Here it is, America's favorite vehicle year after year after year: the Ford F-150 pickup. The first Ford pickups were Model T roadsters modified by their owners with cargo boxes. Ford, taking the hint, produced its own version of the Model T Roadster Pickup in 1917 and has been continually developing the species ever since. And just like that first 1917 Model T, today's Ford F-150 features a separate steel frame and a solid rear axle.
The Ford F-150 name derives from the F-Series pickup trucks first introduced back in 1948. Back then Ford's entry-level half-ton truck was called the "F-1," with higher-capacity trucks getting numerically larger names — the 3/4-ton truck was the F-2, the F-3 was a heavy-duty 3/4-tonner and the F-4 was a 1-tonner. Back then there was just one light truck cab style — no extended cabs and no crews — but there were panel delivery trucks and Ford was still offering its flathead V8 as an optional power plant. From there the evolution of the Ford F-150 was constant if not quick.
A great leap forward for the Ford F-150's ancestry was the introduction of the classic 1953 F-100 half-ton pickup. Replacing the F-1, the F-100 was a classic of 20th-century design, with integrated front fenders, a curved windshield and a much larger and more comfortable cab. During the 1953 model year an automatic transmission was offered for the first time, and in 1954 the more modern "Y-Block" V8 appeared. The addition of a wraparound windshield and optional wraparound rear window to the F-100 for 1956 resulted in a truck many still consider the best-looking ever built. The modern Ford F-150 was on its way.
Small steps led to the modern Ford F-150. More and more comfort features became standard on Ford's pickup truck, with the big leap coming in the form of the extended "SuperCab" during 1974. Suddenly trucks weren't just for work, but families, too. And in 1975 the mainstream pickup became the F-150.
Since then, crew cabs, SVT-tweaked Lightning sport trucks and 4x4s of every stripe have become part of the vast Ford F-150 mix.
