SHOW REPORT: LAS VEGAS
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• One of the biggest attractions at the show was a long-nose Peterbilt 379 conventional with a Caterpillar 3412 engine. That's right, a vee12, displacing 28 litres and pushing out 1,400hp (1,044kW), blueprinted and meeting federal emissions standards. The Peterbilt is intended for the owner-operator who just has to make the ultimate trucking statement, with a bonnet extended by 18 inches, 1948-pattern wings and lowered suspension. It can return 6-7mpg in regular freight operation, though it weighs a massive 22,90016 (10.4 tonnes). The list price is $199,990. Still, its creator says he will be building at least six replicas for sale—perhaps with a roof chop and lowered glass.
Engine builders pour on the power
• A battle royal is shaping up between the engine manufacturers. Cummins has overhauled its range, with the Intellect Series (ISB, ISC and ISM) bringing communications technologies to engine electronics. Caterpillar is counting on the C-12, while Detroit Diesel has a 550hp (410kW) Series 60 displacing 13.9 litres which should come on line early next year. Cummins displayed the Signature 600 which is due to start production this month, while Kenworth showed a 565hp (421 kW) version of the Signature with a lower 2,508Nm (1,850Ibft) torque rating—rather than the 2,780Nm (2,050114t) of the 600—to suit drivelines that are lighter and anything up to $9,000 cheaper in the final truck. For the same reason, Caterpillar is releasing a lower torque version of its 15.8-litre, rated at 570hp (425kW) and 2,508Nm (1,8501b4). • Diesel land speed record holder Joint Venture is nominally a Freightliner Century Class, though the two-stroke 71-Series Detroit engine is relocated behind the cab. With two blowers and four
turbochargers there's enough power on tap to hit more than 200mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats. • Volvo's VN car carrier shows the American approach to moving cars. The prime mover (with a lowered roofline) carries Five cars, while the trailer attaches low in the rear on a "stinger" coupling and carries seven more. The rising popularity of 4x4 cars has demanded increasingly versatile hauling equipment.
_ Freightliner's Phoenix is a remanufactured conventional; it starts out as a three to fouryear-old International 9800 cabover and is rebuilt as a low-priced day-cab tractor for a second service life.
• Mack's ProTech model CH concept truck features lightweight components, state-of-the-art electronics and a 460hp, unit-pump E7 engine.