1967 Ford F-100 Pickup

Ford F-100s don’t historically bring in the big dollars, but this custom option, Lot T295, sold for $88,000 in Kissimmee, FL, at Mecum’s January 2–12 auction. What makes this F-100 so special?

Part of it may be that it’s not a Chevy.

Blue Oval boom

The 1967–72 truck market is an interesting one. Those years saw the introduction of the fifth-generation F-100, an insanely popular Chevrolet C10 and, from 1968 to ’71, the Dodge D-Series. If you were a buyer in that time period, you had quite a choice in front of you, and if you go strictly by the numbers, many people chose the F-100.

Ford sold a lot of trucks over that five-year span, but for some reason they’re not seen as money-makers on the auction block the way the C10s or any other generation of F-100 is. Why would that be? Is there something wrong with these bulletside trucks, or is it just that people like GMs more? And if that is the case, then why did this particular truck bring in just under six figures? Let’s hash it out.

Popular, and yet not

The thing is, the F-100 was (and is, if you carry it over into the F-150 lineup) a popular truck. Ford sold a smidge over 230,000 of these in 1967, which was no small feat. In just the two-wheel-drive Styleside model — our fleetsides today — they sold almost 205,000 compared to Chevy’s 43,940. That’s five times as many trucks, and yet there just aren’t as many out there on the auction block today. Why?

The argument could be made a bunch of different ways. Maybe the trucks are still out there being used on various farms and such, and therefore aren’t candidates for restorations. It might be the higher resale value that’s never dipped low enough to make it attainable for restorers working on the cheap. Or it could be that the GM offerings get so much attention that nobody looks at F-100s anymore.

But one of the most powerful arguments is that it all comes down to the suspension.

Customizers keep old trucks alive. When nobody wanted 1973–87 Chevy trucks because they were considered to be “too ugly” back in the early 2000s, custom-truck guys bought them up cheap and made them cool again. And for a lot of builders, that meant lowering the trucks with coils and control arms, which was relatively cheap and easy to do. But Fords don’t have the same advantage.

Ford used a twin I-beam front suspension for decades, and it’s not only powerful but able to handle quite a load. But lowering them creates a crazy amount of negative camber, and often they just don’t get as close to the ground. Even a mild lowering job turns into a small nightmare, so much so that Mustang II and Crown Vic front clips are popular swaps. That’s not the kind of thing that everyone can do in their garage, and when the alternative is almost literally any Chevy, it’s hard to make the argument that a Ford is better.

But when it’s custom, it’s cool

Here we are, though, with an F-100 that stands out from the rest because it does have some modifications, yet nothing too extreme. The powertrain is modern and powerful, giving the buyer a sense that the truck is reliable. The independent rear end adds better handling to the truck, and RideTech air suspension sits it low, but not on the ground. It’s basically a slot car in truck form, and its straight black paint makes it look that much better.

Which brings up another point: While most people are out there looking at C10s and other GM options of the era, these F-100s are quietly becoming even more popular. It’s easier to lower these trucks today, and the aftermarket is bursting with parts to make them cool. And since the Coyote engine is Ford’s LS, there’s opportunity to create something that stands out from the crowd. That and, let’s face it, they look good with this kind of stance.

A case of GM overdose

Then there’s the other big elephant in the room. The 1967–72 C10s are crazy-popular and, as a result, super expensive. Just this January we saw trucks go over the block at Barrett-Jackson in the low six figures. It could be they’re reaching a saturation point; they’re so popular and expensive that builders and buyers are looking for relatively more affordable options. And lying in wait is the F-100, a truck of the same era that not only looks great but was more widely produced and therefore easier to find.

That’s all speculation, of course, and there’s no hard data to back that up. But looking at these trucks and what’s out there on the market, it’s easy to come to that conclusion.

Maybe trucks like these are considered to be a bargain for Blue Oval fans because of their relative affordability with similar options. After all, if given the choice between this truck at $88k and an identical C10 at $120k, which would be right for you?

(Introductory description courtesy of Mecum Auctions)