Panel truck

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1906 Kansas City Motors panel truck 1906 Kansas City Panel Truck.png
1906 Kansas City Motors panel truck

A panel truck (also called a panel delivery [1] or pickup truck-based van) in U.S. and Canadian usage is a small delivery truck with a fully enclosed body. [2] It typically is high and has no rear windows in the rear cargo area. [3] The term was first used in the early 1910s. Panel trucks were marketed for contracting, deliveries, and other businesses. [4] Often described as a small van (based on the chassis of a truck or pickup truck) used mostly for delivery rounds, the British equivalent is a "delivery van." [5]

Contents

History

Consumer demand from farmers and businesses for stripped-down Model T versions prompted Henry Ford to market vehicles that independent builders could supply cabs and cargo enclosures according to users' needs. [6]

During World War I the U.S. Army ordered 20,000 Dodge half-ton chassis sets for use as cargo trucks and ambulances that were then marketed after the war as the "Screenside Commercial Car"—a pickup with a roof and roll-up side covers or a fully enclosed cargo-bed. [6]

Chevrolet made a van-like version of their Chevrolet Suburban, which was a station wagon version of the Chevrolet pickup truck from the 1930s. Panel truck versions of the Suburban were made until 1973.

Ford made panel truck versions of their pickup trucks until 1960. Panel trucks were also converted into canopy expresses, which were primarily used by farmers.

The style of the panel trucks from the 1930s to 1950s inspired the style of both the Chrysler PT Cruiser and the Chevrolet HHR. [7] [8] However, both of these were car platform-based models (Chrysler PL and GM Delta platforms respectively), not built on a pickup truck chassis. [9]

The current use of panel trucks describes commercial delivery vans. [10]

Difference

The difference between a sedan delivery and a panel truck is that the sedan delivery is based on the chassis of a sedan, hatchback, or station wagon, while a panel truck is based on the chassis of a pickup truck. [11] Unibody-based vans are similar in size and in functionality but have a unibody chassis.

Canopy express

A canopy express (also known as a "huckster truck" [12] ) is a light-duty cargo van based on the chassis of a panel truck. Canopy express vehicles have open display areas behind the driver's seat commonly used for peddling vegetables and fruit, but also used for other kinds of deliveries that require easy access, such as newspapers and radio equipment. [13] [14]

Canopy express trucks evolved as a more stylized version of standard pickup trucks that contained open canopies installed over the pickup bed. They were built by Dodge, General Motors, and International Harvester as well as other manufacturers. Ford Canopy Express trucks were merely aftermarket conversions of their existing panel trucks.

As the United States became more suburbanized after World War II, sales of canopy express vehicles declined. Dodge ceased production of these trucks in 1948,[ citation needed ] while GM offered the last of them in 1955. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">SUV</span> Type of automobile

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van</span> Covered transportation vehicle

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plymouth (automobile)</span> Defunct American automobile brand

Plymouth was a brand of automobiles produced by Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler. The brand was launched in 1928 to compete in what was then described as the "low-priced" market segment that was dominated by Chevrolet and Ford. It became a high-volume seller for the automaker until the late 1990s. Plymouth cars were marketed primarily in the United States. The brand was withdrawn from the marketplace in 2001. The Plymouth models that were produced up to then were either discontinued or rebranded as Chrysler or Dodge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford E-Series</span> Line of vans by American automaker

The Ford E-Series is a range of full-size vans manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company. Introduced for model year 1961 as the replacement for the Ford F-Series panel van, the E-Series line is currently in its fourth generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevrolet Express</span> Motor vehicle

The Chevrolet Express, also rebadged as the GMC Savana, is a range of full-size vans built and sold by General Motors since the 1996 model year, succeeding the prior GM G-series vans, which were marketed as the Chevrolet Van and GMC Rally/Vandura. The Express/Savana was updated for the 2003 model year with revised styling and chassis upgrades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Courier</span> Motor vehicle

Ford Courier is a model nameplate used by Ford since the early 1950s. The Courier moniker has been used on a variety of vehicles all around the world since it was first used in North America for a saloon delivery. The Courier nameplate was also used by Ford for a series of compact pickup trucks and would also see use by Ford of Europe denoting a Fiesta-based panel van. Ford Brazil used the nameplate for a Fiesta-based coupe utility pickup marketed across Latin America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevrolet Lumina APV</span> Motor vehicle

The Chevrolet Lumina APV is a minivan that was produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. The first front-wheel drive minivan sold by Chevrolet, the Lumina APV was sold in a single generation from the 1990 to 1996 model years. Marketed alongside the Pontiac Trans Sport and Oldsmobile Silhouette, the Lumina APV competed against the Dodge Grand Caravan/Plymouth Grand Voyager, the extended-length Ford Aerostar, and the Mazda MPV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevrolet HHR</span> Motor vehicle

The Chevrolet HHR is a retro-styled, high-roofed, five-door, five-passenger, front-wheel drive wagon designed by Bryan Nesbitt and launched by the American automaker Chevrolet at the 2005 Los Angeles Auto Show as a 2006 model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Body-on-frame</span> Automobile construction method using a separate body on a structural frame

Body-on-frame, also known as ladder frame construction, is a common motor vehicle construction method, whereby a separate body or coach is mounted on a strong and relatively rigid vehicle frame or chassis that carries the powertrain and to which the wheels and their suspension, brakes, and steering are mounted. While this was the original method of building automobiles, body-on-frame construction is now used mainly for heavy trucks, pickups, and predominantly large SUVs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dodge C series</span> Motor vehicle

The C series is a line of pickup trucks sold by Dodge from 1954 until 1960. It replaced the Dodge B series of trucks and was eventually supplanted by the Dodge D series, introduced in 1961. Unlike the B series, which were closely related to Dodge's prewar trucks, the C series was a complete redesign. Dodge continued the "pilot house" tradition of high-visibility cabs with a wraparound windshield introduced in 1955. A two-speed "PowerFlite" automatic transmission was newly available that year. The Dodge Town Panel and Town Wagon also used the new design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panel van</span> Cargo vehicle based on passenger car chassis

A panel van, also known as a blind van, car-derived van or sedan delivery, is a small cargo vehicle with a passenger car chassis, typically with a single front bench seat and no side windows behind the B-pillar. Panel vans are smaller than panel trucks or cargo vans, both of which use body-on-frame truck chassis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Box truck</span> Type of large truck

A box truck—also known as a box van, cube van, bob truck or cube truck—is a chassis cab truck with an enclosed cuboid-shaped cargo area. On most box trucks, the cabin is separate to the cargo area; however some box trucks have a door between the cabin and the cargo area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ute (vehicle)</span> Short for "utility" vehicle

A ute, originally an abbreviation for "utility" or "coupé utility", is a term used in Australia and New Zealand to describe vehicles with a tonneau behind the passenger compartment, that can be driven with a regular driver's license.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevrolet Advance Design</span> Motor vehicle

The Advance-Design is a light and medium duty truck series by Chevrolet, their first major redesign after WWII. Its GMC counterpart was the GMC New Design. It was billed as a larger, stronger, and sleeker design in comparison to the earlier AK Series. First available on Saturday, June 28, 1947, these trucks were sold with various minor changes over the years until March 25, 1955, when the Task Force Series trucks replaced the Advance-Design model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevrolet Task Force</span> Motor vehicle

The Task Force is a light and medium duty truck series by Chevrolet, their first major redesign since 1947. Its GMC counterpart was the GMC Blue Chip series. It was billed as being more stylish compared to the earlier Advance Design Series while still maintaining its rugged durability. First available on March 25, 1955, these trucks were sold with various minor changes over the years until 1959, when the C and K Series trucks replaced the Task Force models for 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multi-stop truck</span> Truck used for local deliveries

Multi-stop trucks are a type of light-duty and medium-duty truck created for local deliveries to residences and businesses. They are designed to be driven either sitting down or standing up, and often provide easy access between the driver and goods, hence the name “walk-in delivery” van. They are taller than full-size vans, such as the Ford Econoline, Dodge A-Series/B-Series/Ram Vans, and Chevrolet G-Series vans, but can have wheelbases that are shorter than these models or longer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dodge Town Panel and Town Wagon</span> Motor vehicle

The Dodge Town Panel and Dodge Town Wagon are respectively a panel truck and a carryall, manufactured between 1954 and 1966 in the USA and between 1954 and 1971 in Argentina by Dodge. The Town Panel and Town Wagon trucks were based upon the design of the Dodge C Series pickup trucks with round fenders and wraparound windshields. Even after the Dodge D Series "Sweptline" pickup trucks with square fenders and flat windshields were released, the Town Wagons retained the 1958 sheet metal design of the C Series pickups and heavy-duty trucks. They were produced until 1966, when the Dodge A100 Commercial and passenger vans eliminated the need for the pickup chassis version. A passenger sport utility version of the Dodge D series truck was not again developed until the third generation D Series based Dodge Ramcharger, a competitor to the Chevrolet Blazer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevrolet van</span> Motor vehicle

The Chevrolet Van or Chevy Van is a range of vans that was manufactured by General Motors from the 1964 to 1996 model years. Introduced as the successor for the rear-engine Corvair Corvan/Greenbrier, the model line also replaced the panel van configuration of the Chevrolet Suburban. The vehicle was sold both in passenger van and cargo van configurations as well as a cutaway van chassis that served as the basis for a variety of custom applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coupé utility</span> Automotive body style

A coupé utility is a vehicle with a passenger compartment at the front and an integrated cargo tray at the rear, with the front of the cargo bed doubling as the rear of the passenger compartment.

References

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  7. "Chrysler PT Cruiser". automotive.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
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  14. Chaiken, Mike (23 November 2019). "Your Chevy 3100 Canopy is waiting just around the corner". Wheels.
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