Studebaker Had The Tailgate Step Before Ford
Jason Lancaster | Nov 09, 2009 | Comments 18
Saturday Chris Baccus posted a link to an old Studebaker commercial on his Twitter account. This old commercial is corn-ball and ever-so-slightly offensive to women, but it also shows what might just be the very first tailgate step ever…installed on a station wagon.
Studebaker put a tailgate step on a station wagon a long, long time before anyone else.
This is just a still photo of the commercial – you can watch the commercial on YouTube here.
Sort of fascinating, isn’t it? Contrast it with some of Ford’s marketing literature.
First, here’s a photo from the Ford website of the tailgate step in action.
Ford's F150 tailgate step in action.
Ford brags that the “2010 F-150 features an available class-exclusive integrated Tailgate Step,” and they show lots of images of hard-working truck owners making great use of this option on their website, in brochures, etc. They’re proud of the fact they can advertise this feature – and they should be.
For the record, the tailgate step is a good idea. The execution on the F150 isn’t great (it can be hard to load around), but it’s certainly not bad. Ford’s truck marketing manager said that the feature was selling well back in January in this article on Jalopnik, and a lot of people really like it. Kudos to the engineers at Ford.
The point here is that there aren’t a lot of new ideas in the auto industry. 6-speed transmissions, electric powertrains, dual-overhead cams, superchargers, trucks with coil-spring rear suspensions, and just about everything else you’ll hear a truck salesman brag about has been done before. Most of these features were toyed with 50 to 100 years ago.
The military used nitrous oxide injection in aircraft in world war two. The first all-electric car was built all the way back in 1891 by a tinkerer in Iowa. Gottlieb Daimler (one of the namesakes of Daimler Benz) might have been the first to supercharge an automobile back in 1885.
And Studebaker might just have been the first to invent the tailgate step…or maybe not.
Filed Under: Auto News
But the Flux Capacitor wasn’t out till the 1980’s
And in a Delorian at that…. maybe i’ll try to put the fold up doors on my tundra…. kind of like Mark’s… only different.
ahhh but how do u produce the 1.21 jiggawats to power it, and does a jiggawat have anything to do with jay-z ??
The step for Ford is a great idea but that pole may not last as long as the step though. I’m sure someone already broke that pole by pulling themself up on it.
1.21 gigawatts? All you need are a cat, a wool blanket, 2 cans of baked beans, and a good pair of rubber shoes. Hold the blanket by the corners and the cat by its tail. Drop the cat into the blanket “pouch” then toss in one can of beans. Keep the blanket/cat/can cambo off the ground and away from anything. Wait about 2 minutes, the cat will fight with the can, creating static electicity. When the time is right touch the combo to the lead on the car and BLAMMO 1.21 gigawatts. What is the second can of beans for? I like beans.
What about Toyota’s retracting step for the Tundra? I installed one on my Tundra and it works fine. The dealer didn’t seem to know about it, it seems I was the first guy to order one. The unit is spring loaded and cam operated and goes up or down with a touch of the toe. In two steps you can be up in the bed or on the tailgate.
The back step for your tundra is not built by Toyota. It’s just an ‘officialy’ endorsed aftermarket product. It’s made by a company called AMP Research. The same folks who make the motorized running boards.
Norm – Good call. That’s a nice add-on. Just as Goofbaltech says, it’s an after-market step from AMP.
Wow, I never noticed the pole until Mickey said it. That’s a bit awkward but probably some safety feature Ford had to include so they wouldn’t get sued if someone slipped/fell. Either way, it’s an okay option but not that big of a deal. The AMP aftermarket for Tundra sounds nice though.
TXTee – The pole is tough…it rests on the tailgate when not in use, so it’s hard to slide cargo across the tailgate and into the bed. However, without the poll, the step would be hard to balance on if your hands are full. I think it’s a decent idea, but I don’t know…sometimes simple, while imperfect, is better. The step Norm mentioned (which I believe first debuted on the Titan) seems like a perfect fit. It helps you climb in – nothing more. Perhaps if Toyota added a drop-down step to the tailgate and a small grab handle that was recessed, you would have a way to pull yourself up without a big pole being in your way. Or maybe if they just recessed the pole instead of letting it stick way out…
The step would be great if I could train my dogs to climb using it but that’s all I’d want it for. If I’m carrying anything that heavy where I need balance, I place it on the tailgate and slide it in then hop in and maneuver the item.
TXTee – I think that’s what most people do. I’d be curious to see what the take rate is on the tailgate step now…I’ll see if I can find out.
There were a number of steps before Ford’s. A couple are designed to mount using the Toyota hardware and the factory stamped holes. The Amp Research step and the DEBOStep.
We just came out with a DEBOSidestep. It mounts in front of the rear wheel so that you can unhook your goose neck trailer or access your tool box.
Mike – Looks cool. Thanks for sharing.
The DEBO Step pull out tailgate step is the best solution on the market. It can also be used as a “hitch step” by pulling out part way. Go to the website and watch the video! First introduced at the SEMA Show 2005, The DEBO Step has been around longer than Ford’s,…..but not Studebaker.
I invented the tailgate step when I worked on one of the frame lines at toyota.
Ben,
Really?? Do tell. Comment here or send us an email at editor@sporkmarketing.com.
-Tim
That’s really cool! What kind of design is it? When did you work at Toyota (and why wouldn’t they jump on that idea)?