Featured is the 1939 Chevy Master Deluxe 85 Coupe Pickup which is a very rare classic car. Here is a vehicle that served a true purpose from 1936 to early 1942.
The Coupe-Pickup Filled a Need
It was during the Great Depression that there was a need for a dual purpose vehicle. The result was Chevrolet’s Coupe-Pickup. The vehicle was also referred to as a Gentleman’s Pickup, Delivery-Pickup, Express Pickup.
The vehicle was a true hybrid style in the same category of the later El Camino and Ranchero with the only difference being you could close the truck bed and be looking at a Chevy Coupe.
For 1936 only, Chevy based the coupe-pickup on the Standard body which was considered small. It necessitated a wider rear deck opening. From 1937 and lasting until the model was discontinued in 1942, the coupe-pickup was produced on the wider Master body. The Chevy Master body let the trunk lid fit the pickup bed which matched the regular size of the Chevy pickup tailgate. One change for 1939 was that the Chevrolet script was added to the tailgate.
There is information out that claims that the Chevy Coupes were made into Coupe-Pickups at the factory and also at dealerships. Generally, the coupe pickup was a Chevy Business Coupe that had the addition of the pickup bed. The pickup box was removable and a deck lid could be fitted making a standard Business Coupe.
A Small Pickup
The pickup bed was smaller than a regular Chevy Half Ton. It extended out to the rear bumper. There was also a canvas cover that fit the bed in the case of rain or snow. While having a smaller bed it was the perfect vehicle to pick up or delivery groceries in. If you were on the road as a salesman, the bed was ideal to transport your samples. While a pickup truck could be used to transport groceries from town to farm, it didn’t have the comforts of a regular coupe. The coupe-pickup therefore was a good fit bwteen a regular automobile and a pickup. The vehicle was also used at farms when small ;loads needed transport. Also remember that the owner of this vehicle could replace the rear lid and use it as a personal non-delivery vehicle. What the coupe-pickup could not do was carry the loads that your regular pickup truck could.
Chevrolet, in their advertisements, promoted the vehicle as a “Standard passenger car that has been adapted for commercial use.”
1939 Chevy Master Deluxe Coupe-Pickup Specifications
Engine for the 1939 Chevrolet Coupe-Pickup was a 216 cubic inch straight six delivering 85 HP.
Gear box is a three speed manual. Four speeds were available for Pickup Trucks.
Brakes are four wheel hydraulic drum.
Both front and rear suspensions are leaf springs.
Wheelbase is 112.25 inches.
Curb Weight is 3,065 lbs.
Bed length from back of coupe to rear bumper is 60.0 inches. The bed and tailgate were flush with the rear bumper.
Bed width is 38.875 inches.
To give you a comparison, the bed length of a 1939 Chevrolet Light Pickup is 77 inches and on a Chevy 3/4 Ton Pickup is 87 inches.
As mentioned above, the 1939 model was mounted on a Chevy Master 85 chassis.
Accurate production records for this vehicle are hard to find. We estimate that under 1,000 units were produced for the 1939 model year.
New vehicle price in 1939 was just under $600.
See additional Auto Museum Online articles found on the links below…
1947 Hudson Three Quarter-Ton Pickup
Reference material for this article includes..Encyclopedia of Chevrolet Trucks by Don Bunn…Chevrolet Trucks: 100 Years of Building the Future by Larry Edsall…1939 Chevrolet Car Truck Service Manual…Collector Cars by the Editors of Consumer Guide.
1939 Chevrolet Master 85 Coupe-Pickup Collector Cars
The car truck hybrids of the 1930’s and early 1940’s are rare vehicles and they are desirable if you can find one in top restored condition.
The 1939 Chevy Coupe Pickup models had rust problems which eventually thinned out their ranks. If you happen to see one of these models at a local car show be sure to take photos because restored examples are quite rare.
As of this writing we see a rusted out 1940 Chevy Coupe-Pickup that needs total restoration inside and out with an asking price of about $12,000. At this time we could not locate a restored model for sale.
(Article and photos copyright Auto Museum Online)