Iowa 80 to host party for Saurer and Mack Jr. trucks

Updated Jul 7, 2012

Iowa 80 Trucking Museum will host a 100th birthday party for its 1912 Saurer and 1912 Mack Jr. trucks on Friday, July 13, at 2:30 pm (CDT). The event will coincide with this year’s Walcott Truckers Jamboree, July 12-13. The event is open to the public.

The Mack Jr. model was the first one that Mack produced that had the steering on the left side. Prior to that, all trucks had the steering wheel on the right; the same side horses were driven from.

“The truck was in disrepair when we acquired it. The restoration took over two years and this truck is only one of three Mack Jr. trucks known to still exist,” says museum curator Dave Meier.

Saurer trucks were first imported in 1908. According to Meier, this particular Saurer truck is the only American-made Saurer known to exist.