Tailgate of the Chevrolet truck has evolved a great deal in 80 years, with the newest closing itself.
The official Chevrolet YouTube channel recently shared the commercial above titled “Tailgates”, showcasing the rear-most door on their trucks dating back to the mid-1930s. The all-new Silverado has a tailgate that closes itself, so to show off this helpful feature, the company is showing decades-worth of Chevy trucks having their tailgates slammed.
80 Years of Tailgates
The 30-second spot above begins with 18 seconds of classic Chevrolet trucks from behind. In each short scene, the Chevy truck is being used for some different sort of task, starting back in 1939.
The first truck has a Maryland license plate from 1939 and it is being loaded with produce at a public market. The second Chevy truck is being used in Oklahoma to fight fires and the third is being used for a fishing trip.
We also see classic pickups being used for a trip to the beach in California, a shopping trip in Alabama, a drag strip in Michigan, a steel mill in Pennsylvania, a dock in Maine, the sand dunes of Nevada and two trucks with obstructed plates.
These quick clips show that Chevrolet trucks have been used by people from all walks of life for every imaginable task, and all of those people had to slam the tailgate before hitting the road.
Enter 2019
With the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado, owners don’t need to slam the tailgate, because it closes itself. The last clip in the commercial shows a farmer pull a heavy bag of grain out of the bed of his brand new Chevy pickup and with his free hand, he pushes a button on the key fob to signal the tailgate to close itself.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
