Q+A

What does the number 150 in Ford F-150 mean? Surprisingly, it has to do with gasoline. But the complete story began 60 years ago.

The first F-Series trucks, the F-1, F-2 and F-3, were introduced in 1948. Their names were pretty simple. The F stood for Ford, with the F-1 the lightest duty of the three and the F-3 the heaviest duty. After a 1953 redesign, the F-1 was renamed the F-100 and joined the larger F-250 (formerly the F-2) and the F-350 (the old F-3). These names remain the same today, with one exception.

In 1975 unleaded fuel was introduced to meet new federal emissions standards. There was concern that some F-100 owners in rural areas would be unable to find unleaded fuel, so Ford developed a version of the truck that could run on unleaded fuel. This new truck, the F-150, also had a higher cargo capability; its 6,050-pound gross vehicle weight hit a sweet spot between the F-100 and F-250, and its sales soared, eventually surpassing those of the F-100.

Both the F-100 and F-150 remained in production until 1983, when the F-150, which by then ran on unleaded fuel, became the base model in the F-Series.

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