These seven Ford trucks are among the most innovative models ever conceived of any kind.
Innovative Space
Ford has been making and selling trucks for well over a century to this point, and needless to say, it has enjoyed more success than its peers in that regard, too. However, aside from the perennially best-selling F-Series lineup, there have been a number of notable, innovative Ford trucks produced over the years that helped foster that success story, too.
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1917 Ford Model TT
Way back in 1917, Ford produced the very first heavy-duty truck - the Model TT - which is essentially what one might consider a chassis cab model in today's world. The Model TT featured a regular Model T cab, albeit one mounted to a one-ton frame - paving the way for what is currently one of the most successful segments of trucks.
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1929 Model A
It was a few years later than the Model A pickup debuted, which - unlike the Model T pickup - was designed from the start as a dedicated hauler. It introduced a number of more modern features as well, including a much more powerful 201 cubic-inch engine that could get it up past 60 mph, four-wheel brakes, and a three-speed transmission, making it easier to drive as well.
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1935 Ford Model 50
A few years later, the 1935 Model 50 became the first Ford truck to offer V8 power from the factory, this time, in the form of the established 221 cubic-inch Flathead. The Model 50 also looked more modern than its predecessors and featured a larger bed to boot.
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1948 Ford F1
Ford's modern truck era truly dawned in the 1948 model year, however, when the F1 became the very first F-Series pickup ever to grace this earth. Offered in an array of configurations, the F1 was even more car-like and pleasant to drive, which is a trend that continued in the ensuing decades and helped shape trucks as we know them today.
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1957 Ford Ranchero
The 1957 Ford Ranchero was built on a car frame and was also based on a car, but it was truly innovative in that it combined all of the things consumers love about cars, but with the utility of a pickup bed out back. It even offered up payload capacity on par with half-ton F-Series trucks of this era, and beat its rival - the Chevy El Camino - to market by two years, to boot.
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1961 Ford F-100
Back in 1961, Ford's F-100 famously switched to a unibody configuration in two-wheel drive guise, combining the bed and cab into one piece. While it only lasted two years before the two-piece model returned, the F-100 unibody was a bit ahead of its time, as several unibody pickups have come along since then - including the newer Ford Maverick.
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1999 Ford Super Duty
Finally, we'd be remiss if we didn't include the 1999 Ford Super Duty on this list. It was two years prior when Ford split its half-ton and HD pickups into two distinct entities, but those models didn't truly become different until the arrival of the Super Duty in 1999, which features its own unique styling, chassis, and some bodywork when compared to the F-150. Today, it seems hard to believe that the Super Duty is only a quarter-century old, given its tremendous success in the marketplace.
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