Steve McQueen's '58 GMC Truck for Sale

[Variance]

Steve McQueen's '58 GMC Truck for Sale

GMTruckGuy might want to get his checkbook ready (or depending on how Mrs. TruckGuy would feel, hide it ).

Autoblog

[GMTruckGuy74]

Wow, a 1958 GMC Suburban Carrier pickup. Very, very, very rare truck that one is. Not too many of these were made between 1955 and 1958, and 1958 is the rarest of them all (supposedly, there is at least one documented 1959 model). I wonder how much this will sell for, and who the lucky buyer will be.

And yes, Mrs. TruckGuy has done a very good job of hiding the checkbook ever since I bought the SKY back in April. But don't worry, one of these days I'll find the $$$ to get me a mid-'50s GMC pickup. Thanks for the post though!

P.S. - what's up with the teases lately? First TED with the '58 Canadian stepside, and now you with the '58 Suburban Carrier? Have I done something to piss off the C&G gods? I can't wait to see what Fly finds (again) to tease me with!

[GMTruckGuy74]

Wasn't the auction held over the weekend? Anyone know how much the '58 GMC sold for???

[Variance]

It sold for over $110k.

[mowdak1]

Ran across your thread here on a Google search... If you guys are truly looking for a 58 Suburban for a build, you might be interested in this one

58 GMC Suburban 4 x 4

This unit is all original, less than 10,000 actual miles, in running order!

Lannon Fire Department acquired it in 1966, it was a Civil Defense Vehicle prior to that. It is still in service at the present time, it is still responding to brush fires whenever they occur, but it will be retired shortly and is going on the auction block. Proceeds will go to the department's equipment replacement fund.

Contact info on the page there, should you have any questions on it guys!

Edited December 22, 2006 by mowdak1

[GMTruckGuy74]

Ran across your thread here on a Google search... If you guys are truly looking for a 58 Suburban for a build, you might be interested in this one

58 GMC Suburban 4 x 4

This unit is all original, less than 10,000 actual miles, in running order!

Lannon Fire Department acquired it in 1966, it was a Civil Defense Vehicle prior to that. It is still in service at the present time, it is still responding to brush fires whenever they occur, but it will be retired shortly and is going on the auction block. Proceeds will go to the department's equipment replacement fund.

Contact info on the page there, should you have any questions on it guys!

Welcome mowdak1 and welcome to C&G! While your info is a little wrong - that is definitely a 1959 model year and it's a PANEL truck, not a Suburban - it is quite the find and I wish I had the money to purchase it. I'd be more than willing to bring it back to its Civil Defense look if I had it. Thanks for posting the pic, info & link. When it sells, please let us know how much they got for it.

[Sixty8panther]

Damn that's cool.

[mowdak1]

Hey GMC Truck guy! Thanks for the welcome and clarification!

Not sure if I missed notification on your post or didn't receive it, but I wasn't ignoring you honestly!! I'll make a note of your request in the thread we have running on this over in our web design forum, and one of us will be sure to get back to you here with the requested info.

Edited December 26, 2006 by mowdak1

[LannonFD]

mowdak's inaccuracies would be my fault.

I am going by the information that was given to me. The majority of the people with intimate knowledge of the vehicle have all moved on from our tiny department to larger departments and retirement.

I am willing to answer any questions to the best of my abilities and resources that I have available.

Questions and inaccuracies

Model year I have been told 58 or 59 depending on the source. I have also been told they did not have model years back then, but instead they went by series numbers that possibly spanned years. The ID plate says it is a P101. The taillamps have a production year of 1957.

Vehicle Type Most of the vehicles followers know it as a Suburban. I have seen it referred to as a Panel Truck as previously corrected or as a CarryAll

Why are we selling it Room, money, and age. We have a small operating budget and this vehicle was limited in its applications. The replacement vehicle needs somewhere to be parked. It still runs fine, as I just took it for a drive a week ago. The mileage is currently 7218, and the tires might have 100 miles on them. The money raised from the sale will be going back into the fire department for newer equipment, and to help pay for replacement vehicles. I was originally alotted a month to get the word out on the internet, but it looks like that will be chopped a bit- the chief wants it out now- I jave been instructed to get a page prepped for eBay unless someone makes a decent offer first

Any more questions, comments, advice or info are all appreciated.

Mike Mueller, webmaster

Lannon Fire Department

[GMTruckGuy74]

mowdak's inaccuracies would be my fault.

I am going by the information that was given to me. The majority of the people with intimate knowledge of the vehicle have all moved on from our tiny department to larger departments and retirement.

I am willing to answer any questions to the best of my abilities and resources that I have available.

Questions and inaccuracies

Model year I have been told 58 or 59 depending on the source. I have also been told they did not have model years back then, but instead they went by series numbers that possibly spanned years. The ID plate says it is a P101. The taillamps have a production year of 1957.

Vehicle Type Most of the vehicles followers know it as a Suburban. I have seen it referred to as a Panel Truck as previously corrected or as a CarryAll

Why are we selling it Room, money, and age. We have a small operating budget and this vehicle was limited in its applications. The replacement vehicle needs somewhere to be parked. It still runs fine, as I just took it for a drive a week ago. The mileage is currently 7218, and the tires might have 100 miles on them. The money raised from the sale will be going back into the fire department for newer equipment, and to help pay for replacement vehicles. I was originally alotted a month to get the word out on the internet, but it looks like that will be chopped a bit- the chief wants it out now- I jave been instructed to get a page prepped for eBay unless someone makes a decent offer first

Any more questions, comments, advice or info are all appreciated.

Mike Mueller, webmaster

Lannon Fire Department

Mike,

Thanks for posting! Please don't take what I originally posted the wrong way - I just wanted to make sure that you guys were aware that it's not a Suburban. Suburban's have windows in the panel areas and typically had two- to three-rows of seats. Your truck is definitely a panel truck, which were more commonly used as delivery trucks and by many fire depts around the country. I'm a huge GMC fan, so I find all GMCs of this vintage fascinating.

The fact that it lacks "bumper bullets" indicates it is a 1959 model year. It could be a 1958 model that lost the bullets somewhere along the lines, but I find that highly unlikely given the impecable state it's in. Parts for this body style were made from 1955 up to 1959, so it's possible excess inventory was used throughout the model run (taillights from '57). While not an expert on GMC's, more like a big enthusiast, I've learned things over the last decade and it helps me to identify GMCs I find or run into. For example, I helped an owner of a GMC stepvan narrow down the year range, simply by looking at the trim parts used (while it had a '47-'53 style grille, it used the hood emblem from the '55-'59 model years and the steering wheel used starting in '57 - he had been told many years back that it was either a '54, '57, or '59, and I said more likely a '57).

the chief wants it out now- I jave been instructed to get a page prepped for eBay unless someone makes a decent offer first

Any idea what amount the chief has in mind? I bought a 2007 Saturn SKY in April, so I'm sure the wife would just love for me to park this in the driveway... but inquiring minds want to know! :AH-HA_wink: The big question would be how to get it back to New Jersey....

Another set of questions for you - is it four wheel drive (4wd)??? It looks like it is from the pictures, but I'm not 100% positive. Is it V8 powered, and what transmission is in it? TIA!

[LannonFD]

Mike,

Any idea what amount the chief has in mind? I bought a 2007 Saturn SKY in April, so I'm sure the wife would just love for me to park this in the driveway... but inquiring minds want to know! The big question would be how to get it back to New Jersey....

Another set of questions for you - is it four wheel drive (4wd)??? It looks like it is from the pictures, but I'm not 100% positive. Is it V8 powered, and what transmission is in it? TIA!

If only I knew what the accepted price would be- it would probably be in my driveway already. I honestly don't know, and have not been told. The village says to get the most they can for it, and there are quite a few people over the years who have expressed an interest in it.

How to get it back? I already know of one person who posted or emailed who wanted to know the mpg on it so he could drive it back home to Wyoming. I would probably say a healthy car trailer would be the best bet

More answers: Napco 4WD, 4-speed, I-6-> 160/190 HP variant.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Napco 4WD I'm sure you'd love to own it - heck, I'm sure you've driven it many, many times too. I'm envious of that fact! Placing this up for auction will definitely bring the town the most money for it, regardless of what the "new" owner has in store for it. Someone like me who has an appreication for the history and originallity of this GMC has two problems - no cash and no storage (well, I could move the wife's Envoy out of the garage!) . Getting it back to NJ wouldn't be a problem, as there are plenty of transportation companies out there to choose from (hey Sixty8, you and XP wanna take a ride for me?).

While not my favorite year (1955 or 1956), this '59 GMC is a gem and would be a great vehicle to own. I wish you all the luck with getting as much as you can - GMCs are now being recognized for their rarity and auction/selling prices are starting to prove that (which is sad for me as I don't have the money to get one while they're still affordable). Mike, I ask again that when you put the GMC for sale on an auction site, please post the link so I can follow it's progress. Thanks for the info that you've shared here so far!

[GMTruckGuy74]

Mike, any updates on the GMC? Has it been listed yet? Do you have a link tot eh auction site?

[ocnblu]

They may be rare, these 50's GMCs, but I'm willing to bet there is a much higher percentage of survivors than any Asian truck of the same vintage.

[Robert Hall]

They may be rare, these 50's GMCs, but I'm willing to bet there is a much higher percentage of survivors than any Asian truck of the same vintage.

Well, yes, but the # of Asian trucks sold in the US in the 50s was extremely small, so....

[ocnblu]

Yup moltie, that's why I mentioned "percentage", not just "units sold".

[balthazar]

That's moltar for you- always looking out for our less-fortunate neighbors .... :wink:

According to the Standard Catalog of American Light-Duty Trucks, GMC indeed did not observe yearly model changes, ie: they did not neccesarily make changes at the 'normal' new year intro time. GMC also has not supplied VIN number ranges, so that is out as an ID source. As far as I see, GMTG74 is right: the best indicator is the lack of bumper bullets pointing to '59.

In '59, there was a Series 101 'Panel', and a 'Panel DeLuxe', 1/2-ton with a 114" wheelbase. There was also a Series 253 1-ton with a 135" whlbse 10-ft Panel and Panel DeLuxe. I would suspect a NAPCO 4x4 would be on a 1-ton chassis, but in the pics it's without a doubt a 114"-er.

Actual series number for the 1/2-ton is P1001 (not P101). 1-ton series number is P2503.

[BigPontiac]

Here you go...a cool $50K and the '59 GMC is yours...

For Sale Ad

[BigPontiac]

The fire truck is now on eBay: GMC Link

Price is beyond my toy budget unfortunately...

[LannonFD]

Here you go...a cool $50K and the '59 GMC is yours...

For Sale Ad

That $50k ad was mine, and has been removed

It is not the reserve price