While on family vacation last week, I was trolling eBay during some quiet time. My truck loving self search up Mack with the hopes of finding a stupid deal on an old Model B or something. Instead I found one of the most rare and expensive vintage pickup trucks in the world, a 1937 Mack Jr. Like New Coke, the NetFlix DVD debacle, and Crystal Pepsi, it was one of those “good ideas at the time” that really wasn’t.
With big truck sales suffering in the early and middle 1930s, Mack came up with the idea of selling small trucks, which they would essentially tweak and rebrand from another company, to boost their bottom line. The company had a dominant stake in the American heavy truck market at the time, was a household name, and had a stellar reputation, so what was the fault in the plan? The fault was that the trucks were about three times more expensive that comparable Ford models. You’d spend about $500 bucks for a Ford and nearly $1300 for a Mack. Yes, the Mack was probably more truck, but no one in their rifght mind living in Depression Era America could look past that difference. Only a few hundred were made in 1937 and according to the ad, less than 10 exist.
This one has been restored and may as well be the unicorn of vintage pickup trucks. As I wrote this, no one had hit the $165,000 opening bid. Ironic that an overpriced truck in the Depression appears to be suffering the same fate in modern junky economic times .
“Expenside” seems to be appropriate, huh?
Ad says that bidding has ended and it sold for $165,000!
Mack Jr’s were built in co-op with IH and shared many parts and sheet medal saving cash in post depression era times.
My Dad told me when he was a kid he remembers goig to the Bronx Zoo and they had zebra painted Mack Jr’s that towed the food trailers around for the animals.
Missed out on that one. Now I’ll have to take my 165k and buy every other truck that comes up on the ebay featured list, and keep the rest of the money in my pocket to pay for gas for sixteen trucks.
I worked at Mack Trucks from 1955 to the mid 1980s. I remember in the late 50s of the plant’s maintenance garage had a Mack pickup they use to chase parts with. It probably was scrapped along the way.
I wasn’t careful.I learned something.