The unmistakable “blue oval” Ford emblem has graced the nose of hundreds of thousands of Ford pickups over the years. Ford first introduced its scripted logo in 1903, and the design went through eight different subsequent changes. Ford trucks, however, didn’t feature the grille logo until model year 1980, many decades into the company’s existence.
The Pick of the Day is a low-mileage 1981 Ford F-150 pickup listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Closter, New Jersey. (Click the link to view the listing)
“New interior, new paint, wheels, tires, many other new parts,” the listing states. “Runs and drives great.”
Model year 1981 was the second year for the seventh generation for the F-Series. Aside from a more squared body, advancements were made to powertrains and equipment: A diesel engine was introduced for the first time, and the dashboard was revised to incorporate more complete instrumentation. This generation was also the first to wear the blue oval logo on its grille. In today’s case, it’s also spelled out across the hood in bold lettering. Ford made sure that there was no mistaking this truck for a competing brand!
The Powder Blue and White two-tone exterior has a stepside body configuration, and the rally-style wheels with polished trim rings and Goodyear tires provide nice curb appeal. Based on the photos in the listing, the interior of the cargo bed appears just as clean as the rest of the body, so this truck hasn’t been put through very much hauling duty post-restoration. The interior of the cab is trimmed in all-blue with a vinyl bench seat, and audio comes from a modern Sony AM/FM/CD head unit.
Under the hood, this half-ton, two-wheel drive has a 300cid inline-six mated to a three-speed manual transmission. The seller states, “Original miles on drivetrain 60,595. Motor all original, not touched during restoration, but has been serviced with all new belts, hoses, filters, etc.”
Worth noting: Some newer Ford trucks have reverted to not having a blue oval grille emblem. For example, the Raptor (first introduced in 2010) simply has “FORD” spelled out across its front end.
The seller is asking $17,995 or best offer for this clean, low-mileage F-Series.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
