1959 Chevrolet Apache fleetside pickup. April 2008

The view of the flush-sided cargo box as a fashion accessory, rather than a practical way to increase load space, can be partly attributed to Chevy's 'Cameo Carrier' pickup from 1955.

In addition to its flush-sided fibreglass cargo box, the Cameo Carrier featured "car-like" extras in the form of chrome bumpers, two-tone colour schemes, better quality interior trim and whitewall tyres, as well as a V8 engine option - a first for a pickup of its size. The premium price of the Cameo Carrier meant it never sold in big numbers, but Chevy's prediction that the Cameo might "set an entirely new style trend in the light-duty truck field" proved to be accurate, as Ford followed with their own'styleside' pickup in 1957, with Dodge joining the club two years later. Ford's lower-priced styleside was a big sales success, which convinced Chevrolet to offer a more affordable version of the Cameo's original flush-side body - dubbed the 'Fleetside' -across their light duty range from 1958 onwards.

Another debut for 1958 was the 'Apache' name for Chev's light duty trucks. Amid all the hype surrounding the 'batwing' passenger cars, and car-based 'El Camino' utility that debuted in 1959, standard pickups like our feature carwere overlooked, but the Apache still sold well, the Fleetside body style even more so thanks to Chev featuring it prominently across all its light truck advertising.

In addition to being one of the better looking trucks of its era, our feature vehicle boasts added practicality in the form of a longer cargo bed - 8 foot in this 123 inch wheelbase 'series 32' body style, as opposed to the Series 31's 6 1/2 foot bed on a 114 inch wheelbase.

Another plus with this particular vehicle is its factory-fitted 'Trademaster' 283ci V8, which, at 160hp, offered 25 more horses than the standard Thriftmaster inline six.

Transmission is a three speed floor-shift manual.

Despite appearances to the contrary, this one-owner vehicle hasn't been restored. Some years back, it was repainted in turquoise with white grille and front bumper, but aside from that is completely original. You'll notice the absence of the rear step/bumper, which although rare, was a delete option when new, one apparently chosen by this pickup's original owner.

Inside, the Apache is in equally good original condition. The dash and door trims are like new, although the bench seat has been recovered. The floor matting only requires a tidy-up for everyday use, although the purist may want to consider replacing it. Befitting its era and purpose as a working vehicle, the interior is fairly spartan, lacking a radio, although there is a heater/defroster.

Easy to drive, the Apache offers excellent front & side vision with its wraparound windscreen, although the small back window does limit rear vision. There's no power-assist, but steering is made a little easier by the big 18" diameter wheel.

With a lot of American cars reaching unattainable levels, light trucks like this still represent an affordable way to pick up (no pun intended!) an eye-catching American classic for not a lot of money - you could say it's a real pickup at a real good price!

Mike Ryan

WHAT, WHERE, WHEN & HOW MUCH
Model: Chevrolet Apache fleetside
Year: 1959
Dealer: Brock Classic Imports
1 Melba Avenue,
Lilydale, VIC, 3140
Ph:(03) 9735 5400
Price: $19,500
0-100 kph: About 20 seconds
Best point: Big on space and style
Worst point: Short on luxuries
Recommendation: A real practical piece of classic American iron

Trivia: Although they're one of the most universally known Native American tribes, the Apaches don't actually refer to themselves by that name. 'Apachu' actually means 'enemy' in the language of the Zuni Indians, who they were often in conflict with. In their own tongue, the Apache call themselves 'N'de', which simply means 'people'.