Indie Auto doesn’t focus a whole lot on trucks, but I recently photographed a 1968 Chevrolet C10. When researching this article, I came across the argument from Aldan American (2026) that this was the “first modern pickup.” True?
The parts supplier’s background about the 1967-72 C10 Chevy pickup has a strong point of view. Aldan American (2026) concluded that this particular truck “altered perceptions of a pickup from a basic work tool for farmers and ranchers to a comfortable dual-purpose vehicle that can be driven for everything from hauling hay to daily trips around town.”
Indeed, Chevrolet ads emphasized that its trucks were no longer just work horses. They were also “a lot of fun for all sorts of family activities.”
New-for-1967 Chevy was more car-like outside and in
Gearheads might debate the relative merits of the C10’s underpinnings versus its competition, but it may be less controversial to suggest that the Chevrolet had the most car-like styling of late-60s trucks.
The new-for-1967 design was a major advancement over the previous-generation C10 in its basic shape. Although it didn’t switch to curved side glass like virtually all of General Motors’ passenger cars, it otherwise had fairly trendy styling.
The most obvious change was with the front end, with its low and thrust-forward grille flanked by a V-shaped bumper. In contrast, the Ford F-100 had a much taller, flatter and more utilitarian look.
Much the same could said about the rest of the C10. The roofline was unusually stylish for a truck, with rounded corners. Meanwhile, side sculpting had a low-slung and clean look that contrasted with the chunkier shape of the F-100.
For 1968 the C10 had few visual changes, such as the addition of side-marker lights. Our featured car is a mid-level Custom model. It looks somewhat fancier than pickups of the past, but it doesn’t have as many car-like frills as the CST. That top-end Chevrolet model sported bucket seats and a folding center arm rest.
The high-end F-100 Ranger wasn’t quite as fancy as the CST, but Ford was also making its pickup more like a passenger car.
Yesterday’s ‘full-sized’ is today’s ‘mid-sized’ truck
The half-ton C10 truck was offered with “Step-Side” and “Fleetside” cargo beds on 115- and 127-inch wheelbases. The truck shown here is the short-bed Fleetside. In base trim it listed for $2,317 and weighed 3,333 pounds with a standard 250 cubic-inch six.
Aldan American (2026) quite rightly noted that while the C10 was marketed as a full-sized pickup, its dimensions were closer to modern mid-sized models such as the Chevrolet Colorado rather than the big Silverado.
Given how closely trucks are now linked to American standards of masculinity, I wonder why GM doesn’t start marketing them similarly to condom sizes. The Colorado might be classified as “Large,” the Silverado as “Extra-Large” and the 2500 HD models as “Extra-Extra-Large.”
NOTES:
Product specifications are from Gunnell (1993).
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Aldan American; 2026. “1967-1972 Chevy C10 History: The First Modern Pickup.” Page accessed Feb. 27.
- Gunnell, John; 1993. Standard Catalog of American Light-Duty Trucks, 1896-1986. Second Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
ADVERTISING & BROCHURES
- oldcarbrochures.org: Chevrolet (1966); Ford (1968)
- oldcaradvertising.com: Chevrolet (1967)
I find the size comparisons of old cars to current cars really helpful and interesting. The gigantic trucks are more profitable for the manufacturers, but I bet there are a lot of people who would buy a smaller truck; we’re on our third Colorado for work and it’s now way too big. It definitely is the size of an old 60s full size truck. I miss those colorful interiors too. Too bad about the chicken tax.
Agreed, the ’67-68 generation was an advancement towards much more car-like styling and, in their lighter iterations, more comfortable ride as well. The later ’73-87 “square body” GMs went further along that path with a suspension and steering designed to enable them to perform even more like family transportation.
I can recall test-driving a new red ’76 C-10 350 V8 automatic at Wantz Chevrolet and being amazed at how smooth and quiet it was, having owned a ’72 Ford F-100 (360 V8 manual on the tree) at the time. They were a big step forward towards acceptance as a general use vehicle and much more was to come. The new pickups are absurd size-wise while the ’67-87 GMs were a good balance between utility and user practicality. The Silverado/F-150 bro-dozer class should be downsized a bit imo. Currently we have a ’75 GMC 2500 as a utility vehicle for lumber yard and dump runs that’s plenty large for the purpose, and even that heavier-duty truck is still fairly comfortable to drive and use.
There have been many pickups that claim to have blurred the usage lines between commercial/farm and purposeful/urban. There have been many blessed with less truck-like, more car-trending styling, even back to just before the war and just after truck styling was really a thing. The Studebaker Coupe-Express trio from’37-’39 and the Hudson Big Boy are pre-war style examples. The Chevy Cameo Carrier, and the Dodge Sweptside being examples of the ’50s trend. Maybe the Studebaker Champ also in the ’60s, since the front styling and interior WAS taken directly from the Lark.
But, as Randerson , above, was pointing out, the truck did not become truly “modern”, until the combination, of things previously in short general supply, even in small trucks of the ’50s were added. These were power, smoothness, quietness, and handling. And, as you pointed out, fancier interiors. But trucks could NOT be called truly modern without the mechanical and chassis refinements they needed. l agree with Randerson.
Studebaker was first(?) to get rid of both the interior-mounted gas tank and exterior running boards and they came standard with a double-walled box (spring of 1948 with the 2R models). Author Mike Mueller said that “it was indeed America’s fully styled modern pick up”, and “…low and sleek and clean. It wasn’t just a great-looking pick-up, it was a great-looking vehicle. Period.”
But the 2R was not modern in it’s entirety because it was missing modern refinement and dynamics. I agree that the ’67 Chevy/GMC had it all put together.
Harry Bradley designed the 1967 C10. He says it was a miscalculation by GM because it was tcarlike and didn’t communicate “truck” like Ford. The first adjustment was the raised hood in 1969.
Harry designed the C10 and the Deora. He’s the reason that those two trucks are in the original Hot Wheels assortment, which he designed.
I would date the first truly modern trucks at 1973 with the 6th gen F-100 and 3rd gen Chevy C/K. But we would not have gotten there without the 2nd gen C/K showing that there was interest and that pickups could be refined into something the general public would accept. The Ford had not attained that level yet and Dodge has always been a stepchild.
For that reason, I curse Chevrolet. I will not drive anything that does not require me to lower my butt to climb into it.
When did the Big 3 start to differentiate the pickups from their car lines, not just in sheetmetal but in chassis and drivetrain? I suppose this Chevy is as good a marker as any.
The last Ford full size BOF passenger car assembly line in St Thomas, Ontario stopped in 2011. Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, and Town Car.
GM ended full size BOF car assembly in Arlington TX in 1996 for more Suburbans.
The last BOF Chrysler was the 1966 Imperial, built at Jefferson Avenue, Detroit.