http://www.barrett-jackson.com/application/onlinesubmission/lotdetails.aspx?ln=760.1&aid=466

Edited July 25, 201312 yr by balthazar

Very cool little truck. Love the miniature version of a modern Duramax tailpipe.

Sweet Truck.

Wow! What a sweet looking piece of GMC advertising. A large GMC dealer should buy it and make a permanent display inside of their showroom for it. I love the fact they took a short wheelbase COE (probably a tractor-cab at one point in its life) and made it into an awesome looking stakebed.

They're wrong about the year though. It's a '41-'46 GMC and not a '40. Here's what a '40 COE looks like:

Edited July 25, 201312 yr by GMTruckGuy74

While I am a fan of the GMC COE of all years, I really like the look of the 1937 & 1938 models due to the Art Deco styling:

Awesome pictures you posted, thank GMTruckGuy!

Might as well shoehorn in this sharp dressed COE :

They are a sweetly-detailed truck, Roger!

Edited July 26, 201312 yr by balthazar

what was the primary reason for C-O-E that it was made a marketing feature? (honest question, I really don't know)

I agree with Drew, what was the reason for COE? Kenworth and Peterbuilt both gave up on COE here and kept their stagecoach style of trucks. Yet in Europe they love COE and hate the stagecoach style of trucks.

Simply: back when these came out (the late '30s) they were marketed as 'city trucks' in that with the shorter cab, they could increase the payload space on the same overall length truck and move about the city with the same degree of ease.

I will assume that in the '30s/40s/50s, there were more smaller businesses with less capital, so rather than purchase another truck(s), it made better sense to purchase one with more payload room. I have no figures, but I would not be surprised if the majority of this class of trucks in those decades were owned by farmers/small businesses rather than large companies.

The classification system was wonky back in the day. For instance, my generation Ford COE ('38-47), they were called 1.5-ton, but on the 1945 registration card, the registered weight was 15,955 (6 tons). They were the heaviest duty truck Ford offered, tho.

Edited July 27, 201312 yr by balthazar

But then why not just build all trucks like that?

Hmmm, interesting question. COE engine service work is more difficult, and they are 2-seaters vs. 3....

I dunno for sure. Just reading 1947 Chevy truck data sheets- their conventional HD truck & COE share all the same specs; axles, tires, weight ratings, very close in wheelbase.... maybe it was just offering 'choice'- the COEs were later additions, perhaps OEMs wanted to keep the 'traditionalists' happy too.

Enjoyable thread, this here.

COE overview, with theory on demise : http://www.kitfoster.com/carport/2005/05/tall-trucks/

Here's an aftermarket '36 COE built on a Ford, before Ford's '38 version :

Here's aftermarket builder Montpelier's Chevy version (Chevy's first factory COE was '39) :

Note how in both instances they took standard truck cabs & built new hoods & 'foundations' to raise the structure up.

••••

Check this historical tidbit out (I think I linked to this before, but the concept fascinates me) : http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2010/03/09/march-military-campaign-double-the-flathead-fun/

Edited July 27, 201312 yr by balthazar

Check out this awesome ingenuity :

Thanks Balthazar for posting the pics and info. Awesome History