Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by one of the authors in exchange for an honest review.
Today, I’m looking at another car book, but it’s not just any car book. It’s one about Ford F-Series pickup trucks. These vehicles are not only the best selling trucks in their segment, but until recently, were also the best-selling vehicle of any category in the United States, cars included. Jim Dinsmore and James Halderman made a comprehensive history about the truck in their book Ford F-Series Trucks: 1948-Present. While I’m not a car enthusiast, I enjoyed learning about its story and seeing the photographs even if the technical jargon flew over my head at times.
Ford F-Series Trucks: 1948-Present dissects the history of Ford F-Series trucks from a technical viewpoint. When Henry Ford first started manufacturing Model Ts over 100 years ago, he didn’t really have a truck configuration in mind. However, when people were modifying those early chassis for commercial use, he realized that there was demand for a truck application of the Model T. Soon, Ford was making their own configurations for similar use, first through third parties and later, Ford itself with the Model TT. From these beginnings, Ford stumbled onto the foundation of the most popular vehicles ever – the Ford F-Series pickup truck. Dinsmore and Halderman explore every generation of the truck from its 1st generation (1948-1952) to what is now the 14th. They also cover all the options, chassis specifications, running changes, and the evolution of these pickups as they transformed from postwar utilitarian vehicles to the today’s best-selling luxury family cruisers.
Before I express my thoughts, I must state my relationship with the truck in question. I like the Ford F-Series. They are comfortable to ride in, while getting the job, no matter how big or small, done. I have some fond memories while being in them. I remember going to Jimmy John’s Field in Utica for a baseball game in a 13th generation F-450, and it took up about two parking spaces just for it to fit in. Later on, when my boyfriend, now husband, and I went to the Armada State Fair, we took that same truck and managed to get good parking because of it.
The book includes photographs taken by various people including author Jim Halderman (cousin of Gale Halderman who rendered the Ford Mustang) and the Ford Motor Company. They look like they were taken by average people compared to the ones shot for the Rolls-Royce Motor Car: Making a Legend book by Simon Van Booy and Harvey Briggs, but this is not a problem. They are of good quality and show the distinctions of trucks from every generation (here’s a game: take a drink every time the book mentions the word notice in the picture captions). The appeal of the truck is how rugged, affordable, and durable they are. They have a trim level for everybody. My only complaint about these is that there were too many of them in the beginning, but the balance between text and photos became more even as the book progressed.
Ford F-Series Trucks: 1948-Present wastes no time by telling the story of that truck in less than 200 pages. It condenses what information Dinsmore and Halderman want to get across. Each chapter discusses the historical background in which each generation was created, major features like the types of engines, trim levels, and the big changes the truck went through every year. They also end with spreadsheets discussing engines, transmissions, colors, and prices. On occasion, they would dedicate a section to important aspects of the Ford F-Series history like Henry Ford II, the competition, the Little Louie, and the EcoBoost engine. I learned so much about the F-Series, especially how the company improved the truck to capitalize on the camping craze in the 1960s. Did I mention that this book is less than 200 pages?
I mentioned this before in past reviews about car books, and I will say this again: I’m not a car/truck enthusiast. As much as I enjoyed learning about the truck and how the authors structured the book, I didn’t get into it as much as I should because of the technical jargon they employ throughout. I understood most of it thanks to the books I previously read, my husband the car journalist, and the way the authors explain it, but there were times that I was tripped up. For example, when discussing the 1961 Ford truck, the authors mention this:
“From a mechanical standpoint, little was changed on the 1961 F-100. There was a 223-ci 6-cylinder engine. The 262-ci V8 was the preferred option, which had a rating of 172 hp. The 3-speed manual was still the standard transmission, while a 4-speed manual and the Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission were popular options” (p. 48).
Yes, I know that hp is horsepower, but I was still confused by the rest. This was not as egregious as Caterham Sevens, The Official Story of a Unique British Sportscar From Conception, yet Ford F-Series Trucks: 1948-Present still appeals to a certain audience that would comprehend it more than I could.
Ford F-Series Trucks: 1948-Present by Jim Dinsmore and James Halderman is a really good book about the history of the Ford F-Series trucks. Although I’m not a truck enthusiast, I enjoyed looking at the pictures and absorbing the information about the vehicle in question. I would recommend this for truck aficionados and collectors as well as anyone who’s interested in learning more about the most famous pickup in Ford history. I can’t wait to see how the Ford F-Series evolves.
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Book Reviews by a Chick Who Reads Everything 