Chevrolet has sold pickups through every era since the war, and each generation carried its own technical or stylistic claim. Early trucks stressed toughness, later ones added comfort and power, and the newest are electric. Here are twelve Chevy pickups that map that long road from the postwar years to today.
1. Chevrolet Advance Design: Postwar Sales Leader
Chevrolet’s first major postwar redesign went on sale June 28, 1947, and Chevrolet trucks ranked number one in U.S. sales from 1947 to 1955.
Advance Design set the pattern for postwar pickups and gave Chevrolet a long period at the top of the sales charts. Surviving trucks are popular with restorers who like the rounded, vintage look and the historical standing. Sales rankings from that decade show how thoroughly the brand dominated the working truck market.
2. Chevrolet Task Force: Wraparound Windshield, V8 Power
The 1955 Task Force trucks brought a wraparound windshield, hooded headlights and an optional 145-hp, 265-cubic-inch overhead-valve V-8, per Hagerty.
The Task Force made pickups feel more modern and more powerful than the rounded trucks before it. Hagerty’s valuation coverage shows the generation remains a strong draw for classic truck buyers who want style with usable performance. Its hooded lamps and bold glass made the series a clear break with the past.
3. Chevrolet Cameo Carrier: Fiberglass Luxury
The fiberglass-sided 1955 Cameo Carrier started at $1,835, about 30 percent above a standard pickup, and only 10,305 were built over four model years.
The Cameo was a styled truck aimed at buyers who wanted flair, not just utility. Its premium price and short production run make it one of the most collectible Chevrolet trucks of the decade. Collectors tend to prize the unusual panels, and fiberglass bodywork has its own care needs.
4. 1960 Chevrolet C/K: A Lower Center of Gravity
The first C/K trucks of 1960-66 rode a dedicated truck chassis whose drop-center frame allowed a lower cab and lower center of gravity.
The engineering change made the trucks easier to get into and gave a more car-like feel. It also set the foundation for a naming system that stayed in use for decades on Chevrolet’s full-size pickups. Surviving examples from this era are often sought after by those building lowered or modified trucks.
5. 1967 Chevrolet C/K: Big-Block and Cheyenne
The 1967-72 ‘Action Line’ trucks offered a big-block V8 for the first time in 1968 and introduced the Cheyenne name in 1971.
The Cheyenne badge became shorthand for a nicer Chevy truck, while the big engine appealed to buyers who wanted more muscle. This generation is a favorite with restorers and is easy to recognize at a glance. The two trims show how pickups were becoming personal vehicles as much as tools.
6. 1973 Chevrolet C/K ‘square body’: First Diesel Pickup
Nicknamed the ‘square-body,’ this generation became the first American full-size pickup sold with a diesel engine in 1978, a 5.7-liter Oldsmobile V8.
The diesel option was an early sign of how Detroit was reacting to fuel economy worries. The Oldsmobile engine had a mixed reputation, but the square-body shape itself remains a popular classic with truck fans. Today the shape is widely loved, and its diesel connection gives it an unusual footnote in truck history.
7. 1988 Chevrolet C/K (GMT400): OBS Fan Favorite
The 1988-98 GMT400 trucks, known to fans as ‘OBS’ for Old Body Style, gained a driver-side airbag in their 1995 mid-cycle update.
Safety equipment was beginning to show up in work trucks, and the airbag was a notable addition. Enthusiasts now cherish the OBS shape as a simple, durable design that remains widely seen and widely discussed. Fans keep the nickname alive in forums and classified listings, where the shorthand is understood immediately.
8. Chevrolet S-10: The Compact That Came First
Launched for the 1982 model year, the S-10 was the first domestically built compact pickup from a Big Three automaker and lasted until 2004.
The S-10 opened a segment for smaller, cheaper trucks built in America. Its two-decade run suggests how many buyers wanted something between a car and a full-size truck, and the nameplate still evokes that practical role. The truck helped define the compact pickup category for years afterward.
9. 1999 Chevrolet Silverado: Silverado Takes the Name
When Silverado became the full-size truck’s name for 1999, it was the first full-size pickup with standard four-wheel disc brakes, GM says.
A new name arrived alongside better braking hardware, a combination that set the tone for the model’s later growth. Silverado has since become the label buyers associate with Chevrolet’s full-size trucks, and GM’s own account emphasizes this firsts-oriented heritage. The numbered trims and later generations followed the same pattern of adding features each cycle.
10. 2007 Chevrolet Silverado: Hybrid Pickup Pioneer
The second-generation Silverado made Chevy the first truck maker to offer a hybrid full-size pickup, using GM’s Two-Mode Hybrid drivetrain.
The hybrid was an early attempt to bring electrification into the heavy-duty truck world. It was a technical statement rather than a mass-market sales hit, and it pointed to the electrified pickups that would follow years later. Other makers later returned to electrified powertrains, with more modern batteries and software than that early system offered.
11. 2019 Chevrolet Silverado: Power, Diesel and Hands-Free
The fourth-generation Silverado offered a 420-hp 6.2-liter V8 and a 3.0-liter Duramax diesel, plus Super Cruise hands-free driving while towing.
The range covered both performance and efficiency, and the driver-assist technology brought highway convenience to a truck. Buyers could pick the approach that suited their own needs. The same lineup shows how one nameplate can span rugged and high-tech roles at once, which helps explain its broad appeal across very different buyers.
12. Chevrolet Silverado EV: Electric Silverado
The ground-up electric Silverado EV RST carries a GM-estimated 440 miles of standard range and can tow up to 10,000 pounds.
The truck points to the future of Chevrolet’s lineup, with long range and meaningful towing capability. Real-world range varies with load and conditions, so the figures are estimates rather than guarantees for every driver. Shoppers should compare conditions for their own use when weighing the published claims, especially for towing and cold-weather driving.
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