Event: Mack 50th anniversary — Part 1

By: Dean Middleton, Photography by: Dean Middleton

Date: 24.11.2022

Where it all began — the very first Mack assembled in New Zealand back in 1972

My personal favourite of the show was this sensationally restored Kaitaia Timber Mack Superliner

It doesn’t get much better than this stunning Mack Cruiseliner in McNeill colours loaded with the company’s classic Mk2 Mack Superliner

A superb Wilson Livestock Mack Ultraliner six-wheeler flat deck

It often felt like being in a time warp with so many makes and models restored to an ‘as new’ condition. This Coca-Cola liveried Mack Midliner was a perfect example.

There were plenty of modern gear on display as this stunning Mainfrieght contracted Gadsby Haulage Mack Superliner attested to

Mack Transport’s immaculate R-Model named ‘Boss Dog’

Somebody pinch me, I thought, as one stunning Mack example after another drove past my camera during the convoy from Truckstops in Palmerston North to the Manfield raceway in Feilding

Pace Contracting’s Mack Superliner, ‘Paw Patrol’ — wow, just wow!

Three Mack Ultraliners pose in the sun after the show

PTS Logistics had their massive Mack Titan heavy hauler on display

J. F Dixon’s mean Mack Ultraliner livestock truck

Allied Petroleum’s mint CH Mack, which has been well nurtured during its retirement in recent years

Brittons House Movers’ impressive line-up of Macks, old and new

An interesting matt finish paint scheme seen on this Grun Contracting Mack Ultraliner

Every Mack cabover model available in New Zealand, from the original F-Model to a Mack Quantum

Two beautifully recently restored Macks: an R-Model in Shell livery alongside an RB in Tuapeka Transport livery

Rows and rows of Mack mania pleased every truck enthusiast who travelled far and wide to take in the monumental event

Everyone involved in the show definitely deserved a DB

Where it all began — the very first Mack assembled in New Zealand back in 1972

My personal favourite of the show was this sensationally restored Kaitaia Timber Mack Superliner

It doesn’t get much better than this stunning Mack Cruiseliner in McNeill colours loaded with the company’s classic Mk2 Mack Superliner

A superb Wilson Livestock Mack Ultraliner six-wheeler flat deck

It often felt like being in a time warp with so many makes and models restored to an ‘as new’ condition. This Coca-Cola liveried Mack Midliner was a perfect example.

There were plenty of modern gear on display as this stunning Mainfrieght contracted Gadsby Haulage Mack Superliner attested to

Mack Transport’s immaculate R-Model named ‘Boss Dog’

Somebody pinch me, I thought, as one stunning Mack example after another drove past my camera during the convoy from Truckstops in Palmerston North to the Manfield raceway in Feilding

Pace Contracting’s Mack Superliner, ‘Paw Patrol’ — wow, just wow!

Three Mack Ultraliners pose in the sun after the show

PTS Logistics had their massive Mack Titan heavy hauler on display

J. F Dixon’s mean Mack Ultraliner livestock truck

Allied Petroleum’s mint CH Mack, which has been well nurtured during its retirement in recent years

Brittons House Movers’ impressive line-up of Macks, old and new

An interesting matt finish paint scheme seen on this Grun Contracting Mack Ultraliner

Every Mack cabover model available in New Zealand, from the original F-Model to a Mack Quantum

Two beautifully recently restored Macks: an R-Model in Shell livery alongside an RB in Tuapeka Transport livery

Rows and rows of Mack mania pleased every truck enthusiast who travelled far and wide to take in the monumental event

Everyone involved in the show definitely deserved a DB

The 50th Mack Anniversary Show and celebrations has been a much-anticipated event for some time, and for the organisers, participants, and general public, it certainly did not disappoint.

The majority of the trucks gathered early at Malden Street outside Mack and Motor Truck Distributors (MTD) dealership and travelled in convoy to the Manfield event centre in Feilding.

If you’re a truck enthusiast, this show was a must-see, and if you’re a Mack enthusiast, the event was nothing short of mind-blowing. Dozens of examples of all makes and models of the Mack brand were on display from the 1970s right through to the present day; in fact, more than 172 bulldogs stood proud on the fronts of the immaculate trucks on display.

The Mack-organised event was to celebrate 50 years of Mack Tracks in New Zealand from when Motor Truck Distributors assembled the first truck in Palmerston North back in 1972.

The venue was also great, with more than 50 trucks on display inside the events building and the remainder parked outside on a beautiful sunny spring day.

Walking through the impressive line-ups, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in a time warp through the decades, such was the standard of restoration and preservation of the classic trucks. If that wasn’t enough to excite the senses, attendees could wander next door to the racetrack to watch car and truck racing event throughout the entire day.

This event showcasing Mack Trucks in New Zealand for 50 years was world-class, and I, for one, am out of expletives to describe exactly how sensational it really was.

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