This is a special edition 1975 GMC truck that I had never heard of before doing some research. The Gentleman Jim GMC truck option package (there was a similar one for Chevrolets called the “Beau James”) was an early effort to move trucks upmarket, presumably to increase both market share and margins. This one is located in located in Ontario, California and is listed for sale here on Hemmings for $5,999. Thanks to Charles H. for this great find — keep sending in those nice ones!
You can see the “Gentleman Jim” decals on the sides of the bed in this picture. I’m hoping this truck is as original as it appears, because it seems to be in really nice shape in the pictures as well as being incredibly original. All Gentleman Jim’s were this two-tone gold and black color scheme, and were very heavily optioned compared to a typical pickup of the time.
Interior-wise, it looks very original, although both carpet and seats have faded somewhat. Unfortunately, it’s missing the signature Gentleman Jim floor mats (for real!), but most of the interior appears intact and original.
The paint still looks pretty shiny here, and the rust can’t be too bad, although there are no detail shots of the sills and fender lips where I would expect to see evidence if there is any.
The engine compartment looks very original, and the seller says it only has 85,000 miles, so there should be plenty of life left in it (assuming the mileage is genuine). There does look to be some add-on wiring up by the radiator shroud, maybe it has something to do with the unusual horn I see fitted to the right of this picture?
Here’s the factory brochure, courtesy of this site that names it as one of the top 10 factory special edition pickups of all time. I love the tuxedo on the guy and the evening gown on the lady–certainly not typical pickup attire in 1975! I’ll be honest, I prefer my black and gold on Capri II’s or John Player Specials, but this truck has really caught my eye. Let me know if it caught yours, too!
I barely remember these. Dodge had an upscale trim package also called the Dude. Remember this was when trucks were utility vehicles so mfrs were trying to appeal to suburbanites as a second car.
That Gentleman Jim fits me perfectly, I’ll take it, if they drive it to Kansas City, Missouri for me and I’ll even treat them to some all you can eat mouth watering BBQ baby back ribs before they head home.
Nice truck, although I’ve never seen this trim package. Being in western Canada (AB) there were thousands of theses around, you still see the odd one today, they were a great truck solid reliable and easy to work on. There only draw back was their marginal gas mileage. The ones I see now are total rust buckets but still going, often with 3 to 4 hundred thousand kilometres on them.
I remember these but it’s been years since I’ve seen one… However to have tilt wheel, tachometer, and buckets in a pick up in 1975? That was a big deal. I remember being excited about my 1982 pick up having electric windows!!!
The Beau James version was a GMC but it was a shortbed fleet side and it was a blue and silver with the Beau James decals on the bed. The Gentleman Jim basically had the olds 98 interior and was the long bed fleet side version.
here is a beau James that is long bed
Yes the Beau James was GMC but they were all long beds also!!! I have one!!!
Hey, Jimmy. You’re right about the Beau James being GMC Sierra Classic, but the bed info is wrong. Maybe the one you’re familiar with had a bed switched by the owner? My Dad had a new one bought in ’75. They came with a straight-side long (8′) bed. I loved that truck; maybe more because it belonged to my dad.
I believe the beau James package was also a long bed except it was blue and silver
I have an Uncle that bought one of these new, he used to pull a big camper trailer with it. I remember him saying it got 7 MPG while towing the trailer, and 7 MPG while not towing the trailer! The bucket seat and tachometer and A/C combo was around before then in a regular edition Chevy/GMC trucks, my friend has a ’69 Chevy CST/10 with factory buckets and tach….he bought it new.
They made quite a few special trucks back then. Around that time chevy offered a sport coupe package that was full of options,but the bigge part of the packagr was it came with a 454. Gmc,s version was call a street coupe. I think they offered that starting in 75. I have a 73 stepside that was was built by gmc with everything that a later street coupe package would come with. 454/t400 dana rear with 4:11 posi,factory tach,tilt steeringbench /bucket seat overhead console and its a 1/2 ton but got 1 ton springs. Very unsual truck and stock. I was told It was built as a showroom truck to try to promote options that made your truck a muscale truck
Years ahead of the Ford Lightnings and GMC Syclones, cool!
For $6K for a low rust older truck with factory A/C, not bad..
I have a 1975 GMC Gentleman Jim. It has the 454 and a 400 trans. I believe the motor is original. The block is stamped T09 (Sept.) I can’t get to the tranny numbers or the 12 bolt ratio codes. Here is the problem, the VIN (TCY145S******) tells me the truck should have come with a 350 motor. To complicate more the grill has 454 on it. If someone swapped the engines they wouldn’t have swapped grilles.I don’t know what I have!!!!!
I have a 1975 GMC gentleman Jim and I’ve done years of research on them. They only came out with a 350 4 bolt main motor and turbo 350 transmission.
Great find! Never heard of it (them) before. Just seeing a ’75 that clean is great let alone the special edition!
Love these, my dad had one back in the late 70’s early 80’s. He used to let me borrow it until I had a run in with a ditch one snowy day in PA… Needless to say we repaired it and put it back on the road.. Would love to get this one and priced reasonably…
It reminds me of Rocky’s truck from the Rockford files
wow ..that brings back memories..i had one i got brand new, when i got out of the service.. mine even had the “mobile phone” that looked just like a house phone.. and a CB to keep in touch with the shop when on emergency road repairs.. it was a great truck for the work i was doing at the time..worked hard and looked real good doing it
Nice truck. This package was available till ’79 or ’80. We sold a couple during that time. They weren’t much different than a regular pickup. And I have to say that I was never all that fussy about the black and gold paint scheme. This looks like a good buy. I hope it’s enjoyed.
My Grandfather had a Beau James it was Blue and silver with wire spoke hub caps, I remember it being a really nice truck, I got to drive it around the farm and home from the fields, pretty good considering I was just 12 to 14 years old at the time, but on a farm everybody learns to drive at a young age. He had it for the normal 3 years and traded it off on a new one. He did that because the government would give he a tax break for replacing farm equipment like trucks and tractors every so many years, it always had farm plates on it, which meant you could only drive it with in 150 miles of your farm, unless hauling grain or something to do with farming, so if the Grandparents ever came up to visit and they were bringing something up, Grandpa would always throw a couple of seed bags in the back, that way if he got pulled over they would see them and let it go.
These were great trucks and I see them on the road here in Alabama. Chevy made one call the Heavy Half.
These were pretty sweet trucks. I wouldn’t mine having one. I always had a softer spot for the Dodge Adult Toys like the Macho Power Wagon, Top Hand, Warlock, Little Red and Midnight Express trucks. Jeep Honcho. The 1973-76 F250 4×4 “High Boys”. All those were new well before I was born. The special trucks from my childhood I remember loving were the Shelby, Convertible and V8 1st gen and 5.2, 4.7(my Dad had a new 2000 Dakota quad cab slt 4.7L, multi-speed(split 2nd gears) auto, 2wd, 3.90 lsd, handling package with the stiffer suspension and wide wheels with fat tires, only the Lightning and 5.9 r/t were quicker stock trucks that year) and 5.9 R/T 2nd gen Dakotas, GMC Syclone/Typhoon, ST, GT S15s. Chevy S10 Baja, SS, Extreme, ZR2. F150 Lightning(1st and 2nd gen) Nite package, Boss 5.4. Chevy C/K 1500 45in4 SS and Sport, Silverado SS, 1500hd 6.0 Quad Steer, Vortec Max and GMC C3, Denali, VHO LQ9 Texas Editio, GMC and Chevy Z71 L33 ho 5.3s…there have been a lot of nice trucks over the years, I am sure I have left out a few other special editions, noteworthy option packages and interesting option groups.
I had one of these in the early 80s. It was a great truck but the 350 was a dog. (First year of the catalytic converters. It had a matching shell with ac and leather bench seats in the rear with a table in the middle
The gentle Jim was a 359 truck and the beau James was the 454 truck know where one of each are