives. These were the last such machines built, as steam’s popularity was on the wane. The last road locomotive ceased operation in 1958, and most of them ended up scrapped. This example is the first of the four Super Lions, two others of which also survive.

When new, it was used to power carnival rides until it was retired in 1946. It had two owners between 1950 and 2018, and it was restored over a two-year period in the mid-1990s. Like many other showman’s locomotives, it features a full canopy, a front dynamo, and a lot of brass.

Steam traction engines are impressive beasts in the own right, but once you add this sort of over-the-top glamour to them, they really just become awe-inspiring. This one is expected to sell for between $1,000,000-$1,600,000. Why not? Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,195,794.

Wilcox 1.5-Ton Truck

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1925 Wilcox 1.5-Ton Delivery

Offered by The Vault | Online | October 1-14, 2020

Photo – The Vault

The HE Wilcox Motor Car Company was founded in Minneapolis in 1906, and they started producing passenger cars the next year under the Wolfe brand. They changed the brand name to Wilcox in 1909, and in the following year came commercial vehicles.

It must’ve been a successful endeavor because they stopped producing passenger vehicles in 1910 as well. In 1921, the company name was changed to Wilcox Trux, which strikes me as very forward-thinking looking through the lens of today’s world of slang-influenced company names. Production continued until 1928.

Not much is known about this truck, but the auction catalog states that it may be the only such example extant (though there are other Wilcox trucks in existence). And there are Wolfe automobiles around too. This truck is selling at no reserve, and you can find out more about it here. Click here for more from this sale.

1950s Leyland Tanker

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1958 Leyland Super Comet Tanker

Offered by Bonhams | Bicester, U.K. | September 20, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

The Comet was a model of heavy truck produced by Leyland Trucks over a series of generations between 1947 and 2015. That’s quite the nameplate heritage. They were produced in every conceivable truck variant: flatbeds, box trucks, tankers, and more.

The third generation Comet was available between 1958 and 1963. During this run, the Super Comet was introduced, which was of an even heavier-duty variety. This particular truck is finished in a bright yellow National Benzole livery. This very truck was used to produce a toy version, which is kind of cool.

The 6.2-liter diesel inline-six makes 110 horsepower. The truck has been offered by Bonhams before, and it’s now back with an estimate of $13,000-$20,000. That’s a lot of vehicle for the money. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $24,412.

Lil Red Express

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1979 Dodge Lil Red Express

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | July 10-18, 2020

Photo – Mecum

The D-Series Dodge pickup was built in three generations from 1960 through 1980 before being replaced by the Ram (although some Rams still used the “D” nomenclature through the early 1990s). The Lil Red Express was an option package on the D150 Adventurer pickup that was available in 1978 and 1979.

Each Lil Red Express came equipped with dual vertical stack exhaust pipes, wood bed trim, and an 8-track cassette of C.W. McCall’s #1 hit “Convoy.” Okay, I made that last part up, but you can obviously tell this was a pickup for serious over-the-road trucker cosplayers. “Lil Red Express” also doubles as a great name for a ginger rapper (you’re welcome).

This truck is powered by a 360ci/5.9-liter V8 that made 180 horsepower new. Dodge offered a number of special option package (or “lifestyle”) pickups during this era, but this is the most famous. Those exhaust stacks were illegal in some states, so you couldn’t get this truck everywhere. Only 2,188 were built in 1978, and 1979 saw 5,118 takers. Check out more about this truck here, and see more from this sale here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $24,000.

Puch 500 GE

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1993 Puch 500 GE

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Essen, Germany | March 26-27, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The civilian version of the Mercedes-Benz Geländeagen was introduced in 1979 and remains in production today looking pretty much the same. Up until 2000, the trucks were sold in Austria (and a few select other European markets) under the Puch brand.

The G-Wagen was updated in 1990, and the first V8-powered variant was introduced in 1993. It was called the 500 GE. Only 446 were produced between 1993 and 1994. Power is from a 5.0-liter V8 good for 237 horsepower. The V8 wouldn’t reappear until 1998. And, of course, MB would drop much larger, more powerful engines in these later on.

Of those 446 500 GEs, only three were Puch-branded, with this being the first. It’s finished in a great color and features a very ostentatious Puch badge on the front grille. Sure, this truck may be a footnote in the world of Mercedes vehicles, but that’s kind of what makes it interesting. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Fordson E83W

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1951 Fordson E83W Pickup

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 4, 2020

Photo – Brightwells

The Fordson tractor brand was manufactured by various entities of the Ford Motor Company between 1917 and 1964. It was under Ford of Britain’s purview for the last few decades, and in that time, they built a 1/2-ton commercial vehicle called the E83W. It was available as a delivery van, a pickup, and other light-duty body styles.

The truck was available from 1938 through 1957 in the U.K. and was also offered under the Thames commercial brand. It retained its pre-war styling and 10 horsepower, 1.2-liter inline-four for the duration of production. Top speed was about 40 mph.

This tiny pickup has been restored and is now offered with a pre-sale estimate of $9,000-$12,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $11,835.