On a recent episode of Jay Leno's Garage on YouTube, Jay and fellow famous car enthusiast Tim Allen get together to discuss the history of trucks.
They talk about the early history of trucks and how Ford really started the move towards modern pickups, and also how trucks evolved from modified versions of wagons to the heavy-duty hauling machines we know today.
We take a look at what the duo discusses on the video, including heavy-duty trucks, legends from the past, and a possible future episode dedicated to monster trucks.
The Surprisingly-Interesting History Of Trucks With Jay Leno
Jay picks Tim Allen up from the airport in a 1931 Ford Model A complete with wood on the sides. They discuss that while they both like fast cars, they also are truck enthusiasts and each own trucks of their own.
While trucks existed before Henry Ford's time, Jay Leno states that it was Ford and the assembly line that really pushed trucks into mass adoption.
First, the pair drive a 1931 Ford Model A Depot Hack - the Depot Hack was a version of the Model A or the Model T.
The Depot Hack debuted in 1919 and available from Ford through the 1930s; at the time, a Depot Hack cost around $625 (or about $12,000 today) though a value of a 1931 Ford Model A Depot Hack in 2022 is about $40,000.
In those days, Depot Hacks were commonly used to pick up passengers from train stations to deliver them to somewhere else like a mountain resort or a beach.
Fascinating Automotive History: Sleeper Trucks Over The Years
Beginning in the 1930s, trucks starting looking less like wagons and more like heavy-duty vehicles capable of hauling.
Tim Allen owns a 1939 Studebaker K-30 Sleeper Cab which they take for a drive around, the truck has an Art Deco design and was one of the most powerful trucks at the time designed to haul large loads of freight and one of the first examples of a sleeper cab.
Studebaker began in 1856 making covered wagons and the progression to making trucks was natural, which the brand started in the 1930s.
The K-30 sleeper cab is a simple design, with a cab for driving and a small bed immediately behind the seats - today, the K-30 has a value over $200,000.
The truck has a crash gearbox, with straight cut gears that are stronger and require more effort than modern gearboxes, when shifting this truck, the speed and drive shaft must match by feel alone.
They take a look at a newer version of a sleeper truck that is vastly different from the Studebaker, a 2022 Kenworth T680.
The truck has an MSRP of $300,000 with a much larger cab that has fully functional quarters for extended time on the road.
This Kenworth has a 510 horsepower, 12.9-liter engine and can handle just about anything: it's a stark contrast to the trucks of yesterday and shows the full evolution of the truck's early beginnings to modern times.