Chevrolet five window pickup 1951-images

Chevrolet’s postwar Advance-Design trucks hit the market a full year ahead of the competition, and by 1951 the line was refining details that collectors now prize above almost everything else — starting with the five-window cab option. New brakes, revised door windows, and a shorter cargo bed all arrived quietly that year. Here’s what made 1951 one of the more distinctive model years in the Advance-Design run.

Chevrolet was first off the line with a new post war design in May 1947–one full year before the competition. The new design offers superior visibility, with an 8 inch wider cab for more shoulder room and the truck is a foot longer overall than previously. The cab now has vent windows on each door and the 1951 model is the last year for the 80 mph speedometer. The engines available are a 216 cu in (3.5 L), a 235 cu in (3.9 L) and the 261 cu in (4.3 L) V8, There are two transmission choices-a four speed manual or the basic three speed manual.

Our thanks to Gateway classic cars for the images displayed here.

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Chevrolet beat every competitor to market with a genuinely new pickup design after World War II, and it wasn’t particularly close — the new trucks arrived a full year before rival automakers had anything comparable ready to sell. By 1951, that design was entering its final refinements before a bigger overhaul was still a few years away, and one option in particular has since become the detail collectors chase hardest. It wasn’t the engine, and it wasn’t the color. It was a pair of small windows tucked behind the doors that most buyers in 1951 probably never gave a second thought to ordering.

The Windows That Gave The Truck Its Nickname

The five-window cab was part of the Deluxe option on Chevrolet’s Advance-Design trucks, adding curved Nu-Vue rear corner windows for improved visibility over the standard three-window setup. The Advance-Design series debuted on June 28, 1947 and ran through the 1955 model year, and today enthusiasts specifically hunt down five-window cabs over the far more common three-window configuration.

What Actually Changed For 1951

The 1951 model year brought a mid-year change from a 9-board bed to an 8-board bed, added vent windows to the doors, and marked the last year for the 80 mph speedometer. Brakes were upgraded to duo-servo, self-energizing Bendix units, replacing the older Huck-type brakes. Power came from a 216 cubic inch inline-six rated at 92 horsepower and 176 lb-ft of torque, paired with a column-shifted three-speed manual transmission.

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