In the 1980s, the United States Postal Service sent out a detailed list of specifications for a new postal carrier vehicle.
This “Long Life Vehicle” would replace myriad of other vehicles with one, simplifying maintenance, repairs, and training — and because it had a lightweight aluminum skin, it would last longer and save fuel, too.
A defense contractor named Grumman, known to many as the designer and manufacturer of the Apollo Lunar Module, won the contract to produce the LLV with its design — combining the frame and running gear of a Chevrolet S-10 pickup with a bespoke, riveted aluminum body.
The Long Life Vehicle’s expected 24-year service life included provisions for one replacement of the 2.5-liter “Iron Duke” 4-cylinder halfway through its life, but set out to create a uniform delivery platform for USPS postal delivery workers — one specially designed for their needs, rather than a vehicle adapted from a regular car.
In this episode, automotive journalist Jason Cammisa takes us through the history of Postal Delivery Vehicles — from horse-drawn carriages, through military surplus Jeeps, to the purpose-built Jeep DJ, and Studebaker “ZIP Van,” with an up-close look at the LLV.
