Ford created one of America’s most beloved pickups with the launch of the F-100 in 1953.

From the moment of its introduction for the 1953 model year, Ford’s golden anniversary, Americans have regarded the F-100 as more than just a pickup truck. The first-generation ’53-’56 F100 has been hot-rodded, raced, customized, and personalized in every manner imaginable. Somehow, its handsome yet straightforward styling and rugged engineering resonated with the public. Pickup trucks would eventually replace family sedans as the USA’s most popular vehicles, the Motor City’s volume leaders, and the F-100 played a leading role in that remarkable shift.

The F-100’s chassis was essentially a refinement of the F-1 series introduced in 1948. (See our F-1 feature here.) A simple but robust ladder frame with numerous crossmembers supported a beam axle at the front and semi-elliptic leaf springs on all four corners. Engine choices included the familiar 239 cubic-inch flathead V8 with 108 hp, or the up-to-date overhead-valve inline six with 215 CID and 101 hp. A multitude of transmissions were offered: three-speed, four-speed, and overdrive manual gearboxes, and the Fordomatic automatic as well.

The F-100 was built on a relatively compact 110-inch wheelbase, six inches shorter than its chief competitors, the Chevrolet Advance Design and GMC New Design pickups. The front spindle centerline was set back in the chassis a fair amount, a neat trick (above) that reduced the turning radius and increased low-speed maneuverability, while also contributing to the F-100’s unique stance.

Originally, the F-100 was available only with a 6.5-ft pickup bed, with longer boxes available on the larger F-250 and F-350 trucks. A 6.5-ft flatbed/stakebed body was also available from the factory on the F-100 platform, and a bare chassis-cab model as well. There was an F-100 panel delivery, too, with an 8-ft van body and offered in both Panel and Panel Deluxe models.

While the F-100’s cab is absolutely bare by current standards, it was sleek, modern, and inviting in 1953—Ford called it “driverized.”  A stylized instrument cluster in the dash housed all the instruments, with all the switches and controls aligned along the bottom. Dearborn boasted that the steel-sprung seat was as comfortable as any passenger car’s, wide enough for three, and fully adjustable.

The first-generation F-100 remained in production through 1956 with annual changes to the grille and a redesigned cab for ’56 that included a vertical A-pillar, a wraparound windshield, and an optional wraparound backlite. From 1957 on, the F-100 went through five more design generations before it was dropped in 1983 in favor of the F-150, a designation that was originally adopted in 1975 to align with federal regulations. For four decades now, the F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in the USA.