December is Celebration Month here at autoevolution, and one important segment of our coverage has to do with pickup trucks. We tried to find as many of them as possible, and as varied, but we were mostly faced with GM’s C/K family, and the occasional Ford F-100.
While digging around for more stories, we came across this International Harvester pickup dated all the way back to 1951. And it sure has its place in the army of more mainstream trucks we’ve covered.
International Harvester is a name that may not mean a lot to the younger generation. The company was born in 1902 and, after several decades of making anything from agricultural equipment to automobiles (and even M1 rifles during the Second World War), it finally went under in 1985.
The truck and engine divisions survived, though, and in 1986 the company changed its name to Navistar International Corporation, which has recently accepted a takeover bid from VW Group's Traton truck and bus division.
International Harvester left behind iconic nameplates like the Jeep-rivaling Scout, still highly sought after on the custom market, but also a series of trucks that, from time to time, get another chance at life. Kind of like this one here.
A 1951 model year, we’re told this truck is the “winner of numerous car show accolades,” but we’re not being given any other details. Wrapped in red, white and black, the machine was fully restored in 2011 and got several upgrades, including power steering and power brakes initially fitted on a 1990 Toyota 4runner.
The sales ad – the truck is looking for a new owner – also highlights the era-correct, one-piece left or right side opening hood, as well as the custom-made interior upholstery, but makes no mention as to exactly what powers the pickup.
The only available info on the powertrain is we’re dealing with a 6-cylinder linked to a manual transmission and rebuilt no more than 1,000 miles (1,609 km) ago.
The asking price for the 1951 International Harvester is $20,000, which doesn’t seem to be a wrong sum to ask.
International Harvester is a name that may not mean a lot to the younger generation. The company was born in 1902 and, after several decades of making anything from agricultural equipment to automobiles (and even M1 rifles during the Second World War), it finally went under in 1985.
The truck and engine divisions survived, though, and in 1986 the company changed its name to Navistar International Corporation, which has recently accepted a takeover bid from VW Group's Traton truck and bus division.
International Harvester left behind iconic nameplates like the Jeep-rivaling Scout, still highly sought after on the custom market, but also a series of trucks that, from time to time, get another chance at life. Kind of like this one here.
A 1951 model year, we’re told this truck is the “winner of numerous car show accolades,” but we’re not being given any other details. Wrapped in red, white and black, the machine was fully restored in 2011 and got several upgrades, including power steering and power brakes initially fitted on a 1990 Toyota 4runner.
The sales ad – the truck is looking for a new owner – also highlights the era-correct, one-piece left or right side opening hood, as well as the custom-made interior upholstery, but makes no mention as to exactly what powers the pickup.
The only available info on the powertrain is we’re dealing with a 6-cylinder linked to a manual transmission and rebuilt no more than 1,000 miles (1,609 km) ago.
The asking price for the 1951 International Harvester is $20,000, which doesn’t seem to be a wrong sum to ask.