Ford offers the latest twist in the truck tailgate wars. Here's a look at 100 years of Ford tailgates.

• The new Ford Pro Access tailgate is the latest in 100 years of Ford tailgates.
• Ford is constantly trying to one-up rivals Chevrolet and Ram on pickup truck features.
• Many features have come and gone in 100 years of Ford tailgates.

Ford's latest take on the pickup truck tailgate is hitting dealer lots on the 2024 Ford F-150.

The refreshed F-150 can be equipped with the new Pro Access Tailgate, which has several new configurations. In addition to dropping open like a typical truck tailgate, the Pro Access Tailgate can swing out like a door to provide easier access to the bed.

Ford's new tailgate is the latest swing in Detroit's pickup truck wars, where Ford, Chevrolet, and Ram are in a constant battle to one-up each other.

It's also the latest in a long line of tailgate innovation for Ford, which stretches back almost a century to the company's first pickup truck in 1925.

Take a look at the evolution of the Ford tailgate here:

The Ford Model A station wagon tailgate features the same basic configuration we see today.

In 1964, Ford introduced steel tailgate support straps that fold into the tailgate out of sight.

In the 1980s, a removable tailgate option showed up on the F-Series.

The same removable tailgate was also available on the smaller Ranger pickup truck.

By 2006, Ford had added an extendable step on the tailgate for the F-150 King Ranch.

In 2007, Ford debuted a new truck concept with a tailgate that lowers to be used as a step.

The F-Series Super Duty was equipped with a bed extender in the 2008 model year.

For the 2021 model year, Ford introduced a new tailgate work surface with a built-in measuring stick. That model year, Ford also equipped all F-150 tailgates with tie-down hooks that doubled as bottle openers.

The 2024 Pro Access Tailgate swings open like a door to allow for easy access to the bed.