This 1959 Ford F-100 Standard Panel appears to be what Ford referred to as Vermillion for its red color in this year. The white paint scheme on top is pretty unique; most of them would have been white above the body line, matching up with the bottom of the hood. The seller has this very cool truck posted here on craigslist in far northern Vermont, Colchester to be exact. They’re asking $24,900, here is the original listing, and thanks to Mitchell G. for the tip!
Texas is a lonnnnng way (if not longer) from northern Vermont, but the seller says this was a Texas truck, and that must explain why it looks much more solid than if it had been a Northeast truck for the last 6.5 decades. Words can’t express how much I love the look of this truck just as it is now, at least the exterior of it.
Ford made the third-generation F-Series from 1957 through 1960 here in the U.S., and they made two versions of the Panel, sometimes called Panel Truck or Panel Van. They referred to them as the Standard Panel and Custom Panel. This is a Standard, with painted bumpers and a more base-level trim. The Custom versions had chrome and “brightwork” in the front for the headlight bezels and grille, and other fancier features. I have enough scars on my shins; I don’t need my exhaust tips to be sticking out from the rear bumper that far. I’d change that, but that’s about it on the exterior.
The interior has more of a custom flair (also flare on the floor mats), but custom as in not factory, not Custom as in model. It looks good inside, other than that ear-hair-like wire snaking out from under the dash. Ford made just under 8,000 Standard Panels in 1959 (just under 1,000 Custom Panels were made), and this one has a three-speed manual with a column shifter. A Cruise-O-Matic automatic was also available – although only on the F-250 and F-350 versions.
The seller talks about the engine, but for the love of Mike/Pete, they don’t bother to pop the hood and show it to us! It should be a 292-cu.in. OHV V8 with 186 horsepower and 289 lb-ft of torque. They say this truck has power steering (!) and aftermarket air-conditioning (!!), so that’s good news. It has new tires and a new battery, and is said to run and drive great. I would probably keep this one as it is and just maintain it and drive it. What would you do with this Standard Panel?
1st of all, a panel truck of ANY kind, is almost impossible to find. Most, if not all, were relegated to the low of the low of a business. As a delivery vehicle for the product, they were strictly a business machine, not unlike a forklift. Whoever would wash a forklift? Typically driven by “the new guy” or bosses nephew that needed a job for the summer, that couldn’t have cared less about the operation, many took their turns trying to kill it, intentionally or not, and very few panels survived. The ones that did became tool sheds out back. How this particular truck escaped that would be interesting enough, and an integral part of the shipping process for a small company. $25g’s worthy? You decide, it is pretty cool.
I think you nailed it, Howard. These trucks weren’t exactly treated with kid gloves, as nobody has said in decades. $25-grand seems like a lot, but maybe it’s pawn stars pricing where they’re expecting offers of half that?
Quick panel truck story. My union bread job, Best Foods, now Bimbo,( snicker , pronounced “Beeembo”, apparently) originally was called Brownberry Foods out of Oconomowoc, Wis( where else with a name like that) back then only had 1 type of bread, whole wheat and they had a ceremony for the truck drivers every year. They had “Old Gus” come in to say a few words once. Old Gus was Brownberrys 1st driver in the late 50s. They had a Chevy panel truck, Gus would come in at 3am, load the panel truck with bread, and pedal it off all day. He couldn’t believe in his wildest dreams, he would ever see 53 foot trailers hauling it. Panel trucks did similar jobs all across the country.
Howard, I just mentioned sleeping in the back of my 53 Ford F-100 panel delivery truck, replying to the Packard woody and trailer. I had that truck for 30 years until I sold it on Craigslist in 2019 for $6,500, running fairly well with the flathead V-8. No A/C or power steering required and just drum brakes. I spent $9,500 for a 66 F-100 pickup at same time that was upgraded by previous owner from base 240 6 cylinder to Mustang HO 302 with AOD transmission and Trutrac rear. The reason that I reply to you is that I once got parts from a rusty panel truck in the local junk yard for MANY years. The stainless-steel rear door handle was fine. That truck was LOADED with cast iron pipe fittings from its previous life. Plumbers, bakers, florists and all kinds of trades used these, like you stated.
This is cool. Fun to see one which has survived and is in at least fair condition. Howard is right, these were just tools of the day. Might be like in 60 years seeing a 2025 F-150 XL no option standard cab pickup, white (of course) with gray vinyl interior (of course), in nice shape.
Great story Howard but now I’m thinkin’ of my ex….
I think it’s sharp. Not fussy on the interior redo, but it would seem to be fairly straightforward to turn it back. at almost $25k, it’s kinda pricey, but may be worth a view.
A rarity in great shape to make a cars and coffee or local show conversation piece.. A little pricey, but again a low production number.. Ans you always ask high so you can dicker down to make the buyer think he got a great deal..
The local grocery store had one similar to this one (maybe a ’57 because it had single lights). It ran and ran until around ’64 when it was sold and was replaced with a Bedford (Seriously?). Where the devil he got that would forever be a mystery. The store owner was a Vet from WW2 and his wife was an English war bride. Maybe she had some connections. Well, the Ford seemed to run forever and everyone was surprised to see it replaced, with only 40K miles, but he did what he did. That little Austin wannabe always had troubles, mostly electrics (Remember Lucas, Prince of Darkness? 3-way switch: Smoke, Smolder, Ignite). Well, it would deliver a load or two of groceries then the local garage would get a call (remember, it was the 60s) from a customer’s home phone, that it had quit again.
The one grizzled mechanic at the shop “Americanized” the wiring which eliminated the breakdowns, and the Bedford continued on with its other task (leaking copious amounts of oil) until the store finally sent it to the grocery store in the sky and replaced it with a new Chevy van.
That Ford panel went to a guy in the oil patch, somewhere around Oilmont, MT and it disappeared shortly after that. As they say, good things never last…
Needs some faded writing on the sides, cool truck!
John, Our chapter president bought a c.1980 Pete day cab with a Detroit in it and did NOT paint it. His local sign man lettered his name on it like it had been done when the truck was new and had “weathered” since.
Looking for any evidence of an aftermarket air conditioner in that interior shot. Only see the stock heater box under the dash…
And with no views of the engine compartment to verify the existence of an a/c compressor and a power steering pump, the power steering claim might also be challenged.