Let’s face it — towing a trailer is a pain. Even once you have enough experience that maneuvering them and backing them up is second nature, swinging another axle or two around behind you can get complicated. Even routine fuel stops can be a hassle.
That’s why we’ve always loved ramp trucks. The fact that some of the coolest drag racers of the ’60s and ’70s used them to tote around Pro Stock cars also doesn’t hurt. It’s tough to beat a good ramp truck/race car combo, which is why this Hagerty Marketplace listing for a 1948 Chevy cab-over-engine has our minds working overtime, imagining what we’d load onto its bed.
With its leather upholstery and Vintage Air HVAC system, the cab of this classic truck seems like a solid place to spend time. Like the exterior, there’s lots of chrome and polished Victory Red paint, fitting the clean, customized theme. The ramp, which is fully enclosed and topped with diamond-plate aluminum, has enough room for a hot rod or race car.
This Chevy isn’t just a refreshed work rig. The chassis for the hauler was built from steel tubing when the cab was restored for this purpose. It uses air suspension to handle the added load of a vehicle and to dial in ride quality. Powering this ramp-bed hauler is a rebuilt 454 big-block now displacing 468 cubic inches. The engine is topped by a dual-plane intake, appropriate for low-rpm grunt, and a four-barrel Edelbrock carb. It’s bolted to a tried-and-true Turbo 400 three-speed automatic transmission.
While the truck is too nice to be subjected to the Bonneville salt flats, our first thought was that a land-speed race car would look great on the ramp. This curvy cabover would also look good hauling a post-war-style hot rod, a Tri-Five gasser, or maybe a drag-race-prepped Corvette. A four-pack of Harleys would also fit quite nicely.
There’s still plenty of time left to bid on this well-equipped hauler. We’re eager to see what its new owner will have in store for it, as this Chevy deserves some interesting cargo.