1949 Chevrolet 3100 GP Pickup Truck news, pictures, and information

1949 Chevrolet 3100 GP Pickup Truck news, pictures, and information

Around the start of World War I, Chevrolet began producing trucks. Their first year of production netted just under 900 sales. The following year in 1919, there were over 8,200 produced. And by the close of the 1930's, Chevrolet had produced over a half-of-a-million trucks. Originally the trucks were produced in two separate steps. First, a chassis was constructed. The chassis was then sent to a factory to receive its body, usually a pickup, express truck, or a panel truck. The acquisition of the Marin-Parry Corporation by General Motors in 1930, allowed Chevrolet the opportunity to streamline their build-process and offer a wider range of truck products. In just a few years, Chevrolet was responsible for half of all American light truck production.

Chevrolet had produced over two million trucks by the time World War Two began, which halted civilian vehicle production. In 1947 Chevrolet introduced their 'Advance Design' for their light truck model line. An 'alligator' hood concealed the engine while the horizontal grille bars completed the stylish appearance of a modern truck. The elegant design remained virtually unchanged from 1947 through 1954.

A DeLuxe package was offered, one of the only options available, included chrome grilles and chrome triple speed-line moldings of the fender sides. The standard versions had painted grilles.

This is an example of one of the 345,519 trucks produced by Chevrolet in 1949. The 3100 Series was available as a Pickup, Panel Truck, Canopy Express Truck, and Suburban. They were also supplied as an individual chassis which allowed custom commercial body builders to create a combination that was exactly what the customer required. This 1949 Chevrolet 3100 GP Pickup Truck had a factory price of $1253. It was powered by a six-cylinder 216.5 cubic-inch engine that was capable of producing 90 horsepower. The body rode atop a 116 inch wheelbase.