San Ramon Street Sighting - 1957 GMC 100 Pickup

GMC is often forgotten when people think of classic pickup trucks. Always overshadowed by its Chevrolet twin, especially the slick Cameo with its fiberglass fleetside bed, GMC was a curious formula. GMC trucks were at times a simple rebadge job with a different grille and tailgate, though sometimes they had engines from other GM divisions such as Pontiac. Chevy trucks were sold through Chevrolet dealerships only, but GMC could be marketed at Buick, Pontiac, Cadillac or Oldsmobile dealers that otherwise sold no pickups.

This is a 1957 GMC 100 pickup from the Blue Chip series, equivalent to Chevrolet's 1955-59 Task Force. These trucks never came in this rich metallic green from the factory, but the original pale Aspen Green is still visible on the inside of the cab. Most if not all original GMC colors of this era were institutional, solid gloss paints in hues to match corporate or government color schemes. This truck embraces private ownership, with shiny chrome and snazzy paint, but still shows its ability to work with a heavy-duty diamond plate rear bumper and wooden sideboards for taller loads. I can't tell if it's a straight-six or V8 truck since there is no "V" badge on the fender, but the custom dual exhaust exiting just ahead of the rear wheels suggests there may be some power hiding under the hood. It's too bad that the driver-side rocker has been damaged. The rest of it looks to be in fine condition. This truck looks like a great driver-condition classic hauler.