1927 Chevrolet Capitol Delivery

Chevrolet first ventured into commercials in 1918, basing their half-tonne truck and utility on the Model 490 passenger car with a wheelbase lengthened to 102-inches and stronger springs to handle the extra load.

 

Initially Chevrolet supplied only the chassis, fenders and cowl along with various accessories like headlamps, leaving it to aftermarket operations to equip the vehicle with sheet metal. But by 1925 the company was offering an all-steel cab for the first time. As the 1920s unfolded, technical improvements and a wider choice of models saw Chevrolet challenging Ford's supremacy in the commercial marketplace and 1927 - the year the Capitol Delivery Van on offer here was built - saw the Bow-Tie leap ahead with a total of 104,832 calendar sales.

 

In 1927 production of Light Delivery (half-tonne) and Utility Truck (one-tonner) models switched from the Superior V model to the Capitol AA in January, the latest model featuring a new radiator shell, bullet headlamps in black enamel with bright trim rings and one-piece crown fenders. Until 1929, all Chevrolet commercials were powered by the study overhead-valve 171-cid four-cylinder engine developing 35hp while the chassis frame was either 103-inches wheelbase (Light Delivery) or 124-inches (Utility Truck) in length.