An 84-year-old Kansas woman last month auctioned off her Ford truck for $16,000—that’s not unusual.
The original “barn find” workhorse of a truck was originally bought by Great Bend woman Genie’s dad back when horse and buggy were still the main mode of transportation.
“Dad was pretty proud of this pickup because he farmed with horses and trailers,” Genie told Chad Ehrlich of F&E Collector Auto Auctions.
For a farmer to go from horses to a new truck was a big deal in those days.
What’s so amazing about the antique pickup, though, is how well it’s preserved. And it amazingly still ran (until recently); albeit the motor (the only part that isn’t original) was remanufactured and replaced.
The survivor Ford still has its original paint job, with just a smidgen of rust. The same sideboards which once increased the bed’s capacity to haul more grain are still in place. And the V-8 still has its original title from July 1937.
“I was born in the end of July,” Genie added. “[Dad] got that before he got me.”
After two decades working the fields, it was parked in a garage in 1957—after Genie’s mom replaced the tires amidst the rationing during World War II.
“My mom even had a hard time getting a tire for it,” she added. “My mom didn’t lose her temper very much, but she sure did that time.”
And it’s scarcely seen the light of day since then, some 64 years ago.
“It’s a pretty amazing truck,” Chad said.
“These were utilitarian vehicles, they were bought for a purpose, that purpose was to work.
“This truck does show some battle scars of those days, but back then, it’s what you had to do.
“No, it’s not perfect, because it’s original, and you don’t find original very often.”
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