Chevy celebrates 100 years of trucks with historic photos, commercials

By: Benjamin Raven | braven@mlive.com

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Chevy/GM media

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When the model year on Chevrolet trucks turns to 2018, it will represent the company's 100th year of making trucks. The branch of General Motors will celebrate the accomplishment with a 100-day celebration of history lessons, a new "Chevy Truck Legends" program, collectible items and much more.

Chevy kicked off its centennial celebration at a special event Thursday, Sept. 28 at Texas Motor Speedway.

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1918 One-Ton - The first Chevy truck, inspired by factory workers who modified vehicles to run parts through the factory.

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Chevrolet first hit the truck market in 1918 with the half-ton Light Delivery and the One-Ton truck pictured above. The 1918 Chevy One-Ton truck had a four-cylinder engine that made 36 horsepower and hit top speeds of 25 mph.

"Both were offered with an open chassis behind the windshield that allowed customers to choose between purchasing or building a specialized body for their vocation," the automaker says.

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Medium-duty Silverados

Chevrolet confirms that its all-new Class 4 and 5 trucks launching in late 2018 will be branded Silverado.

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Included in the 100-day celebration kickoff, Chevy announced that all of its medium-duty class 4500 and 5500 trucks will be branded as Silverados. The trucks are due out in late 2018, according to a news release.

“We are earning new business because we have more solutions to help businesses grow,” John Schwegman, U.S. head of commercial products, said in the release.

“The Silverado 4500 and 5500 will stand out because we’ve designed the trucks around how customers work. They will be powerful, highly maneuverable and among the easiest trucks on the market to upfit with specialized bodies, such as dump bodies, rollbacks, freight boxes and more.”

Both the class four and five Silverados will come available in regular and crew cab, and in 4x2 and 4x4 capabilities. All will come with Duramax diesel engines and Allison transmissions.

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Vintage commercials and flashbacks to past designs:

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Special 2018 Silverado and Colorado centennial editions

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2018 Centennial Edition Silverado and Colorado - To commemorate 100 years of Chevy Trucks, both trucks offer Centennial Blue exterior paint color, exclusive front and rear heritage bowties and 100 year door badges, which were inspired by colors and design cues found on early Chevrolet Trucks. Centennial Editions also include a spray-in bedliner with heritage bowtie emblem and accessory floor liners with heritage bowtie emblems.

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Chevrolet will introduce two new models in 2018 with the Silverado and Colorado Centennial editions. Each of the trucks comes with a centennial blue paint job, throwback bowtie emblems and 100-year commemorative patches.

The Silverado edition will come with the LTZ Z71 crew cab, and the Colorado edition in the Z71 crew and extended cab models, according to the automaker.

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Silverado highlights:

Throwback bowtie emblems on the front and rear
100-year commemorative door badge
Special centennial blue paint job
22-inch painted wheels with chrome inserts
22-inch all-terrain tires

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Colorado highlights:

Front and rear throwback bowtie emblems
100-year commemorative door badge
Special centennial blue paint job
Chrome tow hooks, belt molding, mirror caps and door handles
Option 18-inch LT wheels with monochromatic caps

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“The Silverado and Colorado Centennial Editions are a result of collaboration between Chevrolet Design, Engineering and Marketing, to commemorate the history of Chevy Trucks,” Rich Scheer, Chevrolet Trucks director of exterior design, said in a news release.

“Both vehicles offer our most enthusiastic fans a way to demonstrate their love for Chevy Trucks and celebrate the Chevy Trucks Centennial with us.”

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Legends Program

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The Truck Legends program is "an exclusive community for those who have made Chevrolet Trucks some of the most iconic vehicles in America," a news release from the automaker reads.

The program originally launched in September 2016 and has more than 5,400 qualifying members. To qualify for the program. those interested need to have more than 100,000 miles on a purchased or leased new Chevy truck in their lifetime. Qualifying vehicles include:

Silverado or Silverado HD
Colorado and past S-10 pickups
Tahoe
Suburban
Avalanche

Members are invited to its centennial celebration in December at Texas Motor Speedway, receive exclusive memorabilia, dealer benefits and chances at front-row concert and sporting event seats.

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Chevy

All Chevy Truck Legends members receive exclusive Truck Legends memorabilia. This includes "Chevy Truck Legends" branded hats, decals and, if applicable, decals celebrating milestones in mileage and number of vehicles owned. In addition, participating dealers may offer exclusive benefits to Truck Legends members.

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A look back at some classic designs shared by Chevy:

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Chevy 1929 International Series LD

Chevy 1929 International Series LD

MSRP: $400

46 horsepower and 125-pounds of torque

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Benjamin Raven | braven@mlive.com

Chevy 1929 International Series LD

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Chevy 1938 Half Ton

Chevy 1938 Half Ton

MSRP: $592

78 horsepower and 170-pounds of torque

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Chevy 1947 3100 Series

Chevy 1947 3100 Series

MSRP: $1,087

78 horsepower and 170-pounds of torque

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Chevy 1955 3124 Series Cameo Carrier

Chevy 1955 3124 Series Cameo Carrier:

MSRP: $1,981

123 horsepower and 207-pounds of torque

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1967 Chevrolet C/K10 Series

The 1967 Chevy C/K10 was referred to as the "Action Line" and was the second-generation in the series, and came with a six-cylinder and big block V8 engine. It made 153 horsepower and started at $2,408.

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