From the Archives: Coupe Delivery in a Museum

[WhoIsTheLeader]

Since I don't have much to post (or rant about) today, I thought I'd deliver something from the archives.

This is not just any 1936 Chevrolet. If you look closely, you'll see it's a rare example of the factory "coupe pickup" body style.

This particular example is in the Savoy auto museum in Cartersville, Georgia.

Yes, somehow 3,183 of these strange beasts escaped the factory that year. This example only trailed the original Australian Ford "ute" by three years, but the body style didn't gain much traction here.

[WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAthenGTInowA4]

@WhoIsTheLeader El Camiño

[ash78]

So the guy says "I need 40 hens" and the farmer says "That'll be $92"

The man thinks for a second and says "Two bucks each, that's $80. Why the extra $12?"

"That's for the tax"

"Oh, I thought they stayed in the bed on their own..."

#ChickenTacks

[RamblinRover]

@WhoIsTheLeader Studebaker also trialed a pickup + business coupe thing, although I'm not sure what year they first offered it. (below is a '41)

Studebaker also tried out a more standard ute platform in '37...

A "coupe express".
As did Willys by that point, though just in Australia AFAIK.

[RamblinRover]

@RamblinRover
http://offroadaction.ca/2014/07/24/petersen-auto-museum-pickups-exhibit/
At this link (same source as the '41 stude) there is a picture of a '29 (!) Chrysler (!) with a bed conversion of this kind that is described as aftermarket.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@RamblinRover I think the OEMs were directly inspired by the ute-ification of sedans and coupes that went on. There was an underserved market for economical light duty pickups but it turns out that they cost too much new for their capability.

[RamblinRover]

@WhoIsTheLeader I'm picturing some degree of shock where all of a sudden in the late 20s there was a dramatic shift from bodies pieced together out of almost a parts kit into standard body preassemblies. When you walked into the dealer, the trucks were suddenly not just the doctor's coupe without a trunk welded on...

[pickup_man]

@WhoIsTheLeader This is my kind of Oppo!

Early pickups are fascinating to me, so many unique, innovative and crazy things were tried, usually to eventually end in failure. This really holds true throughout all of automotive/truck history. Americans decided what a pickup should be/look like very early on and we really haven't strayed from that.