COE Trucks: My Top Favorites
Cab Over Engine, or abbreviated as COE, trucks are some of my favorite trucks. There’s just something about the snub nose, the higher cab, and the engine packaged tightly underneath that give them a unique look. My favorite ones are from ~1940 up through 1953. There are other ones I like too, but let’s look at my top ones.
#1: 1941 to 1946 Chevrolet COE
This style was my very first favorite, and I found it on a local auction. Sadly, the condition wasn’t great, and it ended up going for way too much money, but the bug was caught! I’d love to have one as a semi-truck version, or a shorty flatbed, or my favorite a wrecker body with vintage equipment.
#2: 1950 Chevrolet COE
This one I own, and it’s somewhat more unique than others because it has the short wheelbase. It has the original (I think) flat bed, and is in pretty good condition. I have a lot of work to do on it, but it’s all about the journey!
#3: 1947-1953 Chevrolet COE in various configurations
I also like the wrecker version of this, and before I bought mine, I found one on ebay that had a Marquette wrecker unit on it. I let it go to another guy, as it was getting just a little bit too much for my budget, but I still like it!
1949 Chevrolet COE Wrecker Tow Truck
Some guys do a nice job of integrating a pickup bed instead of a flatbed; done nicely, they look really good! Here’s a nice example:
#4: late 40’s to early 50’s Ford COE trucks
I’m not much of a Ford fan, but I do like these trucks, and I can appreciate anyone who has one. I rescued a ~48 Ford F6 COE from a friend of mine that was going to cut it up for scrap iron, and I hung onto it until I could find a buyer for it. A guy from down south recently bought it, and it’s gone to a good home and will get fixed up.
#5: late 60’s Industrial trucks like the Ford C series
These are just so ugly that they’re awesome, and I’m really starting to like them. Something like this 1967 Ford C800 as a car transporter would be great.
#6: the Volkswagon Bus trucks
My wife and I bought a 1967 VW Beetle together before we were married, and adding one of these VW trucks to our fleet would be cool! I like how smooth they look, and would be quite useful too!
#7: the White 3000 COE
You don’t see these very much, but they have really nice lines and would be a sweet one to have.
I’m always interesting in adding to my vehicle collection, so if you have something that is similar to the trucks above and interested in selling, please contact me!
Note: all images have a link to the original site with a hyperlink in the caption.
