May Truck of the Month
All photos by Duncan Putman copyright 2008
Since both Mark Harter and this author reside in Indianapolis where race fever grips the city for the entire month of May, culminating in the Indianapolis 500 Race on Memorial Day Weekend, we have decided to showcase a few eye-catching Indy race car transporters from the past.
These very expensive race cars are transported in some of the fanciest, high tech tractor-trailers to ever be seen on the road. No expense is spared in outfitting the myriad of specialty trailers used by all the race car teams. Spotless stainless steel and chrome interiors along with hydraulic lifts and well-appointed work areas are the norm for each race team which has to be self-sufficient and survive the rigors of being on the road while maintaining, altering and repairing cars for the roughly six-month racing season.
Many of these transporters have been customized with aerodynamic as well as cosmetic alterations, some of which were done by Bruce Canepa Design of California. The white Kenworth T-600A is a Canepa modification along with the Kenworth K-100 from Personal Investment Group, Inc. The Penske Racing Freightliner cabover was modified by auto designer Larry Shinoda while the trailer was designed by Concept. The yellow Kenworth T-600A belonged to Galles-Kraco racing. The rare Western Star cabover was from A.J Foyt Copenhagen Racing as well as the beautiful black ’87 Kenworth T-600A. Another rare cabover, a Marmon, belonged to R&K Racing. KID Motorsports operated the snazzy White GMC/Volvo conventional.
It is truly a rare experience to be able to see all these eye-catching trucks together at one time, on one parking lot, and if you’re a fan of fancy race car transporters, gaining access to see them is a real treat.
The author would like to thank his wife, Dr. Jeanette Dickerson-Putman and her able assistant, Mari Irvine for their help in digitizing the original transparencies of the trucks.
The author would like to thank his wife, Dr. Jeanette Dickerson-Putman and her able assistant, Mari Irvine for their help in digitizing the original transparencies of the trucks.
Previous page: June Truck of the Month
Next page: April Truck of the Month