Wondering what the classic Chevy Apache was, and how you could have missed it in Chevrolet’s line-up? You have to be a classic truck lover for it, and very well-versed with your ‘50s models. And it's not even as if the Chevrolet Apache was a new truck.
Before we get into the Apache, you have to know about the Chevrolet Task Force trucks, the pickups that replaced the Chevy Advance Design pickups that came out post-WWII, in 1947 as a fresh breath of air.
The Task Force debuted in 1955, and by 1960, they were in turn replaced by the Chevrolet C/K series. And from 1958 to 1959, the light-duty Task Force pickup was renamed the Chevy Apache and this name carried on till the 1961 models of the C/K pickups as well. The Apache is a classic pickup and holds its value pretty well in the classic truck bazaar.
If you too want your garage to hold a mint condition classic Chevy Apache, then this is what you need to know about this pickup and what is worth today. Oh, and be ready for the jaw drops and the double-takes. The Chevy Apache was and is very handsome indeed.
The History Of The Task Force
The Task Force pickups were introduced by Chevrolet in 1955 as the successor to its Advanced Design pickups. Remember, this was the time Chevy ruled the roost with pickups, the Ford F-Series had not turned into America’s darling, yet.
That said; Ford still managed to launch the over-head valve V8 ahead of Chevy. But Chevy’s small-block 4.3-liter V8 became way more popular, and it was also put into the Corvette and the Bel Air, along with the Task Force trucks.
The Task Force trucks debuted another first – a wraparound windshield that Chevrolet dubbed “sweep sigh windshield”, earlier seen on the 1954 Buick LeSabre Concept car showcased at the Motorama. The truck also bore hooded headlights put into visored fenders, concealed running board, and that trademark egg-crate grille. The one-piece emblem was mounted below the horizontal line of the fender.
The Task Force trucks got power steering and brakes, a 12-volt electrical system, tubeless tires as well as an overdrive for the half-ton variety. A four-speed automatic transmission was optional.
It's interesting to note that the Task Force trucks also introduced the dual-tone Cameo Carrier, a sporty looking pickup that later paved the way for the first model of the Chevy El Camino. It also came with rear fiberglass fenders, a luxurious interior, and a whole line-up of V8 engines as well as power assists.
Going down the years, the trucks were made more attractive, with a wider hood emblem and the egg-crate grills were also replaced, and technologically bettered as well.
The Year 1958 Brought In New Nomenclature
By 1958, the engine was now a 4.7-liter V8 and came with an optional Rochester mechanical fuel injection system, with the help of which it became the first production engine to make one horsepower per cubic inch. So this truck now made 283 horsepower, from its 283 ci engine.
More firsts came for this year. The truck now bore four headlights instead of the earlier two, and the grille was shorted but wider, running the entire width of the front fascia. Mid-year, Chevy also introduced the Fleetside pickup box, the first wide-bodied cab from Chevy.
Parking lights were on the grille itself, and this was the first year the truck came with factory-equipped air conditioning, but the biggest change came in the nomenclature itself.
From 1959 onwards, the light-duty Chevy Task Force trucks were called Apache. Similarly, the mid-duty became the Vikings and the heavy-duty was dubbed the Spartans. Clearly, Chevrolet was on some sort of war footing, pillaging the title of best-selling trucks from the competition.
In 1960, the Task Force was replaced by the C/K trucks, the first generations of which lasted till 1966. That said; till 1961, the nomenclature of the Apache, as well as the Viking and the Spartan carried on.
How Much Is A Mint-Condition Chevy Apache Worth?
The Chevy Task Force trucks have long been popular with classic truck collectors and hot rodders alike, and these trucks began to lay down the foundation of the blurred lines between trucks and cars, looking this good and being still as capable.
At the onset, know this, no Chevy Task Force comes cheap, and the Apache is valued even more considering by 1959, it had been replaced by the Chevrolet C/K series.
According to Concept Carz, the lowest sale auction gleaned from a sale of 115 Apaches has been $6,380 and we are guessing this truck may have needed dire and immediate resuscitation. The highest sale value was recorded for $140,000. In fact, average mint condition values do near the six-figure mark, at times easily crossing it.
So if you have an old Chevy Apache languishing in the barn, now is the time to fix it, and make a tidy little fortune. And in case you want to buy one of these, paying an arm and a leg remains an option, as does looting a bank.
This little truck remains a top of the line and much-vaunted classic, and has a ton of appeal, even though it’s a 70-year-old geriatric!
Sources: Hemmings, ConceptCarz