NTEA Trade Show 2009: The Ford F-59 Super Duty Commercial Chassis - Wait.... What?

With all the glitz and glamor of the truly beautiful (and not so beautiful) cars that are having their coming out party at Geneva, there was a coming out party in Chicago, well, sort of. I thought we could take a break from the Geneva Show Coverage to see something totally naked. Well, as naked as a vehicle can get.

Ford officially re-entered a critical commercial enterprise with the 2011 F-59 Super Duty commercial chassis. A little history; Ford sold off the heavy duty commercial lines at least a decade ago to Freightliner LLC, which is now known as Daimler Commercial Trucks. Freightliner promptly renamed the newly acquired truck enterprise Sterling Trucks. This proved to be somewhat successful, capturing up to 8% of the US Truck Market. However, as of March 30th of this year, the entire Sterling Division will be shut down.

The chassis features a 6.8-liter V-10 gasoline engine, with a Ford engineered five-speed automatic overdrive transmission, and includes four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes. According to Ford, it will be adaptable to a wide variety of task-specific applications, and will be available in early 2010. Within the lengthy press release, this chassis will be ideal for multi-stop couriers and expeditors, linen and commercial laundry services, printed media delivery, carpet delivery and installation, parcel portage, mobile machine shops, portable medical units and food/beverage delivery, among others.

The sole powerplant for the chassis is the 6.8-liter, three-valve per cylinder V-10 gasoline engine, delivering 362 horsepower and 457 ft.-lbs. of torque. It meets all applicable 2012 emissions standards. No word yet on the availability of a Diesel. This also signals the direction of the truck market as a whole because the only transmission available is an automatic.

Pricing hasn't been finalized. Engineering a new product in the midst of probably the worst financial times in modern history is a bold move for Ford, and one that will most likely pay off in the long run. It also illustrates the relative strength of the Ford Motor Company, and should pave the way for new and exciting products geared to the average auto enthusiast.

Photo Credits: Pickuptrucks.com, Jalopnik.com.