In celebration of its 60th anniversary, American Honda restored a 1961 Chevrolet Apache identical to one of its first delivery vehicles, crediting much of its early growth to the truck.

The 1/2-ton Apache, which features a Chevrolet 283 V-8 and three-speed manual transmission, boasts the same hand-painted graphics as the original truck, laid on top of Chevrolet factory white bodywork.

Matching Honda 50 and CB160 motorbikes in the truck's 8-foot bed drive the neo-vintage point even further. Honda credits those original trucks for much of the company's success in America.

 The company's fledgling motorcycle dealers in the 1960s sold bikes on a consignment basis, with each delivered to the retailer by salesmen driving the Chevy trucks.

Within a decade of its launch in the U.S., American Honda was the best-selling motorcycle brand in the country (in 1965, its market share was a whopping 72 percent).

The Chevrolet Apache was first revealed at Honda's 60th anniversary celebration on June 11, which took place at the company's massive Torrance, California, headquarters complex. In addition to the cosmetics, Honda gave the pickup a mechanical refresh to keep it roadworthy, and recently restored the truck's cargo as well.

http://www.trucktrend.com/news/1906-honda-celebrates-anniversary-restoring-chevrolet
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