HomePick of the DayHonest patina 1950 GMC pickup

Honest patina 1950 GMC pickup

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There’s much to be said for originality, especially when a vehicle is allowed to mellow into its age like a piece of antique furniture. The Pick of the Day is a lovely example, a pickup truck owned by the same California family in the same location for 60 years.

The 1950 GMC FC102 half-ton was purchased from the Marin County family by its second owner “precisely because of the beautiful patina and character that can only be found on an unrestored, unmolested super-original timepiece,” according to the Sonoma, California, dealer advertising the truck on ClassicCars.com.

The pickup was put back on the road but its looks were left alone

While the new owner got the GMC running properly and tidied it up somewhat, he had the good sense to leave its honest appearance as is rather than try to improve on it. A well-earned patina should be cherished, especially when it looks this nice.

“The chrome grille and bumpers were refreshed along with the original inline 6-cylinder motor, nicely rebuilt and running smoothly as ever, now with just a couple of thousand miles since,” the dealer says in the ad. “All of the mechanical systems were serviced as needed and this truck drives with the strength and reliability one would expect it to have had when new.

“The body is in overall good condition, especially considering its 68 years in service. There is a very small typical rust spot at the lower rear corner of the cab on the driver’s side; otherwise, the body is rust-free. The bed still sports its original wood slats, so a new bed kit (about $350) would be a well-deserved upgrade.

The simple interior looks to be in good shape

“Otherwise, turn the key, start this old girl up and drive her across the country with total confidence!”

I love the mottled blue-green color of this pickup, which is wearing a set of whitewalls and its original black California license plate. It has red lettering on the doors for the boutique San Remo Hotel in San Francisco, although there is no info in the listing as to when that was added. Perhaps its latest job was in marketing rather than going to market.

The asking price for this well-aged beauty is $16,900.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen is a longtime automotive writer and editor, focusing on new vehicles, collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. He is the former automotive writer and editor for The Arizona Republic and SPEED.com, the website for the SPEED motorsports channel. He has written free-lance articles for a number of publications, including Autoweek, The New York Times and Barrett-Jackson auction catalogs. A collector car enthusiast with a wide range of knowledge about the old cars that we all love and desire, Bob enjoys tinkering with archaic machinery. His current obsession is a 1962 Porsche 356 Super coupe.

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