By the 1970s, the U.S. Army was looking to replace its aging fleet of Jeeps and Dodge trucks, many of which went dated back to 1950. Chevrolet stepped up with a proposed 1 ¼-ton replacement and built between 30-36 prototypes in hopes of getting a contract. These were known as the XM705, but a contract never came through to put them into production. This example from 1971 has only been driven 25,000 miles but there is no mention of whether it’s in running condition. Located in Flemington, New Jersey, it’s available here on Facebook Marketplace where the seller is hoping to get $15,000 OBO. Thanks for the tip, AMXBrian!
The experimental XM705 weighed nearly 7,000 pounds, including the weight of a winch. It ran on a 135-inch wheelbase with 9.00×20 tires, so this was a serious off-road vehicle. But it was graced with only a 307 cubic-inch V8 rated at 144 hp, paired with a 4-speed manual transmission and 2-speed transfer. We understand that the cab featured three bucket seats instead of a single bench. The hardtop is removable when the need arises. The XM705 cost about 20% more than what Chevy’s competitors were offering, so the 705 never went any further.
Rumor has it that most of the prototypes built were repurposed by the likes of fire departments and the Forestry Service. The number that has survived is likely small and this one will need a full restoration, including dealing with a fair amount of rust. The seller doesn’t say much more about the condition of this vehicle, but we’re guessing many of the parts (like the motor) were pulled from Chevy’s existing parts bin, maybe making replacements easier to find?
You’d have to give me 15K just to haul it off.
So 15k and only 3 pics.Sometimes rare does not mean valuable. Would be fun to drop in a Duramax engine
These were kind of cool. Expensive to build so that’s why the military opted to stay with the M715. Definitely rare though.
Looks like they copied the Jeeps of the era for the front end.
The grand daddy of the hummer?
I was in the Army from 70-72 and worked on comparing the long term maintenance costs of the xm705 and its ultimately successful rival, the M715. The M 715 was pretty much a Jeep pickup painted green. It didn’t have all the expensive features of the XM705 but those were found not to be essential for the ultimate use of the truck. As a result of running a bunch of the samples around three Army bases, any differences in maintenance costs weren’t significant, as I recall.
The xm705 is a rare barn find, to be sure.
Mr. John White. I would like to discuss some details of your experiences with these trucks. Any way we can chat?
I was drafted in 1968 and was a company driver in an infantry unit in Ft Campbell KY which had all new vehicles. There were 2 1/2 T, 1/4 T jeeps, and the 5/4T Jeep based on the Gladiator.
In Nam, I drove a 1943 Dodge, I never saw one of the new Jeeps 5/4 T in Nam. The new 2 1/2 ton were given to the Vietnamese who learned truck driving on the job. The Dodge fit in with the WWII C rations.
The should have built the truck plant next to the car shredder, next to the steel plant, which is next to the truck planr. They could have run the operation in a circle and left me out of it.
This is the first time I’ve seen one of these…and I hope it’s the last.
I have never seen one of these before it’s certainly unique, I am a bit surprised that it’s got a V8 especially a 307. I would have thought it would be a 6 cyl like the 715. On any of these vehicles HP meant very little because lack of HP was made up for in gearing.
This was likely built with mostly off-the-shelf parts. I see Dana axles (not axels) and NP transmission and transfer case. After reading the seller’s description I wept for the future of meticulous grammar.
BR, I used to feel the same way about grammar, until one day I read of the problems encountered by a man who through no fault of his own could not read or write, or do simple maths. The embarrassment and difficulties he encountered all through his life, until someone took the time to nurture him, and teach him things that we take for granted, made me realise how fortunate I was. There, but for the grace of God, go I.
Nicely put Wayne. I myself have problems with grammar due to having had a minor stroke several years ago. I gets me riled up when you see those sarcastic comments on peoples post’s. These people have no idea what lies behind the text.
Rare for sure, the link provided in this write-up shows pics of the only 5 known to have survived – no photo of this one on that site so now there are 6…
The USFS part of the story seems correct.The truck is painted USFS green not a military green.
I know why they never came to fruition…”let’s send the boys off to war…they can push the truck where ever it needs to go…”
hard to tell,
but looks like he has more than one of these beasts
theres a jeep behind her.
trolin
(for buyers)
There are some similar design points to the M37- B1 PowerWagon I own, a ’63 model. Slope and shape of hood, windshield and cab look, and axles hewn from chunks of forged steel that could take a land mine and keep churning.
I would love to know more of the GM frame and foundation it was sourced from.
It looks like it was a tough old gurl; too bad this one had such a rough go of it
I’m rather surprised GM didn’t call all these in and scrap them, like car makers typically do with prototypes.