The Pacific Northwest Truck Museum in Brooks, Ore., will play host Aug. 25 to the Truck Show 2001, which will feature more than 100 working trucks dating back to the early 1900s and Overdrive magazine’s 40th anniversary tour.
The ninth annual event will spotlight orphan trucks, or brands that are no longer manufactured. Some of the trucks that will be on display include Reo, Diamond T, Fageol, Doane and Samson. “One of the most interesting trucks that will be showcased is a 1917 Gersix which is a forerunner to Kenworth trucks,” says Toni Scandiffio, museum office manager.
The rare Gersix truck was hand-made to better accommodate the needs of Western drivers. Because of the need for a more powerful truck to navigate the mountainous roads in the Seattle area, a six-cylinder engine was installed in the car. The engine is believed to be the first six-cylinder ever to be put into an American commercial vehicle.
In addition to the rare trucks of the industry’s past, the event also will feature the Voice of the American Trucker Tour truck, a Volvo VN770, powered by a 465-horsepower Volvo engine. The truck will pull a van with an exhibit that documents the history of Overdrive and the trucking industry. Overdrive is a sister publication of Truckers News.
The truck features a built-in monitor in the sleeper that can be used as a docking station for a laptop or as a television screen, an Internet connection that allows wireless local area network Web browsing, e-mail and teleconferencing, and a Bendix X-Vision infrared night-vision system.
For more information about Truck Show 2001 log onto www.pacificnwtruckmuseum.org.
