Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Auto
  3. News

A Look at 100 Years of Chevy Trucks and the New Special Edition Anniversary Models

By

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

What do Girl Scout Cookies, Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars, and Chevy trucks have in common? They are all centenarians.

Yes, 100 years ago, Chevrolet produced its first pickup: the 1918 model Series D. While Girl Scout Cookies and Chuck Taylors haven’t changed much since inception, the Chevy pickup shares only a badge and vehicle segment with its now-distant ancestor.

Recommended Videos

Just how different is a 2018 model year Chevy from a 1918 predecessor?

“Today, the Chevrolet truck design studio is focused on purposeful design that creates personality and customization options for a wide breadth of truck customers,” says Rich Scheer, director of exterior design, in a release. “Looking back on the past century of truck design, I realized that Chevrolet designers have been focused on the same goals since the very beginning.”

One hundred years of truck-volution brings us to today, and Chevy’s latest models: the 2018 Silverado and Colorado Centennial Editions, which will hit  dealerships in November 2017. Both trucks feature design elements inspired by Chevy history, including a Centennial Blue paint color, 100-year badges, various chrome touches, and new bowtie emblems.

These updated emblems still incorporate the iconic Chevy cross shape, but are black (instead of gold) and have the word Chevrolet emblazoned across the middle. The new logo will be featured on a wide range of merchandise, including Chevy-inspired recreational vehicles from TechTrailers and Phoenix Boats.

These new autos and emblems were revealed Thursday, September 28 at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, where the brand also announced the expansion of the free Chevy Truck Legends program — a community of owners who have purchased/leased more than one new Chevy or currently boast a truck with over 100,000 miles — and an invitation-only Centennial Celebration on December 16 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (complete with Dale Earnhardt, Jr.). Hint: Members of the Legends program are sure to get an invite.

But Chevy wouldn’t be where it is today if it weren’t for a century’s worth of innovative design and auto tech. Above are the 10 most iconic Chevy trucks, according to Scheer. They are (in chronological order):

  • 1918 One-Ton
  • 1929 International Series LD
  • 1938 Half-Ton
  • 1947 3100 Series
  • 1955 3124 Series Cameo Carrier
  • 1967 C10 Fleetside
  • 1973 C30 One-Ton Dually
  • 1988 C/K1500
  • 1999 Silverado 1500 LT Z71
  • 2007 Silverado 1500
Miles Branman
Miles Branman
Former Contributor
Miles Branman doesn’t need sustenance; he needs cars. While the gearhead gene wasn’t strong in his own family, Miles… Read Full Bio
Topics
Auto
Porsche wants to teach you how actually to drive their cars
Porsche

A Porsche is one of the most recognizable cars on the road. You always know when you are looking at one. So, it stands to reason that people love them, right? Of course they do. But loving a car and knowing how to drive one are very different. What is it that Ja Rule said in The Fast and the Furious? “We know a few things. And one of the things we knows is, it isn’t how you stand by your car, it is how to drive your car. You better learn that.” How do you learn to drive a Porsche? At the Porsche Track Experience, which has offered programs on everything from a single-day basics class up to a three-day advanced course.

Now, the team behind PTX is expanding into new offerings for the car.

Read more
Auto
The next evolution of the sports car: Porsche redesigns an icon
City, Car, Transportation

Authenticity. It is what we are looking for nowadays as consumers. Thirty years ago, we looked for brand names. We strived for status and letting all those around us see that what we wore, where we lived, where we dined, and finally, what we drove, symbolized our success in life. Then all of that started to stumble, and every industry felt the recession. Of course, the recession was temporary, but the effects of it were not. What we started to look for after that was something real. We realized that stuff…was just stuff. Now, when I look at cars, or suits, or restaurants, I ask myself: What is this going to make me feel?

That is what the new Porsche Mission S does; it makes me feel like vintage New York and the upstate escape.

Read more
Auto
How much horsepower does a 2026 Formula 1 car really have?
Red Bull's Max Verstappen driving a victory circle.

 

If you have ever been to a Formula 1 race, you probably know these machines are the pinnacle of performance. These super machines are some of the most amazing creations in the mechanical world and are a marvel to watch scream around the courses around the world during the F1 season. But how much power do they have? More specifically, how much horsepower pulls that thing around the track?

Read more