This was done in celebration of American Honda’s 60th Anniversary.
Motor1.com readers will likely respond to your question about Honda. They might mention the Pilot, Civic, or NSX. It should not be surprising that Honda is one of the most successful North American automobile manufacturers. However, the situation was different in 1959. The American manufacturer was only beginning its American journey. It didn’t begin with cars. The company started with motorcycles and bought a fleet of Chevrolet pickup trucks to transport them to new Honda dealerships in Southern California. This is where you probably see it.
Honda took the first steps into the American market 60 years ago. To celebrate, Honda purchased a Chevrolet half-ton pickup truck that looked similar to the one in the 1961 photo. Honda restored the truck and used the same paint scheme to distinguish Honda’s delivery trucks from others. This is so cool! Just in time for American Honda’s 60th anniversary celebrations at its headquarters in Torrance in California, the project was completed. Honda also purchased a pair of vintage motorcycles to help recreate the iconic photo. These were a Honda CB160 and Honda 50, which would eventually become the most-produced motor vehicle ever made. Ah to have been there with Chevrolet representatives 60-years ago when Honda purchased these pickup trucks. Are you sure any Bow Tie executives would have imagined Honda would not only be the market leader in motorcycles, but also grow to be a major competitor in automotive. We are extremely pleased to see Honda take the high road and invest its time and money in preserving a little cross-company history.