ALT-1 An Introduction to Chevy Trucks
Chevy was started in 1912 after William Durant was forced out of General Motors for having alack of vision. Billy met Louis Chevrolet and the two started there new company. They wanted something similar to Ford's model T, so they came up with the first ever pickup truck. It became popular and when General Motors bought Chevy, Billy was able to regain control of the company.
Chevy introduced the first selective gear shift transmission against Ford's foot pedal operated transmission. Chevy also was first to have an overhead valve six cylinder engine. They later had a big hit with 194 cubic inch, 46 horsepower engine made from cast iron. Through out the modern pick up era in the 30's the trucks remain the same until after world war 2. In the lat 40's Chevy released the first post war era truck that became know to be bigger and better than the rest. In the early 50's a favorite became standard with the gear shift lever moved from the floor to the steering column.
Once the advanced design era began Chevy sales remained number on for an entire decade. sales stayed strong until the beginning of the v8 era when Ford began to flex it's muscle. During the late 60's new visions of the pick up became reality. The Blazer and El Camino were a solid staple of the Chevy brand for years. The El Camino is still a auto culture standout and is still easily recognizable. Chevy celebrated there 50th anniversary of building trucks and regained there status of number one in sales during the glamor pick up era. This is when trucks had better styling and were more refined.
In the late 70's the Silverado model was born. Known for power and style it continues to battle Ford's F 150 for supremacy. By the early 2000's the vortec engine was born making the most powerful pick up to date. By the mid 2000's the first ever hybrid truck was brought into existence. And as we enter the end of the 2000's new flex fuel trucks are hitting the streets relying on a combination of gas and corn. New models some not even needing gas are quickly approaching. Just as Chevy started the pick up more than 80 years ago, they continue to set the bench mark and are still the industry leader.
