1938 GMC COE Truck Is a True Army Hauler, Sat for Decades

It was renamed Rapid Motor Vehicle Company in 1902 and was purchased by William C. Durant in 1907. Durant made it a subsidiary of GM in 1909 and renamed it General Motors Truck Company in 1911.

Durant folded both Rapid and Reliance Motor Company into GMC, dropping both brands a year later. Starting in 1912, all vehicles produced by the company had GMC badges. The company was renamed GMC Truck & Coach Division in 1943 and became known as GMC in 1998.

Today, GMC is associated with luxury versions of Chevrolet's SUVs and pickup trucks. But GMC had a significantly broader lineup back in the day. It produced both medium- and heavy-duty trucks, as well as fire trucks, ambulances, buses, and motorhomes. It also built military trucks.

During the First World War, GMC provided over 8,000 trucks to the US government, including both 3/4-ton haulers and one-ton troop carriers and aviation support vehicles. During the Second World War, GMC produced a whopping 600,000 trucks for the US Army. The 1938 cab-over-engine hauler you see here is one of them.

Parked in a barn for decades, this GMC is an FKX-series truck of the medium-duty variety. It's highly recognizable due to its unusually narrow and tall cabin, as well as the snub-nosed, art-deco styling. The story goes that this particular vehicle was produced for the US Army and deployed at the Panama Canal.

It's unclear exactly what it was used for, but it may have had something to do with some modifications that were made to the canal in 1939. Specifically, the US commenced work to enlarge certain areas to make room for the larger warships that it was building at the time. Amazingly enough, the GMC made it back to the United States in one piece.

It was probably sold as surplus soon after World War 2, and it sure looks like it sat for a very long time. It barely has any traces of paint, and some body panels show significant rust. The interior appears to have been modified to some extent, but it's unclear if it happened during service or after becoming a civilian vehicle.

Our host, YouTube's "Iron City Garage," discovered the truck a few years ago. He tried to buy it, but the owner wouldn't sell it. Well, he got a call after five years, and needless to say, he didn't think twice. These trucks aren't only highly desirable, but they're also very rare. GMC built quite a few of them, but only a few have survived.

Interestingly enough, the owner says the truck will run with a new battery and fuel tank, meaning it hasn't been totally neglected over the years. The original engine is no longer under the hood, but the owner says it still has the old inline-six somewhere in a garage.

Our host mentions a 270-cubic-inch (4.4-liter) mill, but as far as I know, GMC did not introduce it until 1941. In fact, GMC didn't produce its own inline-six until the 1939 model year. I'm pretty sure GMC used a 223-cubic-inch (3.7-liter) Pontiac unit in 1938, but you can correct me in the comments section.