Special edition pickups. If I won the lottery, which is hard to do when you never buy a ticket, I’d load the world’s biggest warehouse full of every single special edition pickup ever made, all restored to like-new condition. This 1975 GMC Sierra Classic is a Gentleman Jim edition and it really needs a set of B.F. Goodrich white letter tires, but it looks fantastic for an original truck.
There are only two real flaws in this original truck and it’s nice to see them, if that makes any sense. Often we see bad repairs or paint that doesn’t match or something like that, and it’s refreshing to see an original truck even with a wrinkle in the right front fender and some missing paint and surface rust on the hood. The Gentleman Jim edition was only made for the 1975 model year with reportedly fewer than 1,000 made. Hagerty is at $19,300 for a #3 good-condition example as a general reference.
This is from the era of leisure suits, white shoes, and white belts, but I don’t know if the typical GMC Gentleman Jim buyer would have dressed like that. The seller says they’ve owned this rare beauty for two decades, having purchased it from the original owners. It’s been garaged its whole life – when not in use, of course – and it appears to be in really nice condition, other than the aforementioned fender wrinkle, hood paint, and some surface rust underneath and in the engine compartment. Here’s what the bed looks like.
The interior is luxurious for a pickup from the 1970s, and it’s nice seeing the Gentleman Jim floor mats. The seats appear in perfect condition as does everything else inside. The seller has provided many good photos, nice job! Our own Gentleman Russ showed us a nice example a couple of years ago here, and we’ve seen a handful over the years. They don’t come up for sale too often.
The engine is GM’s 350-cu.in. OHV V8, which would have had 145 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque. It sends power through an automatic transmission to the rear wheels and you can see the surface rust the seller mentions in the description. This pickup is listed here on eBay in West Unity, Ohio, there is a $30,000 buy-it-now price, and the current bid is $10,600. Have any of you heard of this model?
Nice try, SG, but I am so over “it”, but like truckin, I still look at every semi that goes by, same with square bodies, I suppose. While I despise catchy political sayings, the “lipstick on a pig” thing would be the best for this, and the unmentioned “Beau James”. Both poor attempts at making the utilitarian pickup more glamorous,,,for the time, but as poorly received as it was, some say less than 5,000 of both were sold, it did signal a new era in pickup trucks. One that held true even today. I read these were the 1st pickups to have bucket seats and a console. I can’t find the cost over a basic pickup, but had to be a couple grand, and people were slow to accept that, but rest assured, they eventually did. Naturally, buying a square body for $1400 bucks, I can’t overstate enough how inflated the market has become. Today, while the epitome of pickups in 1975, it’s still an old pickup to many, Gentleman Jim, or not. With only “6” watching, not exactly a 1st gen Bronco,,,
Some of the special editions have great monikers lol
At that, there were these one-off specials and the recurring spring special nameplates used for years but never part of the regular line. I believe GMC’s was Royal Sierra, identical to the Chevy Bonanza. Ford’s first use of the Explorer name was on their spring special trucks and Dodge’s was Prospector.
For whatever reason, they never did recurring branding for spring specials on the car side, they either had one-time special decor or none at all, just being advertised as “special value”.
Bucket seats with console were available in a GM half ton before 1975. My dad special ordered a 1974 GMC Sierra Classic with a 454, bucket seats and console. The selling dealer added headers and cruise control. The exterior paint was two-tone cream and white with white ralley wheels. It was a beautiful screamer. One of my memories of that truck was his smoking a Dodge Little Red Express from a stoplight. It’s 360 was no match for the GMC 454.
Ford’s new for ‘67 Ranger full size pickup was available with bucket seats.
The CST’s had buckets and console since the late-70’s.
Steve R
Interesting. I don’t remember that name but 70’s trucks of ANY kind rusted away here in the Northeast, . They were trashed in 6-7 years and valve seal were leaking by 100k. My 89 Chevy truck needed a few umbrella seals before the 36k warranty was up. It needed a lot of everything by the time it had 75k and hydro locked at 150k after I sold it at 148k. Never bought a GM truck after that. Went with Ford and the 5.4 spark plug launcher. Better truck but still had electrical issues.
“5.4 spark plug launcher”…. testify my brother!
Still a beast, even on 8…
This is the 3rd time the seller has run this truck through an eBay auction, the highest prior bid was just over $15k. He also has a 1978 Dodge Aspen, which was featured on this site September 16th, listed for auction for its 3rd time. With that track record you’d think he’d reconsider his pricing strategy. Neither of these cars are desirable enough to reach their reserves.
Steve R
No sale with a high bid of $17,300, did not meet reserve.
Steve R
Thanks, Steve!
We sold a couple of these back in the day. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them still resides in the original owner’s garage. Personally, I was never much of a fan; I always thought they were somewhat overdone–a little gaudy. I might add that I was never partial to the black and gold paint job. I’d much rather have seen just black…
30k GET REAL!
Yeah, but… did you see the babe in the original magazine advertising art?
That’s worth $25K right there!
;)
My boss at my first gas station job had one, brings back memories !
Why did the lettering on all the GMC/Chevy “special edition” pickups of that time period look like stick-on mailbox letters from Tru-Value Hardware?
Be a good stable mate for an IH “Johnny Reb” and a Dodge “Dude” pickup.
Yes, those two would be worthy companions for Gentleman Jim. Of course you might get some negative comments about the Johnny Reb. I know if I drove one of those to a family reunion there would be more than a couple of heads exploding…
It would fit right in up here in Northern NY. This area is a snowy Alabama without the accent.
Myself, Brian and David were such car guys in 3rd grade that our teacher, Mrs. Miller arranged a trip to the Baltimore GM assembly plant for a tour. I vividly remember seeing 4 door Caprices being painted by hand and one of these coming off the line and going on test rollers. As a souvenir we all got a build sheet. The cherry on top??? Was when our GM transit bus turned into the GM parking lot when we got there, hit a car going by and tore off some side trim. I remember like it was yesterday !
I worked with a kid who had one of these as a first car – thoroughly rusted out when he got it but cheap transportation in circa 1985.
Hmm, the original brightwork had black, not gold striping. Not sure about that. Who cares?
The easiest vehicle to get inexpensive parts for and work on, ever.
Still not a collectible. In my never humble opinion.
After all of these years I’m not entirely sure which model years used the moldings with the ochre inserts instead of black, but ’75 seems about right. The first couple of years (1973-74) and last couple of years (1979-80) that these moldings were available definitely had black inserts, but I’m foggy on which of those middle years were the “ochre years”.
I can’t imagine someone having gone to the trouble to hunt down an entire set at some point to swap out on this truck, but anything is possible.
30 k,I’d get a new Ford Maverick.
I remember the “Gentleman Jim” trim level pickups.
Not specific to them, but generally speaking, I consider special edition vehicles to be the equivalent of “collector edition” guns, like the various “John Wayne” model Winchester 94’s
Worth approximately 25 cents more than an unmarked model, but only if it has never been fired.
I prefer my guns to have powder burned through them, and my vehicles to be driven.