While a 1951 International Harvester seems to have inspired Disney’s Tow Mater, the fun-loving cartoon tow-truck in the popular Cars films, fans will surely see the family resemblance in this well-seasoned 1958 IH A110 offered here on eBay in Mesa, Arizona.
Wearing what looks like honest patina, this pickup is said to be a one-family work truck. It’s wearing A110 badges but listed as an A100, and this discrepancy is not explained. The seller states that the inline six cylinder engine runs great, and the brakes and tires are functional.
With an interior only a Mother could love, this International Harvester offers controls that may have been shared with a 1950s clothes washer. Similarly you can clean it easily using only a garden hose. The 90 MPH speedometer may have some cobwebs on the upper half of its needle sweep, but that could be fixed with an engine-swap… if you dare. Though an A100 short-bed might make a more likely base for an all-out custom, this unmolested utility conveyance could be fixed up and driven as-is, made into a Tow-Mater tribute, or treated to a clear-coat, a V8, and slammed suspension as a sweet hot rod. What would you do with this interesting alternative ’50s pickup?
Cool truck. Speedo pretty clearly goes to 100 though ;-)
While this truck is not the same as the ’51 L series Mater was patterned after, the ’58 A series was a one year only design. It was IH’s 50th Golden anniversary ( and said so on the horn button) This was the 1st year for the wide cab, like the other trucks for ’58 and you finally could fit 3 ( or more) across the seat. This probably has the Black Diamond 240 engine OHV inline 6, maybe 110 hp.You won’t see 3 numbers with this truck, 60-65 would be about it. A very rare model here. IH’s were rare to begin with. Great find. Great ad, you want a rare decent IH truck, better get in on this soon.
Thanks for those details, Howard! My grandfather had a run of IH trucks from the 60s to the 80s — a ’67 Travelall 4×4 we called “The Green Monster,” then two Scout IIs. I’ve never paid much attention to the pickups but I like learning about anything I haven’t noticed before.
Hi Todd, when it comes to trucks, there’s a handful of stalwarts here that will always chime in, me included.( keep ’em coming) As I said before, coming from IH country,,, Wisconsin, these pickups were sold right next to the 6 bottom plow the farmer was looking at. It was a natural for every farmer that had IH farm implements, to have an IH truck ( or 3). Trouble was, they never seemed to make the jump to the city, where it was Ford, Chevy, Dodge, in big numbers, and farmers usually just bought one for life. IH, without question, was the best truck made, in all forms.
While the A model was IH’s Golden Anniversary model line, the A-100 Golden Jubilee package was the penultimate limited edition. Too bad this isn’t one of them. Decked out with a custom fleet side bed and clad tailgate, gold and white paint and interior and ‘custom’ badges (which were also later used on Scouts and other trucks), these models were striking.
My grandfather had one and unfortunately it was long gone before my time. My father loved it and hated it. He hated it because it was so rare that theirs was the only one in several counties in northern Iowa and as a young man, could get away with nothing in that truck because everyone knew whose it was.
On the happier side, my parents first (blind) date was in that same truck. So, in a way, I owe my life to IH. :-P
I’m on the hunt to add a Jubilee to my collection, if anyone knows of one.
p.s. I always thought Mater looked more like a ’56 S model IH.
I have been watching one of those on eBay for a while now……
The Golden Jubilee trucks were popular enough to be seen, at least out west. A collector found one languishing beside a farmer’s outbuildings along with some other treasures. The farmer was reluctant to let it go but finally gave in. It’s interesting that they called them the Golden Jubilee but not all of them were gold; I remember a local farmer with a blue one. I think it’s still in the country.
Only the gold and white ones were the Golden Jubilee model. They also had a ‘special’ model that was the same ‘bonus load’ fleet side body, but could be had in other colors. Scott Satterlund of Binder Books had one. The ‘specials’ are even more rare than the Jubilees.
Hi Bee Moe. I stand corrected. I just assumed that since the two of them had the same taillight/pickup bed treatment that they were the same except for different colors. It’s got me curious now; I’m going to follow up on that ‘Special’ and see what comes up. Thanks for pointing that out….
When I was a kid these trucks were all over the place. I often wonder where they all went. My dad had a lot of Binders over the years, and he liked them all until this style came out. It wasn’t that this was bad looking; it was difficult to handle. Binder moved the engine forward and that made them front heavy. Dad had a ’59 B-100 which he sent down the road in favor of a ’61 Chevy, a good move in my opinion. But years later these trucks gained some popularity back.
truly not a Arizona truck with all that rust always were a good truck but used to many different parts I worked for a well drilling compy and we always had a hard time getting parts as they had a flet of them
Hello! I’m Paulo from brazil, and i’m looking for some internacional harvester’s chrome parts. Do you know about some store to indicate me? Or Dou you Know somone whom is working with this kind of market? Thanks a lot.