Famous Trucks Featured in 6 of Our Favorite Movies
Grab some popcorn and get ready to check out some of our favorite flicks that star popular big rigs and big time truckers. These commercial vehicles rolled on to the set of Hollywood blockbusters and put on a show with high speed, power, and stunts. Commercial Truck Trader is sharing six famous trucks featured in our favorite movies.
1. Freightliner FLC-120 – Big Trouble in Little China
Big Trouble in Little China may have flopped at the box office when it made its debut in 1986, but it’s since become a cult classic with Kurt Russell starring as trucker Jack Burton. Russell’s character enters an underworld of sorcery and kung fu fighting beneath San Francisco’s Chinatown. The movie gets its start with Russell driving into the night while behind the wheel of a 1985 Freightliner FLC-120, otherwise known as “Pork Chop Express.”
2. Mack Super-Liner – Cars
While it’s considered a kids’ movie, it seemed like everyone, including long haul truckers, loved seeing Mack on screen during the 2006 summer hit Cars. The animated automobile film from Pixar features the red 1985 Mack Super-Liner voiced by John Ratzenberger, who has also starred in 22 other Pixar films, as well as the classic show Cheers. Mack is tasked with transporting the protagonist Lightning McQueen to the racetrack, while cruising down the road with a hood that resembles a trucker hat.
3. Mack RS-712LST – Convoy
Inspired by C.W. McCall’s country western song, Convoy takes pride in trucking and outlaw antics, and turned out to be a big hit with audiences in the ‘70s. Kris Kristofferson leads the convoy as Rubber Duck, driving a Mack RS-712LST. On their cross-country roadtrip, nothing can stop these truckers, as they brawl in a bar, rampage through roadblocks, and level buildings.
4. Tatra T815 – Mad Max: Fury Road
Fury Road was the fourth installment in the Max Max franchise, and while it stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, “War Rig” delivers the scene-stealing performance in the 2015 movie. A Tatra T815 with a number of vehicle upfits and lethal add-ons you wouldn’t find on the road starred as a tank truck causing turmoil while it drifts across the desert in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. In fact, the iconic vehicle played a big part in getting this explosive film 10 Academy Award nominations.
5. Kenworth W900A – Smokey and the Bandit
One of the highest grossing movies of the 1970s, Smokey and the Bandit is now considered a classic, thanks in part to its use of a Kenworth W900A used to bootleg beer across state lines. The 1977 action/comedy and road movie stars Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, and Jerry Reed as the semi-truck’s daring driver “The Snowman.” While plenty of attention is given to Bandit’s Pontiac Trans Am, the real star is the ’70s Kenworth with an unforgettable paint job featuring a stagecoach scene as it hauls its precious cargo down the highway.
6. Western Star 5700 – Transformers
Part robot, part alien, full-on hero that saves the day, you could consider Optimus Prime a whole other kind of hybrid in the Transformers comic books, TV shows, and feature length movies. There are several incarnations of Optimus Prime transforming into different trucks, including one make that’s among the top commercial vehicle brands. On screen, you may notice Optimus Prime hauling down the road as a Western Star 5700 in blue and red flames.
Marketplace Inventory
These big rigs are top performers on the road and at the movies, putting on a show while hauling loads, pulling off stunts, and hitting high speeds. And while they’re great on screen, you should see what these vehicle brands—or similar makes and models—can do when it comes to powering your business’s commercial fleet. Start shopping for new and used commercial trucks today from a nationwide inventory at CommercialTruckTrader.com and NextTruckOnline.com.
Ryan Miller
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