Texas man seizes 'once in a lifetime opportunity' to rescue a one in a million 1979 Ford truck
Published on Jun 27, 2025 at 8:59 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jun 27, 2025 at 11:15 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A car enthusiast headed out to Texas to rescue a ‘one-in-a-million’ 1979 Ford F-150 Flareside that he’d had his eye on for years.
Dennis Collins first discovered the old Ford F-150 almost four years ago when he was buying a Mustang Fastback and a Falcon.
However, despite the old truck catching his eye, he didn’t buy it back then.
Fast forward a few years, and Collins reached out to the owner to see if he was still willing to sell the ‘one in a million’ 1979 Ford F-150 Flareside.
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What was so special about the 1979 Ford F-150 Flareside?
We see plenty of folks who are keen to rescue and restore timeless, classic cars, so it’s quite nice to see vintage trucks get a bit of love, like this 1975 Dodge Power Wagon that was rescued after it had been sitting in a backyard for 37 years, or this 1950s Super Power semi-truck that had to be winched out of the woodlands it had ended up.
Over in Texas, car lover Dennis Collins had been thinking about a blue 1979 Ford F-150 Flareside for almost four years.
According to Collins, of the 985,000 Ford trucks made in 1979, there are only around 7,950 Flareside F-150s out there, but this particular example is even rarer than that.
“I don’t remember ever seeing one with this many options,” Collins commented.
And he’s not wrong, the original owner of the truck didn’t hold back when it came to customization options, as well as choosing the Ranger package and four wheel drive, they also went for the painted bumpers and wing mirrors, as well as some neat cab lights.
Collins hailed the 979 Ford F-150 Flareside as a true one in a million find, or a one in 985,000, if you’re being pedantic.
“This is one a one off special order truck with these options,” Collin said.
“They made one of them, that’s pretty incredible.”
As such, he believes the one-off truck needed to be restored – and we couldn’t agree more.
Thankfully, that’s exactly what he plans to do and hopefully in the not-so-distant future we’ll be able to see it restored to its former glory.
The F-150 is America’s most beloved truck
Launched in 1975, the Ford F-150 is America’s most popular truck.
In fact, until last year, the F-150 was America’s best-selling vehicle for almost half a century.
The Ford F-Series truck remained America’s best-selling vehicle for an incredible 47 years in a row for four simple reasons.
It’s a truck, it’s powerful, it’s robust, and it’s cheap. What more could you ask for?
In 2024, it was outsold by the Toyota RAV4, but the F-150, which is now available as an EV, is still a hugely popular vehicle in the US.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
