JAMES Edgar Bass, or ‘Jeb’ to his mates, still owns the 1947 International KB-2 he was driven in – a day before he was born.
It took 30 years before it became his property, but it’s been in the family for five generations.
On March 27, 1950, 32-year-old Glenn Bass borrowed the red truck from an uncle to drive his wife, Mary Jane, to a hospital in Shelbyville, Indiana.
The couple was anxious to reach their destination as fast as possible, because Mary Jane was going into labour.
Soon after arriving at the hospital, Mary Jane gave birth to a baby boy — James Edgar Bass.
The proud parents immediately began calling the child “Jeb” — the acronym of his initials.
Some three decades later, the same uncle who loaned the truck to the expectant young couple handed over the truck’s title to Jeb, who had no idea of the backstory until his uncle — Edgar Hack — told him about it.
The circumstances of why Glenn Bass lacked access to any other vehicle that night have been lost to history however Uncle Edgar was happy to oblige.
And Jeb remembers his parents borrowing the truck on many occasions over the years, so the fact they borrowed it for the frenzied trip to the hospital did not seem out of the ordinary.
“I remember my father taking pigs to the stockyard in this truck,” Jeb said.
“And my mother took all of us kids camping in it.”
Edgar ordered the truck new on July 2, 1947, from an International Harvester dealership in Shelbyville called the McWilliams-Carter Co.
The price was $1335 (AU$2100).
“He wanted to keep his business local,” Jeb said.
“Back in the 1940s, International was pretty much the top choice as a farm vehicle.
“It’s geared low because that’s what they wanted in farm trucks.”
Edgar used the truck to work his fields for some years before passing it on to Glenn, who, in turn, gave it to Jeb.
That was in 1980.
Jeb used it as a workhorse, just as his uncle and father had done.
The ’47 KB-2 was about as no-frills as you could get, with a column gearshift, plain metal dash, large crank for fresh-air ventilation, and a simple rectangular instrument cluster that showed the basics.
International Harvester Co., which built light pickup trucks from 1907 to 1975, rolled out its KB series trucks in 1947.
That’s the same year IHC restarted civilian vehicle production in the US following World War II.
The 1947 KB models were barely updated versions of International’s K series from 1940 and despite the aging design, they sold well.
Between 1947 and 1949, IHC sold 122,000 KB-1 and KB-2 trucks.
Jeb’s KB-2 is powered by the 213-cid Green Diamond flathead six-cylinder engine.
At some point, he began appreciating the truck’s status.
“One day I got to thinking,” he said.
“And I said, ‘What an idiot. That truck’s a 1947 International.’ And that’s when I decided to quit doing stupid things with it.”
He had it repainted in 1992, and in 2020, he had the engine overhauled.
Jeb is a member of a local group called the Poor Boys Car Club, which takes part in car shows and cruise-ins across central and southeastern Indiana, among other activities.
Over the years, Jeb has driven the truck in several community parades and sometimes allowed local political candidates to use it as a rolling campaign prop.
He counts five politicians who have used it in their efforts to attract voters.
The truck must bring good luck, he added, because all five candidates won their races.
Interestingly, the truck has served both Republican and Democratic candidates.
“It’s a bipartisan truck,” Jed said.
The most enjoyment he has had with it, he said, has involved family activities with his wife, Lynn, the couple’s three sons and their seven grandchildren.
Looking into the long-term future, he has willed the truck to his oldest son.
“So it will stay in the family,” he said. But in the meantime, Jed’s looking forward to a lot more car shows, cruise-ins and family time involving the truck.
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