Ford F100 History
by James JordanFor more than 60 years Ford's F Series of trucks has been among the best sellers in the nation. The F100 came along in the mid-50s and remained Ford's base truck through the mid-80s.
Development
The Ford F100 was introduced in 1953 and was the second generation of F series. The 1953 model had a new look and the 1954 model introduced a powerful V8 engine. In 1953 Ford started making truck interiors more like cars.
Design
The third generation began in 1957 with a completely different design, leaving behind the rounded hood and cab, in favor of a more boxy look. A more powerful engine was called the "Power King." New designs came along about every five years. In 1959 Ford started making 4-wheel-drive trucks with F100s.
More developments
In the 70s the super cab was developed and the F150 was introduced. The F150 gradually replaced the F100 as Ford's base truck. F100 trucks continued to be made into the 80s.
End of the line
In 1977 two new V8 engines, the 351 and 400-cubic-inch, were added to the F100 lineup making it even more powerful. Ford stopped making the 4-wheel-drive F100 in 1978 and stopped producing the F100 itself in 1984.
References
Writer Bio
James Jordan has been a writer and photographer since 1980. He has worked for newspapers in Arkansas, Tennessee, South Carolina and Kansas, winning state press association awards for writing, photography and page design. In 1995 he received his master's in Christian education and completed two years of Ancient Greek at the graduate level. Jordan holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism.
