A good way to test the journalistic independence of an auto history writer is to see how he or she addresses a problematic product. So when I recently bought Patrick Foster’s book, Ford Tough: 100 Years of Ford Trucks (2023), I was curious about how he approached the controversial 1961-63 F-Series “Styleside” pickup.
Foster offered only a brief description of the truck’s key features when it was unveiled, such as a cargo area integrated with the cab so that the traditional break in sheetmetal between the two was eliminated.
Then, in a section about the 1962 model year, he noted that “(b)uyer resistance” forced Ford “to reintroduce the separate box style as seen on the earlier 1957 through 1960 trucks. Exactly what the problem was is difficult to learn at this distance, but worries about body flex causing rippled sheet metal were a likely concern” (p. 116).
That explanation was more vague and squishy than what I have found elsewhere, such as that body flex could result in the doors of fully loaded trucks either jamming shut or popping open while driving . . . and that the stylish, wrap-around back window on top-end models could fall out (go here).
An auto history writer might go as far as to state that the problems with the Styleside undercut Ford’s attempt to market its trucks as tough. But not Foster.
Instead, he noted that 1963 “was the last year for the Styleside integrated bed; as sharp-looking as always, they simply failed to catch on with buyers.” A photo caption added, “For some reason the fancy Styleside pickups never really caught on with the buying public. . . . It was too bad — just look how handsome and sleek this F-100 Custom Cab looks compared to an ordinary bed truck” (p. 117).
RE:SOURCES
- Foster, Patrick; 2023. Ford Tough: 100 Years of Ford Trucks. Chartwell Books.
ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:
- oldcarbrochures.org: Ford trucks (1962)
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