What an unusual body style! It was mostly bought by commercial companies to fill a void for those living in residential neighborhoods. General Motors realized an opportunity to design this unique body style truck.
They were popular in medium to large cities, and later became so unpopular to potential second car and pickup owners.
These were the years of the one car families and creation of larger factories where the man of the house drove local to work. It was very soon that groceries, etc. realized to stay competitive they needed to take their products to the neighborhoods. Wives were at home with children and shopping at distant stores during the work week with no transportation was not practical.
Thus, the introduction of the Canopy Express like our 1940 Feature Truck of the Month for January 2024. Open sides with canvas were perfect for displaying grocery products in full view with extras kept below.
Most of these trucks came with a 4 speed transmission to move very slow in first gear on side streets, while a bell rope was sometimes attached to be pulled by the driver. This alerted the customer that groceries were coming down the street.
Another Bonus: If you had a home phone you could order a special food item and pick it up within the same day in front of your house! The Canopy Express certainly had its place for the time.
After World War II in comparison to other European countries, the U.S. economy began to boom. Factories (converted back to making domestic products) could not fulfil the demand for household goods, as well as cars and pickups. For a while the demand for the Canopy Express was strong as husbands were home from the war and soon found employment adding more income to the family.
The demand for home deliveries began to fade with the growth of supermarkets that could supply much more variety than home-owned neighborhood grocers. With growth of the two car family and fast growing suburbs, Canopy Express sales quickly slowed. By early 1955, they were no longer produced by General Motors!
Later, a used Canopy Express had little value to the truck buying public.
Its one driver seat made it a “one person” vehicle. There was no hiding you had bought the most inexpensive used vehicle you could find!
Therefore, few have survived. They are now quite popular to those that collect the unusual and want a part of U.S. history!
“Barn Fresh 1942”
