In 1931 Walter C. Marmon and Colonel Arthur W. Herrington took over the Indianapolis Duesenberg plant and started using it to build 4X4 and 6X6 vehicles for the Army. In 1937 the duo created a prototype vehicle to use as an example to show the US Army what they were capable of producing. The example at hand is a re-creation created by Don Chew. The truck is listed for sale on Facebook in College Station, Texas for $45,000.
The exterior is finished in a traditional army green with a canvas truck bed cover. The truck wears Goodyear Military tires that are said to be in good condition and are assumed to have been installed when the truck was finished in 2012. The seller notes that the car has only been driven 174 miles since its completion which explains its excellent condition.
The interior is more luxurious than most bare metal finished military vehicles but still is designed in a utilitarian fashion. The single bench seat is finished in what can be assumed to be brown vinyl. The dash appears to be original. The cabin appears to be free of any major blemishes or splits.
A flat-head V8 sends 85 horsepower to the wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission. Its chassis weighs 2 tons and it is equipped with a 4 4 M-H suspension. The truck is 1 of 1 and is lovingly named Doreen’s Husky Pup by builder and collector Don Chew. This is certainly an oddball, but for the right collector or enthusiast, it’s an excellent opportunity to own a very well-done re-creation of the 1937 Ford Marmon-Herrington Prototype. It’s both functional and according to the seller, created by one of the most knowledgeable Marmon-Herrington enthusiasts. If this military vehicle is something you’d like to own and enjoy contact the seller on Facebook. The seller notes the price is firm so I wouldn’t recommend offering less than $45,000.
Very nice, however more info is needed. I remember this Don Chew fellow from years ago with ATHS. He was an “alta kocker” then. As shown, he does outstanding work. When talking MH, most people think of the Ford 4×4 conversions in the late 50s, but MH was indeed a major truck builder. As mentioned, not for the lighter duty ones, Dodge had that covered, but MH, Diamond T , Autocar, all excelled in the HD army market, mostly big machine movers. Marmon made luxury cars until the depression hit, joined forces with this Herrington bloke, and began making trucks until the early 60s, I read. The name was revived by a Texas company and produced class 8 road tractors. I had the privilege(?) to actually drive a ’85 Marmon conventional for a friend of mine, but not for long. It was supposed to be on par with Pete or KW, and was a nice truck, but more like a fancy IH to me. Got a lot of comments on the CB, “Hey Ralph, look, there goes one of them “MORMAN” trucks”. I believe 1997 was the last of the name.
A local thrift store has a VERY HD mid 40s MH 666 dump trucks.( see photo) that I believe was a military truck that Colorado used after the war. I never heard of such a thing, but MH offered a slew of trucks, each more heavy duty than the last. Great find, it will certainly get attention, but not sure who will actually buy this.
The late Don Chew had a huge presence in the ATHS, even a one-time board member at large I believe. He often had ads for various interesting things in the back of the Wheels of Time magazines. It seems he was from somewhere north of Denver (Sterling??)
I saw this actual truck at the annual ATHS convention when it was held in Springfield Missouri a few years ago. It’s first class all the way.
Unfortunately, way too much to see and learn about there. So, even more unfortunately, I never got to meet the famous Don Chew.
A bit of backstory here: in 1937, the U.S. Army put out bids to truck manufacturers for a Weapons Carrier vehicle, and Marmon-Herrington submitted a C5A model for testing (1.5 ton, 4×4). The Army said the truck outperformed all competitors, but if it broke down on the road, two men could not get it out of the way, and that supposedly was the reason the truck was not approved. The prototype truck was later sent to Belgium and was eventually captured by the Germans. Don Chew spent 10 years collecting all the parts needed to build an exact copy.
Belgium? Battle of the Bulge?
I’m sure I’ve seen this truck before and I often wonder if it’s for real or did someone cobble it together. I’m sure that it was the roughest ride imaginable. It would be a lot of fun to have although I wouldn’t be in too much of a hurry to get to where I was going with it. You would need a seat belt just to keep from denting the cab roof from the inside.
Marman-Harrington converted a lot of Fords into 4×4 from just before the war until several years after. I don’t know how many other makes they did because all my information says Ford.
When it was only the Marmon truck, I understand that they first bought cabs from International, then they came out with something else. The later version Class 8 trucks looked pretty good. Never had the occasion to work on one so I don’t much about them other than what I read or was told…
I owned a ’60 Ford F250 crewcab that was a Marmon-Harrington conversion.
@Howard – what is an “Alta kocker”? Never heard that one before.
I remember Don Chew’s name from some of Jim Allen’s excellent books on Ford 4x4s years ago.
:), my Jewish heritage coming through, I suppose. I try and sneak some old sayings in here and there. Alta Kocker is a Yiddish ( Jewish slang) term for an old person. Literally translated means, “old crapper”. One must be careful with old sayings, as now I am one too.
In case that comment didn’t take, as evidenced by the # of comments it didn’t, apparently the meaning tripped the filter I’d love to strangle, it means( let me try a workaround) old krapper.
Got it! A little googling helped too! Thanks Howard.
Marmon on the outside, Ford on the inside, this is a nice-looking rig. Being a one-off, this truck is for someone who wants it in particular, hence the stiff price. I’d take it if money wasn’t an object.
The price is a bit stiff for what is essentially a clone. In MHO
It’s a replica!
Marmon-Harrington have an interesting history, it’s a shame there are no books on it. I believe that there is an active club in USA!
They mainly converted Fords, and that seems to be where they are now, Found On Rubbish Dumps!
I have seen photos of their converted Ford wagons of 1940 and 1947. They added a front cross-member to take the strain. They also converted utes ans sedans (1940 ?), and F1, F2 and F3 light trucks, I believe.
It seems that the conversion cost almost as much as the vehicle.
They made armoured cars, gun carriers and similar military equipment. The Australian Army in WW2 used some of their utes. The Belgian Army, in the late 1930s was one of their earlier customers.
A concise history of Marmon trucks, worth the view.
https://www.greentractortalk.com/threads/marmon-truck-history.233381/
The Rolls-Royce of trucks. Interesting interview with owner.
https://www.truckinginfo.com/10211050/great-american-trucks-marmon-motor-company
This article is interesting:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/1940-marmom-hearrington-ford-4×4-woodie-wagon-the-jeep-grand-wagoneer-prequel/