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Over the past week, Trucks.com highlighted the many different features that the 2018 Silverado has to offer, and documented the segment of its very rich history. The very first pickup from the Chevy brand debuted back in 1918, and professional curator Leslie Kendall of Los Angeles’s Petersen Automotive museum claimed last week that the differences between past and present models were “night and day”. During the month of March here at Jim Butler Chevy in St Louis, we have all been remembering a very important date in our brand’s history: it was one hundred years ago this January that the 490 Light Model was first introduced.

It was basically a stripped-out passenger car of sorts, that replaced its body with a pickup bed, and added stronger springs. This helped it be able to cart crops around, and this ability was what it was well-known for at the time. This model was powered by just a 4-cylinder engine, and at the time only generated a then-superior 24 horsepower.

In the truck realm, there are many vast contrasts between the past and present, and the current Silverado model is quite a remarkable advancement. It is now a 5,300-pound truck that can seat five comfortably and has the well-versed ability to tow six tons. There is now a much more able power source: the 5.3-liter V8, that produces 355 horsepower. The top-selling vehicle in the Chevy portfolio, it accounted for 585,000 vehicles sold during 2018 alone. Claiming a hefty second-place position among all passenger vehicles for sales, it is a grave difference from the now very-limited seeming original 490 from 1918!

Last December, the Texas Motor Speedway was the location for the Chevy Truck Centennial Event, where very loyal customers were invited to thoroughly test the towing capabilities of new trucks. They also tried their hand at climbing very steep inclines with the brand-new off-road Colorado ZR2. Many in Attendance for the event have owned more than one Chevy truck during their lifetime…. and have always held in very high regard the brands level of dependability. One very loyal Silverado owner from Round Rock, Texas claimed that if “he won any other truck in a lottery, he would sell it and buy a Chevy”. The vibrant large touchscreen, full leather interior, and standard WiFi connection are all a very intense departure from the interiors of older trucks such as the 490, and it is quite amazing to think that a simple bench seat was the only real fixture in the interior of that very early model.

The current breed of pickups are among the most well-appointed vehicles to be seen on the road and have greatly risen the expectations for technology and luxury that are needed to be appealing. What once leaned towards a penchant for very small passenger cars has now developed into a desire for light and larger trucks, and the Silverado is perfect for filling these shoes. Car and Driver claimed over the past year that “after 100 years of building pickups, Chevy’s formula is near perfect”, and gave the Silverado the highest in praise for its confident stature and track record.

Every single model now has a backup camera, to assure that you have the ultimate in protection every day when you begin and start out on the road. On the LTZ, the eAssist Package is now optional, when before it was just featured on the LT Trim. Make sure you see just what the Off-Road Package can do for you here during a test drive at Jim Butler of St Louis: here you obtain features like body-color grille surround, headlamp bezel, and 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires. The Centennial Edition includes front and rear heritage bowtie emblems, a 100-year door badge, spray-in bed liner with heritage bowtie emblem, accessory floor liners with heritage bowtie emblems, 22-inch painted wheels with chrome inserts, and chrome tow hooks. If the Chevy Colorado is the truck that best meets your needs, you can opt to add all of these features to it as well: A celebratory Centennial edition is too great of a milestone to allow to let stand alone!