Ford F-100
It's from 1956, before you were born.
- Iconic generation
- 1956 Ford F-100 (2nd gen)
- Origin
- USA (Ford)
- Signature feature
- Optional 'Big Window' wraparound glass
- Engine
- 272 cu in Y-block V8
- Power
- 167 hp
- Torque
- 260 lb-ft
- Base engine
- 223 cu in inline-six
- Generation
- 2nd gen: 1953–1956
About
As of 2026, it's 70 years old.
The Ford F-100 is the truck that taught pickups how to be comfortable. When the second generation arrived for 1953, Ford reorganized its whole truck line and crowned the half-tonner the 'F-100' — and by 1956 it had become one of the most achingly handsome trucks Detroit ever stamped out.
The '56 is the crown jewel, famous for its optional 'Big Window' wraparound rear glass that flooded the cab with light and looked downright futuristic for a work truck. Paired with a one-piece curved windshield and bold two-tone paint, it turned heads at the lumberyard.
Power had finally gone modern, too: the new overhead-valve Y-block V8 swept away the old flathead, with the 272-cubic-inch version making 167 horsepower — genuinely brisk for a mid-'50s pickup. Work and pep, finally in one package.
Today the 1956 F-100 is the darling of the custom and restoration world, endlessly hot-rodded and restomodded into rolling art. It's the truck that proved a pickup could be beautiful — and the blueprint for the best-selling F-Series empire to come.
Ford F-100 through the years
F-100 christened
Ford reworks its trucks and names the half-tonner F-100, kicking off a legend.
Overhead-valve power
The modern Y-block V8 arrives, retiring the old flathead for good.
The Big-Window '56
The most iconic F-100 debuts with wraparound glass and a curved windshield.
Styleside era
A redesigned third-gen brings flush 'Styleside' beds and a boxier new look.
F-150 joins
Ford adds the F-150 above the F-100, beginning the model that would rule the segment.
