1947-1954 Advanced Design

CONSIDERED by many to be the most beautiful truck that GM ever produced, the Advanced Design series of trucks have certainly withstood the test of time as one of the most stunning designs to ever come out of Detroit. It quickly became the bestselling truck on the market and was continually refined and improved over the years. The biggest changes came in 1954, with the introduction of the one-piece windshield, horizontal bed rails to replace the previous angled rails and round taillights. An assortment of inline sixes was offered throughout the model run, beginning with the 216 cubic inch through 1953, and then moving through the 235 and 261 cubic-inchers toward the end of the model run. 1954 was the first year that a Turbo Hydramatic trans would be offered, and holdover 1955 “First Series” trucks were finally treated to an open driveline configuration before the redesigned Task Force pickups were introduced. These days, the AD truck can most often be seen as a street machine, but they are also popular as kustoms.