I know, that’s a 1966 grille on this 1965 Ford F-100 but other than that and an aftermarket rear bumper this truck is all-original, according to the seller. It’s listed on the Classic Car Auction Group site and it will be auctioned in Salt Lake City, Utah on March 3rd.
I have never seen this color before but man, I think that this is one gorgeous truck. The seller refers to it as a rare color, Sierra Brown, but I can’t come up with that color for 1965 Ford trucks. In any case, supposedly it’s original?
I really like this truck. They mention that other than the 1966 grille the rear bumper is also not from a 1965 Ford pickup, but anything like that can be changed if the next owner wanted to have it be more “original” (in quote marks because without the bumper that it came from the factory with it’ll never be original-original). This truck looks like it’s in almost mint condition, it had to have been stored in someone’s bedroom to be the world’s most amazing original 1965 Ford F-100. This truck is nicer than our new cars for cryin’ out loud, I hate that…
Onto and into the almost mint-condition interior. Was this truck kept in a humidified vault for the last 53 years? It had to have been restored, wouldn’t you think? In 1965, Ford introduced their famous Twin-I-Beam suspension for their 2-wheel drive pickups and it was quite an improvement over the old straight-axle trucks. You can see that it has a manual transmission – check, and even though there are no engine photos this one has a 208 hp 352 V8 – check. It may be original to the truck but it isn’t original as it has been fully rebuilt in the last 3,000 miles. Have any of you seen such a nice Ford F-100? Hagerty’s at $12,600 for a #2 excellent example. What’s this one going to sell for at auction?
Sweet lookin’ truck. The step bumper would have to go, and replaced w/ something more appropriate.
Might have come with no bumper at all right?
Why would someone put a different year grill on a nice clean looking truck. I can see the aftermarket rear bumper being used for lots of reasons, but a different year grill really bastardizes a nice presentation. Just my opinion.
I believe the ’66 bumper is the only one that is being repopped so maybe they needed a replacement and this was all they could find.
Or perhaps they liked the ’66 grille better? (many people do).
I agree with your sentiment to some degree as well.
The 1965 Grilles became obsolete not long after the 1966 Models hit the lots, from that point fwd, the 1966 grille was the offered service part to replace any damaged 1965 grille. So far, no one is reproducing the 1965 grille, so good used ones go for $$$$……..
The OEM “Countour” bumpers are being reproduced, and would have been a dealer installed option in most cases. And I agree, that much later model rear bumper looks out of place…..
I’m pretty sure this truck has been restored to a mostly original state…
It’ll be interesting to see what it sells for.
This truck is about as original as George Washington’s hatchet.
Why would a truck that is in immaculate original condition need an engine rebuild? No truck that had gone enough miles to wear out the engine would ever look like this.
Restored or not, this is one exceptional example. There was a Prairie Bronze Poly and a Navajo beige, which are close. I remember trucks this color. There’s a few in Colorado, but nothing like this. Now every truck like this I look at, will look like crap. Wow!
Nice truck. That grill could have been changed,66 is nicer looking and someone could have simply swapped it for the look. Heck remember how many years have pasted since it was new. Some people loved there rig so much that a swap for a cooler grill was a taste factor.
Its kind of like having a plain flat hooded 1st gen. Camaro and swapping the hood for a z-28 or ss hood since they where way more neater.
That is one pretty truck for sure. When I first saw the posting I was going to comment on the grill being wrong. My father had a 65 when I was in my teens, I destroyed the grill one day, after the lecture I got I remember well what it looked like, but then Scotty went and ruined my rant. Nice going Scotty! I always thought the 66 grill looked better, but you get more points for originality. I love it either way.
Looks like base, clear to me.
I had a 66, great truck.
Is that a speaker opening cut into the driver’s door?
CanuckCarGuy,
Yes, it is. Fortunately, it’s in the removable panel so you could find another panel, paint it to match and, replace it.
Nice looking truck but, I think it’s been spruced up at some point.
Yep, driver door tells it all. It’s original, panel down and rest of truck has been reshot. Nice honest wear around the driver window.
How can you call this “The World’s Nicest Original 1965 Ford F100”,
when it’s not? Original means just as it left the factory,at least to me.
Also,I’ve never seen one in this color,& without underhood,etc. pictures,
it’s hard to tell if that’s the original color,& the tailgate letters should be painted
White,or Black.
I think that this is just a nicely restored truck – NOT original.
That rear bumper is all wrong. If you want to go the vintage step bumper route, it is going to be some sort of stamped or welded up steel job painted silver, with a diamond plate flat step. Maybe even the selling dealer’s name and hometown inscribed into the steel. That chrome and plastic thing has to go.
A stock chrome non tow bumper would be the way to go.
When I cleaned up my property in south Nashville some years ago, there was a period-correct but twisted step bumper with the local dealer’s name inscribed on it buried halfway in a creek bed behind my house. If I’d known there was a market for it I would have extracted it. I’m sure they could be reproduced at home with a little ingenuity.
1965 grille’s are available repoped…..
Drove one from ND to Fairbanks AK. Left on 12/26/73 taking the Alcan. 240 6cyl, three on the tree, no power steering or brakes, no padded dash or door panels on mine. When I got to the border crossing into Alaska at Beaver Creek it was around -40 below. At that point the heater was pretty worthless (even with cardboard over much of the radiator). But other than that, it made the trip easily. Oh, for those who have never driven in extreme cold, at 40 below steering is hard and slow. As for braking, pray to God you see that moose waaaay ahead of time, because you are not stopping quickly.
It was my first F series truck, but not my last.
I’d love to have it. The color, although perhaps not original to 1965, is one of my all-time favorites on more recent-model cars. My granddad had a 65 Custom Cab. Red with red and white interior. Manual shift, on the floor. Man, I wish I had that truck today! He’s been gone since 1974.
Rear bumpers were normally options on trucks back then. My dad was a farmer. His first new truck was a 1966 Ford F100, bottle green. A radio was about its only option.
That truck looks to have been resprayed. You can see the wear on the ledge of the driver door where the paint looks worse than that on the exterior. Also, I question the grill change… why would that be changed if it hadn’t been damaged.
Now don’t get me wrong. It’s a very nice looking truck, but original? No.