Quick, which American automaker sold pickup trucks first? If you said Ford, Dodge, or Chevrolet, you’d be wrong. The truth is that the Grabowsky Motor Company sold its first truck back in 1902. General Motors acquired the fleet truck company in 1909 and changed its name but kept the acronym GMC. The Grabowskys certainly had competitors in their day. But of all current pickup truck manufacturers, GMC has been in the business the longest.
The Grabowsky Brothers were innovators
1902 GMC truck | Bettmann via Getty Images
Max Grabowsky invented an early work truck. It had a single-cylinder engine under its driver’s seat, connected to the rear axle by a chain drive. It was also a right-hand drive. Its one-cylinder engine earned it the nickname “one-lunger.”
With the help of his brother Morris, Max founded Grabowsky Brothers Motor Company in 1900–according to GM. They fine-tuned the designed and sought customers. The brothers sold their first one-lunger to the American Garment Cleaning Company of Detroit in 1902.
The Grabowskys continued to fine-tune the design of their trucks. But they continued to offer them as exposed chassis trucks for their customers to modify. They eventually renamed their product the Rapid truck and their business the Rapid Motor Company.
Chevrolet trucks came after GMC trucks
General Motors Company logo | Getty Images
General Motors acquired a controlling share in the Grabowsky brothers’ business in 1909. It immediately began to offer the trucks through its salesman network. It changed the Rapid Motor Company to the General Motors Truck Company in 1912.
General Motors founder William C. Durant actually left the company in 1911 and founded Chevrolet. He then merged the two companies in 1918. That same year, Chevrolet began offering its first truck.
The workers at the Chevrolet car factory needed a way to move components around the factory. They left one car chassis exposed, building a wooden flatbed on top instead of a body. In 1918, the company decided to begin offering this configuration to its customers, and the first Chevy truck was born.
Ford and Dodge’s first trucks came soon after
Ford Model TT | Robert Alexander via Getty Images
Ford’s first truck was a variation of the Model T. Ford introduced the Model TT in 1917. It had a longer wheelbase, heavier axle, and heavier springs than the regular Model T. This gave it a one-ton rating.
The Dodge Brothers began supplying components to other automakers in 1902. They began to release their own touring car in 1914, trying to position it as a more premium–and more expensive–version of the Model T. Like Chevy, Dodge branched out to its first truck in 1918.
Next, find out what’s the last ‘American’ pickup truck is built in the U.S.A. or learn more about GMC trucks in the video below:
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