Event: Kenworth 100 Years — Part 1
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756 Kenworths at one venue for a single event. Possibly a world-beater.
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Hawkes Bay Heavy Haul won best cabover at the show with this stunning K200
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P.G.F’s superb line-up
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John Lockleys brought along four immaculate Kenworths; the prize for best 2010 until today went to the SAR Legend
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Arguably one of the most iconic trucks ever to grace NZ roads, Lendich Construction Canadian 1975 W924 looking every bit as good as it did when I last photographed it back in 1989
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Main Line Distribution’s sensational T909
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Rotorua Forest Haulage had the largest line-up at the show, incorporating trucks from sister company, Watchorn Transport
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Gleeson and Cox’s smart line with a brand-new SAR Legend sitting in the pavilion for the big night
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Bailey Trucking’s recently restored 1985 W925 in the Smokey and the Bandit theme, complete with a Black Mustang in tow
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A NZ icon parked beside an icon, parked bedside another icon…
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Few liveries gleam in the sun like Williams and Whilshire, and this line-up did not disappoint
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Steve Martin’s brand-new T610 was hidden away in the pavilion and was only allowed out to play with the photographers after the main dinner event
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Porter Haulage’s K200 loaded with precious cargo
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Sean Thompson’s immaculate line-up of loggers
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There are not too many line-ups that include an original SAR and a SAR legend. Uhlenberg brought along just that.
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Altranz’s super impressive line-up
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There were plenty of old legends on display and plenty of new legends to boot
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Vowles Transport’s K200 Fatcab flanked by more of the Kenworths in the fleet
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Britton’s T909 loaded with their old-school C500
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TKO Contracting’s three Kenworths were a TKO — Technical Knock Out
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756 Kenworths at one venue for a single event. Possibly a world-beater.
|
|
|
|
Hawkes Bay Heavy Haul won best cabover at the show with this stunning K200
|
|
|
|
P.G.F’s superb line-up
|
|
|
|
John Lockleys brought along four immaculate Kenworths; the prize for best 2010 until today went to the SAR Legend
|
|
|
|
Arguably one of the most iconic trucks ever to grace NZ roads, Lendich Construction Canadian 1975 W924 looking every bit as good as it did when I last photographed it back in 1989
|
|
|
|
Main Line Distribution’s sensational T909
|
|
|
|
Rotorua Forest Haulage had the largest line-up at the show, incorporating trucks from sister company, Watchorn Transport
|
|
|
|
Gleeson and Cox’s smart line with a brand-new SAR Legend sitting in the pavilion for the big night
|
|
|
|
Bailey Trucking’s recently restored 1985 W925 in the Smokey and the Bandit theme, complete with a Black Mustang in tow
|
|
|
|
A NZ icon parked beside an icon, parked bedside another icon…
|
|
|
|
Few liveries gleam in the sun like Williams and Whilshire, and this line-up did not disappoint
|
|
|
|
Steve Martin’s brand-new T610 was hidden away in the pavilion and was only allowed out to play with the photographers after the main dinner event
|
|
|
|
Porter Haulage’s K200 loaded with precious cargo
|
|
|
|
Sean Thompson’s immaculate line-up of loggers
|
|
|
|
There are not too many line-ups that include an original SAR and a SAR legend. Uhlenberg brought along just that.
|
|
|
|
Altranz’s super impressive line-up
|
|
|
|
There were plenty of old legends on display and plenty of new legends to boot
|
|
|
|
Vowles Transport’s K200 Fatcab flanked by more of the Kenworths in the fleet
|
|
|
|
Britton’s T909 loaded with their old-school C500
|
|
|
|
TKO Contracting’s three Kenworths were a TKO — Technical Knock Out
|
The Kenworth 100 Event commemorating a century of the brand’s excellence at the Mystery Creek Events Centre was a long time coming
The year 2023 marked the worldwide anniversary of Kenworth Trucks, but for various reasons (including COVID), New Zealand distributor Southpac Trucks Limited set the event dates from 1 to 3 February 2024.
Was it worth the wait? The resounding answer would be yes. This trucking event was like none other I’ve been to. Armed with a media pass, I was fortunate enough to see most of the 756 Kenworths arrive and leave the event three days later.
The number of trucks of the same brand in one place is colossal in itself, however, even more sensational is that the event has been reputed as being the biggest gathering of a single truck brand at any event in the Southern Hemisphere, perhaps even the world.
Did Southpac nail this event? Again, the answer is yes. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event. Southpac certainly did its part to make this event a success, but let’s not forget the commitment of the attendees.
This was in itself an amazing achievement in both their time and the financial cost of bringing the trucks from all over the country, not to mention having the working trucks off the road instead of being out earning revenue in what’s a tough industry to be involved in at the best of times.
The show was open to the general public on the Saturday, and people came in their droves. For the entire morning, cars were lined up for more than a kilometre in each direction from the venue, patiently waiting to get in and see the spectacle.
The event culminated in a black-tie dinner on Saturday at the Mystery Creek Pavilion, and this was where many brand-new Kenworths that had been kept under wraps had a grand unveiling.
Selecting photos to include in a feature article can be an arduous task, but none more so than an event of this magnitude. It was so much so for the Kenworth 100 that we have decided to select some more favourites from the massive event to feature in the next edition of Deals on Wheels.
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