Ford F-Series has gradually evolved with features like four-wheel-drive, fuel injection, and monster diesel engines.
Since the first Ford F- Series pickup was introduced back in 1948, Motor Company engineers have been hard at work to constantly offer better trucks. This effort has paid off in a big way, with the F-Series serving as the bestselling vehicle in the United States for 38 straight years. Along the way, there were many key changes that would account for major leaps in the advancement of the truck segment. For example, Ford’s engine options have often been the most powerful in their segment, but it would be nearly impossible to sort through more than 70 years of engines.
However, we went through the past 72 years-worth of Ford F-Series pickups and selected 12 key steps that led to the incredible trucks that are on sale today. Rather than try to rank them by importance, we are simply going in chronological order, starting back in 1948. As an example of this constant push for excellence, we have led this piece off with the 2020 Ford F-250 Tremor, coupling off-road performance with extreme working capabilities.
1948 – The First Ford F-Series
While Ford Motor Company offered trucks prior to 1948, the F-Series lineup was officially introduced in 1948. That initial lineup included eight numeric models, beginning with the F-1 and ending up with the F-8. These trucks are popular with the classic show crowd today, but as the original F-Series pickup, trucks like the F-1 shown here were the very first step towards the industry dominance of the Ford truck.
Of course, being the first F-Series also means that the V8 offered in 1948 was the first V8 in an F-Series. The original F-Series V8 measured 239 cubic inches and it offered 100 horsepower in the early F-1.
This particular 1948 Ford F-1 sold at the Barrett Jackson Scottsdale auction back in 2016 for $48,200.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
