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1946 GMC Is a Small Reminder of How America’s Love for Trucks Began

For all the bad things it brings, there is no denying war is a catalyst for technological advancements. Because it was the largest yet, the Second World War influenced our world more than any others, and we can see that every day in the vehicles we drive and the airplanes we fly.
1946 GMC truck 13 photos
Photo: Mecum
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Take the almighty truck, for instance, last year’s most popular vehicle type in America, and responsible for over 13 percent of all the vehicles sold here in 2020. This type of machine is around, in large numbers, ever since Henry Ford released the Model TT in 1917, but back then, it was mostly used by businesses.

The war changed all that. As carmakers moved to create hardcore workhorses for the military, they inadvertently gave birth to a civilian market for them. Simply (and simplistically) put, American soldiers saw trucks at work on the battlefield and dreamed of owning one once they got back to their civilian lives.

It’s no coincidence that the most successful truck families came after the war – carmakers were simply responding to customer demand. It was in 1948 that Ford gave birth to the F-Series and Chevrolet to the Advance-Design that would then morph, in stages, into the Task Force, C/K, and present-day bowtie pickups.

The GMC truck we have here comes from the very early years of this segment, having been made in the first full year of peace, 1946. It’s one of the very first trucks made for civilian use after the war. It presently looks like a restored reminder of how it all started, all official and proud in its completely black overalls, donned over a black and gray interior.

The half-ton has been the subject of a restoration process that made it as shiny as possible for its upcoming sale during the Mecum auction in Glendale, Arizona, in March. Once bought, it could move along to its new home under its own power, provided by a 6-cylinder inline engine equipped with a downdraft carburetor and a 3-speed manual transmission.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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