60 years of the R model in Australia

Freshly flogged from Facelessbook Kyabram Mack Muster page

60 years strong! This week’s Mack Facts celebrate the R Series, the model that shaped Mack’s history in Australia.

 1. The most popular Mack series ever built, the legendary R Series truly put Mack on the map, or more accurately, on roads all around the world! While this summary from Mack Inc. captures the global story well, it doesn’t quite reflect the unique Australian history. The last locally built R variant was the Australian-designed Metro-Liner, which rolled off the Richlands production line in December 1996, just over 31 years after the first R Series left the Rocklea facility in October 1965.

 2. In Australia, Mack Trucks Inc. began local manufacturing in early 1963, producing the legendary B Models at the fledgling Rocklea, QLD operation as fast as demand could be met. But operators were soon calling for more performance, greater driver comfort, and increased hauling capacity, paving the way for the R Model, the perfect evolution and worthy successor to the B Model. The first two trucks were imported in mid-1965, an R403 and a more powerful R609. The photo shows the first R609 in Allentown in 1965, ready for shipment to Australia.

 3. Almost 9,000 R Series trucks were built in Australia in an incredible range of configurations. Starting with the ever-popular R609, powered by the tough END711 engine, through to the heavy-duty R800 off-road model, the R Series proved it could handle virtually any hauling task in the harshest conditions. It’s only fitting that such an achievement is celebrated, marking 60 years of the R Series in Australia! The hero photo features the very first V8 R Series delivered locally, owned by Smiler Nilon.
 

 

Paul

There was a neat R600 tipper parked outside on Monday ......when he took off ,it was air start ........cant be many left.

Paul, that second picture, was that a b double, be fore they were a thing?

Tony Champion of Rockhampton QLD is probably Australia's, and maybe the world's, best conservator of the Mack history. Here is a link to my Flicker album of my visit to his facility in August of 2015. The R-800 in one of the first back lot pictures is now restored and there was an article about it in a recent ATCA Double Clutch Magazine.
www.flickr.com/photos/202196441@N04/albums/72177720323557337

V8Ian wrote:

Paul, that second picture, was that a b double, be fore they were a thing?

it does look a bit that way 


Paul
 

This R on crane duty in Sydney a couple of years ago.

 

The double looks more like photo shop.

Mammoth "The double looks more like photo shop." 
Not impossible, but I have seen another picture of the same truck and load, taken from a different angle. 

Hi,

the image has been manipulated, read had a filter applied, to make the truck stand out from the background and then had the text added. So yes it is has been Photoshop'ed, but the truck hasn't been doctored to have an extra trailer etc.

Terry