1957 International Golden Jubilee

spotlight nifty ‘50s

Golden Jubilee

International used high style to celebrate its 50th in 1957

BY BILL ROTHERMEL • PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOMMY LEE BYRD

Igrew up in Small Town, USA — Millersburg, Pennsylvania, to be exact. My best friend’s mom called it Brigadoon. She said it hadn’t changed in 100 years. A lot about it was very Mayberry-esque, including the town square, which had statues and monuments, a bandstand, and lots of benches and trees, as I recall.

Located on the square was our International Harvester dealer, Weaver’s Garage. I remember its lot specifically. It was big enough to hold a handful of vehicles, with four or five in inventory at any one time, usually a couple of Scout II’s and an occasional Travelall. Oddly, I never remember seeing pickup trucks. There was a string of lightbulbs from one end to the other across the front of the lot — no fancy overhead lights like today. I suspect the business counted how many vehicles it sold annually, not monthly. Times have changed, for sure.

Like many other small towns, there were parades on Memorial Day and Halloween. And a really big one for the United States Bicentennial in 1976. Parades always brought out vintage cars from local dealers; typically convertibles, to be used in the festivities. That was great for a car nut like me. The IH dealer didn’t have a convertible to offer, but I remember it used to trot out a highwheeler and a pickup truck. I don’t remember much about the highwheeler, other than as a kid, it seemed really old to me. And the pickup was really cool, especially for an International. It was like none I had ever seen before or since. I forgot about the pickup truck.

Fast-forward to July 2014, when memories of that cool pickup truck came rushing back to me — in the form of the real thing! There it was, sitting on the show field at the Concours of America at St. Johns in Plymouth, Michigan. George Brown of Hillsboro, Tennessee, is the owner of that 1957 International Harvester Golden Jubilee A-100 pickup. The 53rd built, as a matter of fact. More about that later.

Once more, the truck faded from my memory. However, two and one-half months at home during the COVID-19 crisis can do strange things to a person. I organized and reorganized everything in my house, library included. There, I found the 1807-1957 Millersburg Sesquicentennial book (printed before I was born) to commemorate the 150th birthday of the town in which I grew up. The book was full of patron ads, including those from local car dealers: Chevy, Olds,

Buick, Dodge, Plymouth, De Soto, Ford, even Willys. There was also an ad from the local IH dealer, with a photo of the aforementioned highwheeler and that “cool” pickup I remembered as a kid. In black and white. Literally. The dots were connected, and visions of that pickup were once again in my head. Time to tell the story.

IH celebrated its 50th anniversary as a truck maker in 1957. To commemorate the special occasion, this unique pickup came to be. IH was a player— number three in truck sales behind Chevrolet and Ford — and a company with worldwide reach in the marketplace. In total, IH sold more than 2.6 million trucks in its first 50 years. Heretofore, the IH truck line followed the alphabet, most recently with R and S models. Rather than referring to the new series as “T, ” International went back to the letter A for its latest products, likely highlighting the “A, ” as in anniversary.

The new line of trucks didn’t escape one of the biggest styling crazes of the Fifties: the wraparound panoramic windshield. Chevrolet was first with the novelty on its trucks in 1955. Ford and Dodge followed one year later, leaving International and Studebaker to suffer with outdated designs. So, it was logical that the new truck included this feature. And, if you were late to the party, why not make yours the biggest? IH did.

What else was important in the Fifties? Chrome. Lots of it, including bright metal on the bumpers and grille, headlight bezels, windshield molding, and side trim. Bold two-tone paint combinations in atypical truck colors were offered, Coral Pink and Driftwood Gray among them. And, of course, there was the Chevrolet Cameo — a bold experiment with its slab-sided fiberglass fenders — making the truck more car-like in appearance and amenities.

The new IH A-Series adopted the same look for its custom-trim model. Styling maintained several links to the previous R- and S-models so there was no mistaking just whose truck this was. Referred to as “Action Styling, ” the new look was more straight-edged compared to the rounded lines of the S models.

Running boards were eliminated, allowing for a wider cab with true threeabreast seating, and IH proudly claimed

Below the hood of this Golden Jubilee is International’s 141-hp, 240-cu.in. Black Diamond six-cylinder. ABOVE: A firewallmounted master cylinder was among the improvements introduced on the new A-series cab. OPPOSITE: One-handle tailgate utilized a spring-loaded cable for support, versus chains found on other makes.

its models had “the widest inside dimensions of any comparable pickup. ” Larger side windows and full-width rear glass offered a near 360-degree view. The cab was mounted to the frame in such a way that it almost did away with the transmission tunnel, providing still more room for passengers. Clutch and brake pedals were suspended from above, eliminating the drafty holes in the floor while enabling the master cylinder to be moved to the cab cowl for better access. The interiors were upgraded with better upholstery, too, and a fresh-air ventilation system ducted outside air through the heater as well as to the driver’s feet.

The suspension was modified, and 12-volt electrics became standard. All three available six-cylinder engines — the Silver Diamond 112 hp, 220-cu.in. and the Black Diamond 141 hp, 240-cu.in. and 153 hp, 264-cu.in. — got redesigned cylinder heads, improving valve life and combustion efficiency. Of note: Both

Early Golden Jubilee trucks received bench seats with Chevy upholstery, and while the owner replicated that appearance during the restoration, a second seat (shown here) was adorned with model-specific material used on most of the anniversary trucks.

gasoline-powered and LPG-powered units were available across all lines. IH touted “the most powerful ‘six’ available in its field. ”

The A-100 Golden Jubilee model was announced in early spring of 1957. This new custom pickup included Anniversary Gold (407) and Whitecap White (902) two-tone paint with special side trim, a slab-side cargo bed with single-handle tailgate, dual horns, cowl-mounted mirrors (as compared to door-mounts), electric windshield wipers with washer, and splash guards under the engine. Chrome grille, hubcaps, and front and rear bumpers; tinted glass; crème-colored floor mats; and a special gold and ivory cab interior were also included. The cargo box was similar in concept to the Cameo’s — a stepside box with smooth fenders — and either offered the same cargo area. (Unlike the Cameo’s fiberglass fenders, IH used steel.) Each Golden Jubilee truck came with a gold medallion commemorating IH’s 50 years as a truck manufacturer. The special truck retailed for $2,212.00, a $307.00 premium over the conventional stepside model.

International’s inside bed width was 54½ inches, making it a true “wide box. ” The new wide box that was introduced on the A-100 Golden Jubilee benefited from the truck’s 114-inch wheelbase. IH also became the first manufacturer to offer a one-hand tailgate, which featured a spring-loaded cable for support when the panel was down.

George Brown found his truck in Minnesota in the early 1990s. Actually, he found three: The first Golden Jubilee was in rough shape, and he needed two more donor trucks to complete one vehicle. “These trucks were terribly rusty, so few survived, ” George says. The second truck, which supplied the cab, came from North Dakota, while the third, supplying many needed parts, came from Pennsylvania.

Most significant, George’s first truck was number 53 off the line. “It was made the first day of production, ” he explains. “It actually had Chevrolet seat material because IH’s supplier didn’t have the new material ready in time for production. ” Today, George has two seats for the truck: one upholstered as it came from the assembly line and the other nylon and vinyl two-tone that is specific to laterproduction Golden Jubilee pickups.

His truck is equipped with the 240-cu.in. Black Diamond engine option and standard three-speed manual transmission. In completing the details of the restoration, George says, “The bottle for the windshield washer was the hardest thing to find. ” And, to confirm the provenance of his vehicle, he made a trip to the University of Wisconsin in Madison. There, IH has some five-million pieces archived. “I spent four days there researching my truck, proving it’s the real deal. They have everything and it’s so interesting, ” George says. He now lays claim to the original build sheet.

He adds, “There is no record of just how many Golden Jubilee pickups were

I spent four days there researching my truck, proving it’ s the real deal. They have everything and it’ s so interesting…

built, ” but he estimates up to 3,000 — concurrent with the number of dealers IH had at the time. Every dealer was given the option to buy one, to be used as a rolling advertisement for the business and to announce to the world that International was also making fashionable pickup trucks like the Chevy Cameo, GMC Suburban, and the Dodge D100 Sweptside. George adds that many period advertisements for the truck featured women drivers, “To show how fashionable they were and how easy to drive. ” He estimates that only a handful of them have been restored, as so few survived due to rust.

George has displayed the truck at several events, including the aforementioned Concours of America in 2014, where it was shown with other “Jet Age” pickups. It never fails to attract attention, most often prompting the question, “What is that?” One of the most memorable things with George’s truck happened that day. He tells of a man who came running towards his pickup, avoiding all the other cars on the showfield. A stranger then said to George, “Did you see that? Some guy just blew past a million-dollar Duesenberg to take a picture of your truck!”

Hmm? I wonder if that was me….