American trucks. Legendary American trucks: photos and videos The most legendary vans

Kenworth (Kirkland, Washington, 1923-…). One of the most famous brands trucks now owned by Paccar. The company itself appeared back in 1912, but at first it was not engaged in production, but was only a sales dealer automotive technology. It was called Gerlinger Motor Car Works, and in 1915 produced its first truck under the Gersix brand. In 1917, the company was bought out by partners Edgar Worthington and Frederick Kent, who in 1923 renamed the production, making the name from the initial letters of their surnames (Ken + Worth). The picture shows a classic, model Kenworth W900.

Freightliner (Portland, Oregon, 1942-…). Consolidated Freightways was founded by Leland James in 1929, and since 1942 began building own cars under the Freightliner brand (literally - "cargo liner"). Financial problems at the turn of the seventies and eighties forced the company to be sold to Daimler AG, which it still owns to this day. Pictured is a 2010 Freightliner CL Columbia.

International (Lisle, Illinois, 1902-…). In 1902, the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company and the Deering Harvester Company merged to form the International Harvester Company. It was based in Chicago and produced a wide range of products - agricultural machinery, trucks and cars (!) Cars. The International brand was used mainly for trucks. In 1985, the company's agricultural division was sold, cars ceased production even earlier, and the company, renamed Navistar International, focused exclusively on trucks and army equipment- which he still does today. Pictured is a 2015 International Lonestar truck tractor.

Caterpillar (Deerfield, Illinois, 1925-…). famous Caterpillar we associate with dump trucks, BelAZ competitors, as well as with tractors, cranes and other construction or mining equipment. All the more surprising that Cat has whole line road tractors. Why don't we know anything about her? So the Americans know almost nothing about it - the company from Illinois makes truck tractors only for Australia! I must say that the company began building trucks for public roads quite recently - in 2011, the first model was the Cat CT660 dump truck. The picture shows the latest innovation, the Caterpillar CT630LS (2017) super-heavy truck tractor specially for the Australian market.

Western Star (Portland, Oregon, 1967-…). In 1967, industrial giant White motor company created the White Western Star division headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. The unit changed hands many times - after the ruin of White, it became part of Volvo, then bought by Australian businessman Terrence Peabody, and since 2000 it has been owned by DaimlerChrysler and is part of Freightliner. The picture shows the classic Western Star 4900 EX.

Mack (Greensboro, North Carolina, 1900-…). One of the oldest American companies was founded by John Mack and started with the production of buses. For my long history the company has produced dozens trucks as well as buses and trolleybuses of the different class and appointments. In the 1980s, things went wrong for Mack, and the French Renault corporation began to gradually buy up its stakes. The final deal took place in 1990 - Mack became wholly owned by the French. In 2001, Renault resold Volvo brand— but Mack still makes trucks and is one of America's leading engineering companies. Pictured is a 2017 Mack Anthem.

Autocar (Hagerstown, Indiana, 1897-…). The company, founded by Louis Clark in Pittsburgh, made cars from 1899 to 1911, with trucks being an "extra line". But in 1911, Autocar decided to move away from cars, and trucks (particularly the Type XVII) became the company's only product. Shortly after the war, in 1953, Autocar became part of the White empire, and after the collapse of the latter, in 1980, it was taken over by Volvo. The Swedes decided to keep the brand. And then something strange happened. In 2001, Volvo bought out the North American trucking assets Renault Corporation, because of which it turned out that, in fact, about 80% of truck manufacturers in the United States became owned by Volvo. This was opposed by the antimonopoly service, forcing Volvo to sell some of the brands to third parties. Autocar was bought out by the newly created company Grand Vehicle Works Holdings, LLC - and again, after almost half a century, became independent! The picture shows a classic, a 1972 Autocar S64F tractor.

Brockway (Cortland, New York, 1875-1977). Brockway was founded long before automotive era as a carriage manufacturer. In 1909, she built her first truck, and during World War II she proved herself reliable and successful. truck chassis B666. In 1956, the brand was purchased by Mack, and in 1977 the Mack owners decided to close the division for financial reasons. The picture shows one of the last Brockway, model 360 (1977).

Sterling (Redford, Michigan, 1907-1953, 1997-2009). The original Steling company, founded in 1907, was based in Wisconsin and produced a wide range of trucks and special equipment. In 1951, the company was "swallowed" by White, and two years later the brand was abolished. In 1997, Freightliner bought a license from Ford to manufacture pickups and trucks and began to build them under the revived Sterling brand, along with tractors and other agricultural equipment. In 2009, the reincarnation of the old brand was also liquidated for economic reasons. The picture shows Sterling during the "reincarnation".

Marmon-Herrington (Louisville, Kentucky, 1931-…). In 1931 the owner car company Marmon Walter Marmon decided to start new business. He teamed up with Arthur Herrington and founded the Marmon-Herrington Company, which quickly made a name for itself in the manufacture of aircraft tankers and other military and paramilitary equipment. In the midst of the Great Depression, in 1933, Mermon closed production. cars Marmon, focusing on commercial and industrial machinery. Subsequently, he added buses and trolleybuses to the lines. In the early 1960s, the company was sold to the Pritzker family, after which it changed hands many times and changed the scope of activity - MH built aircraft, ground-to-ground rockets and space technology components. Today, the brand is owned by the Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate and produces components - axles, axles, engines, and also "converts" trucks from conventional to all-wheel drive. The last Marmon truck was made in 1997. Pictured is a 1986 Marmon Conventional, the Rolls-Royce of trucks.

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When we hear the phrase “classic car”, images usually come to mind. sports coupe comes from the 60s, 70s and 80s of the last century, and this is not surprising, because fast and powerful cars always attracted a lot of attention. However, the list classic cars includes other special classes. One of these classes became widespread in the United States in the late sixties and early seventies - vans or vans. They will be discussed in today's article.

History of occurrence

There is an opinion among van lovers that if you ask one of them how the so-called vanning began, everyone will find something to answer, but you will not hear a single identical story. Let's try to look at this issue from the point of view of the history of the automotive industry. The first van is considered to be legendary Volkswagen Type 2 (subsequently the model became known as T1), released in 1950. The car actively spread in Europe and reached the North American continent. Due to its low price, ease of maintenance and spaciousness, it has become popular both among the population, as the perfect car for travel and in the business field - light and compact commercial transport. Soon, American companies, keeping up with the developing trend, produced a number of competing models - first the Ford Econoline and Chevrolet Corvan 95 in 1961, and then, in 1964 and 1965, the Chevrolet Van and Dodge A-100.

Culture and features

The beginning of the heyday of the era of vans can be called the end of the 60s. It was then that the culture surrounding this type of car began to take shape. In many ways, I must say, this was facilitated by the “flower children”, who traveled around the cities on T1 painted in all the colors of the rainbow and shocked the local population with their antics. The popularity of vans grew at a tremendous rate, for example, at the Woodstock festival in 1969, vans accounted for almost half of all vehicles.

The van craze swept the United States in the early 1970s. Young Americans appreciated the versatility of the van, because it provided basic principle freedom of that time: the ability to go anywhere at any time. It was possible to go to the beach with friends, taking surfboards, transport a motorcycle or go on tour with a musical group, and if necessary, even live in a van.

Vans became more and more on the roads of the United States, and the need for their owners to express themselves in a wave hit these cars. They began to actively “customize”, that is, remake and modify depending on their own preferences. The emergence of a new "canvas" for creativity marked the end of the era of hot rods. By the time you get your hands on a 30s roadster good condition became more and more difficult. Cult Ford models T, A, and B had risen in price and were no longer as accessible to American youth as they were in the early 50s. And given that powerful V-shaped "eights" were placed in the vans, they could well also be called "hot". All over the country, van owners' clubs began to appear, who wanted to communicate with each other and drive together, showing off their cars. This opportunity was not long in coming.

The link between vans and hot rods was Hot Rod Magazine editor Terry Cook (by the way, many rodders still dislike him for articles about vans that were published with enviable popularity amid the fading interest in traditional hot rods). In 1973, he not only united the movement by organizing the first mass van owners convention in history, the National Truck-in, but also influenced further development this culture. The venue for the first meeting of the Vanners was a town called Tiger Run in Colorado, which received more than 1,000 cars.

The second meeting took place in the same year, and 1.5 times as many vans came to it. Such interest could not go unnoticed and soon there were those who wanted to make money on it. So, in 1974, an organization called the National Street Van Association (NSVA) became the organizer of the third National Truck-in. Many were dissatisfied with the event, as the chosen venue simply could not accommodate everyone. AT next year, the venue has not changed, the event was more like a commercial entertainment than a meeting of friends. In addition, plainclothes police officers were seen at the festival, which significantly increased the number of dissatisfied people.

In 1976, the confrontation between the original organizers in the person of Terry Cook and the newly-minted NSVA resulted in a split in the movement and the emergence of the so-called 2% vanners. Cook was supported by two large clubs - Rocky Mountain Vans and Midwest Vans, together they tried to prove their right to the "National Truck-in" brand, to which the head of the NSVA stated that he had every right to organize an event under this name, since he represented 98% of fans vans. That same 2% of the dissatisfied issued a statement, urging van owners to stick together, support local clubs, and not imaginary "national" associations with new rules.

Van culture continued to develop actively, in 1977 the screens were released movie The Van (Van), starring a yellow Dodge Street Van.

National Truck-in collected everything more cars each one was unique in its own way. In addition to uprated engines and wide wheels, the owners of the vans were proud, of course, interior decoration their cars, because the dimensions made it possible to realize even the most daring ideas.

In the 1980s, there were more and more vans and van owners were no longer one tight-knit community. Now it was more like a small group of fans among the hundreds of thousands of ordinary people who bought vans because of their practicality. In the mid-1980s, the first minivans began to appear as a separate class, the Dodge Caravan paved the way for them in 1984. These cars have firmly occupied a niche family cars, and traditional large vans migrated to commercial transportation. Gradually, the "vanning" movement lost its followers.

The most legendary vans

Volkswagen T1

The same car that spawned the vanning. The idea of creating a minibus belonged to Ben Pon, one of the designers of Volkswagen. The management of the concern liked it and in 1950 the world saw the VW T1, originally called the Type 2 (under the name Type 1 we know the VW Beetle). The engine and transmission were taken from the Beetle and were located at the rear of the car. The body was produced in various modifications: in addition to the minibus already familiar to us, there were also platform trucks, elongated and camping models, even versions for special vehicles.

Dodge Street Van

Street Van from Dodge, produced in 1976 is a prime example the influence of "vanning", as a movement, on automotive industry. Street Van appeared as a factory modification of Ram Tradesman and was distinguished by an abundance of chrome on the body, wide wheels and various variations of interior space. The car was positioned in advertising as a "Toy for adults" and could boast not only external beauty and convenience, but also productive V8 engines from 5.9 to 7.2 liters.

Chevrolet Van (third generation)

Third Chevrolet generation Van was produced by General Motors from 1971 to 1996 with a huge number of different modifications. One of the most famous Chevy Vans is the GMC Vandura, which many people remember from the A-Team series. AT different years the car was equipped with engines from inline six, with a volume of 4.1 liters to the most powerful V8 with a volume of 7.2 liters.

Ford Econoline E-series

The Ford Econoline has been in production from 1961 to the present day, but second and third generations, which were produced from 1968 to 1991, are popular in vanning culture. It was the second generation Econoline that opened new page in the life of American vans, moving away from the cabover design and moving the engine forward. In the next 6 years, the other two representatives of the Big Three - GMC and Chrysler will remake their vans by analogy with Ford.

Now these vans, once forgotten, but not losing their charm, are experiencing a rebirth. I really hope that the movement will grow and develop further, because it is always nice to see when a car that was discontinued 30-40 years ago, in the caring hands of its owner, takes on the form in which it once left the assembly line and starts again. delight others with special charisma.

Text: Stepan Gordienko

How the truck of an American trucker works aslan wrote in October 1st, 2016

Today I checked out a new thing from my friend who works as a trucker. He made it to New York for once, and finally showed off his new work truck: a 2012 Freighliner Cascadia. It so happened that I love trucks, but I never drove one, and I didn’t even sit inside. So I didn't have to ask. We got into the car and went to study the new thing.

2. Condition - the fly did not sit. Inside, the smell of a new car, not yet worn plastic and service stickers from the store.

3. Only 32,237 miles driven. You drive so much in a car in one and a half to two years. He dashed it off in less than two months.

4. The seating position is comfortable and forward visibility is fantastic. After you get into a passenger car, and you get the feeling that, as if, you sat on the pavement ass.

5. True, when you look in the mirror, it becomes already scary. It is clear that everything can be learned, but for now, for me, driving such cars is like flying into space. It is probably not so difficult to drive in a straight line, but an attempt to reverse, and also with a turn, will cause me brain paralysis and hysteria. I don’t always fit in on my Volvo the first time, but I just can’t imagine how to park such a thing.

6. Driver's seat.

8. Transponders for payment of roads and bridges. It turns out that there are states where such systems do not work and you have to pay in cash.

9. But the most thrill is here.

10. Machine on the machine.

11. The most important inspector climbed to study the sleeping bag. There are two shelves and several spacious cabinets for utensils and clothes. This is the top one.

12. A bunch of light bulbs, windows, curtains and other things. There is no TV. Refrigerator he put the usual small. The places are so dofiga that you want to go on such a trip with the whole family.

13. This is the bottom shelf. It's a mess at work. He does not use the top one, because. one works.

14. The chief inspector checks the operation of the steering.

15. Cabin with a high sleeping bag.

16. The car is new and still on transit numbers.

17. On the trailer he has a refrigerator, which has its own engine for cooling / heating the cargo. In the parking lot, you have to unhitch the trailer and drive a few meters ahead in order to sleep normally. Otherwise, the noise interferes.

18. The car in the coloring of the company Penske, which rents trucks and sells on lease. This one is leased.

19. Fully diode headlights.

20. Under the hood of a Detroit Disel DD15, 505 hp.

21.

22. Fuel filter about the size of a 3 liter jar.

23. The refrigerator is also new.

24. There is a lot of space inside and a smell, like refrigerators that are turned off. From above there is an air supply hose.

He told me a lot more about the car and his work, and we agreed that he would somehow take me on a trip. Then it will be possible to look at all this live and describe thoughts, emotions and impressions more systematically. And so the sensations today were like a child whose parents brought them to the carousel for the first time. Now my hands itch on such a ride. Although after listening to the stories, I understand that the life of a trucker is far from sugar. Especially when he works here for Russian-speaking owners. But that's another story.

Would you like to go work as a truck driver in America? To drive such a truck, without sleep and across the country?

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The USA is one of the world's largest manufacturers of truck tractors. Due to the fact that in America there are no such strict restrictions on the length of the road train as in Europe, american tractors characterized by a large sleeping compartment and a large engine compartment. However, there are many models with "shortened" sleeping bags, and cabs without a sleeping bag at all (the so-called "day" cab: day cab). Most models of American tractors have a bonnet layout, but there are cabover options (cabovers), such as the Freightliner Argosy. All american trucks can be divided into two groups: cars made in the traditional American West Coast (“Western”) style with straight shapes and an abundance of chrome parts, and tractors, the cabin of which has a modern aerodynamic shape. However, some modern American trucks cannot be unequivocally assigned to any one group, they combine elements of American style and good aerodynamics. The "truly traditional" include, for example, International tractors of the 9900 series.

These mighty machines become objects of adoration and cult

Huge aggressive-looking tractors and trailers with shiny chrome parts painted in bright colors, with a bunch of headlights, lights and all kinds of decorations well known to us from American films. A kind of subculture has developed around large trucks in America - these powerful cars become objects of adoration and almost worship.

This is especially noticeable in the western part of the country. Here, along the endless roads among the desert prairies, thousands of trucks rush into the distance, cutting through the hot air. Large trailers create a unique local flavor along with canyons, lonely rocks and wild coyotes.

Large trailers create a unique local flavor

A truck driver is a popular and well-paid profession in the United States, because there goods are transported mainly by road. Drivers love their cars, they do tuning for them, sometimes turning freight car into a true work of art.

Tuning sometimes turns an American truck into a real work of art.

Large trucks are exhibited at various auto shows, of which there are a great many in America.

Auto show: on the red carpet - the star of American roads

Roger Snyder, a photographer from Los Angeles, went to such a show in Las Vegas in 2006 and was so captivated by the view powerful trucks that he decided to devote the next few years exclusively to photographing them. Snyder filmed trucks in the USA, Canada, Japan and compiled a whole album of photographs of these vehicles, which sometimes resemble not a banal wheeled vehicle for transporting goods, but spaceship from the future.

The view of powerful American trucks resembles a spaceship from the future

Especially "fancy" American trucks were in the 80s. Since then, something has changed, more plastic parts have been added to the design of cars of all kinds, which, although cheaper, are more expensive. appearance very inferior to chrome.

Now chrome is giving way to plastic

The cab of a truck is the place where a trucker spends a large part of his life. Here, many of them find scope for self-expression.

Truck cab - a place for creativity and self-expression

70s in America. Oil is already expensive, but saving has not yet become fashionable. And inside the cabin too.

In the 70s. did not skimp on the interior trim of the cabin

Is it a truck or luxury car executive class? Obviously, both.

The American truck is clearly not only a means of transportation

The biggest truck show in the Midwest is the Big Iron Classic. Here you can see the competition of diesel tractors, which are trying to drag heavy sleds on the ground, burrowing into the ground: