1959 International Harvester Pickup
Previous owner(s): Hall Furniture and Mortuary, Inc. ,Kansas, 1978 – 1989 (?); Bernie and Janice Taulborg Collection
Engine, etc.: Model B-130; ½ ton; dually; 6 cyl., 3 speed
The Classic Car Collection has International Harvester vehicles from 1907 (auto buggy), 1909 (auto wagon), and pickups from 1919, 1929, 1939, 1949, and 1959.
In 1952 International Harvester opened a compete truck engineering building and lab in Ft. Wayne, Ind. It was the largest of its kind dedicated solely to motor truck development. The L-line, introduced in 1949, was replaced by the R-line in 1952. The R-line had 168 chassis models in 296 wheelbases. Another significant development that year was the introduction of LPG (liquefied-petroleum-gas) powerplants in IH trucks. They offered many benefits in operating efficiency and reduced operating costs.
In 1957 the company celebrated its 50th anniversary into the field of motor truck manufacture.
International placed its B-line trucks on the market in 1959. Models ranged from 4,200 to 33,000 lbs. gross weight. Three new, small V-8 engines were introduced with the B-line with a total of nine different gasoline and “LPG”-fueled powerplants offered.
Sales in 1959 totaled $749 million, a new record for the motor truck division, and represented 43% of International Harvester’s total volume that year.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Harvester#Light_duty_trucks
