Canopy Express

We recently discovered this drawing by Bryant Stewart. He is the number one early GM truck artist in the country. He realized this truck is probably the only remaining example. Thus, a drawing was in order! The Canopy Express was used during the days of the one car family and the “lady of the house” was usually at home. This...

Steve Richards first got it delivered from California to New York!  It was very nice for an untouched work truck.  He says it was really expensive but often this is the least expensive way if you plan on a full restoration. As we watch for the more unusual, these before and after photos certainly caught our attention. Why General Motors...

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...

These commercial vehicles (the Panel Truck and Canopy Express) were designed by GM for local delivery purposes. They usually came with a seat for one delivery driver. A second passenger was not needed so the company that bought the new vehicle saved the cost of a passenger seat. Yes, the passenger seat on the panel truck was a factory option...

We hope this article provides you with interesting data on one of the rarest early Chevrolet ½ ton trucks. They are a part of our country’s history during the 1930’s through the mid 1950’s. These little ½ tons ( with only a seat for the driver), provided a convenient method of selling groceries and related items to residential neighborhoods that...

This large grommet is so hidden, most owners have no idea it exists. It is exclusive to the 1947-55 (Advance Design) Suburban, panel truck and Canopy Express. Because the body is so much wider than a step side pickup the full add pipe must be longer. The body also has an inner as well as outer panel. The inner panel...

For the First Time – Two in a Row! While the Feature Truck article for January 2016 was being developed, we noticed an additional very special vehicle in Greg Fanning’s collection. His photos showed another eye-catcher, one of the rarest of the 1947-55 Advanced Design truck series. This is the now almost extinct “Canopy Express”. We doubt if even 100...