Kenworth
Kenworth Hall of Fame
Located in Alice Springs the Kenworth Dealer Hall of Fame comprises around 19,500 sq ft of display space devoted to the history of the Australian designed and built Kenworth, and the Dealer network that brings this product and back up support to customers across Australia.
Included on display is the first Australian built chassis, 400008, a K125CR delivered to AllTrans Ltd (Comet Division), as well as several other early Australian Kenworths. The most recent addition being a 2011 Kenworth T409 with a 2012 K200 cabover and T909 soon to arrive.
The Kenworth Hall of Fame also includes displays covering the history of each Kenworth Dealership, including such icons of the industry as the Brown and Hurley Group, CMV Group and others who’s history stretch back even further than Kenworth in this country.
Kenworth trucks were born tough.
They still are. Since 1965, Kenworth has led the way in what it means to be the world’s best when it comes to trucks that are safe, robust and reliable. From the very first Kenworth models imported from the US, to the iconic models designed, developed and built in Australia since 1971 and specially suited to our rugged terrain, Kenworths don’t just do the job – they last the distance.
A winning way
Driving our success – and yours – is a spirit and strategy that’s stood the test of time. The growth of Kenworth in Australia was very much in line with the growth of the Australian trucking industry itself. We started in Australia, in the 1960s importing custom built Kenworths from the US, supporting Australian drivers desperate for trucks with enough muscle to manage our steep, winding highways.
By 1971, we had established a factory in Australia and the first custom-built, Australian made Kenworth came off-line. Today, our local engineers still talk directly to customers so we know exactly what you need, and can build a truck just for you. Today we design and develop our trucks right here at home. At the same time, we can call on the global technical support and expertise of PACCAR – one of the world’s largest manufacturers of heavy-duty trucks.
It’s this combination of local experience and innovation, and international resources that makes us a market leader. And what makes your Kenworth the safest, smartest, custom-built investment on wheels.
Kenworth is an American manufacturer of medium and heavy-duty Class 8 trucks based in Kirkland, Washington, United States, a suburb of Seattle, Washington. It is a subsidiary of PACCAR, and is also a former manufacturer of transit buses and school buses.
Kenworth began its history in Portland, Oregon. In 1912, the company was founded by brothers George T. and Louis Gerlinger, Jr. as a car and truck dealership known as Gerlinger Motor Car Works. In 1914, they decided to build their own truck with a more powerful inline six-cylinder engine.
This was the first ever put into a commercial truck. The Gersix, as it was known, unveiled in 1915, was framed in structural steel, which along with its power, made the truck ideal for the rugged Northwest, where it was used for logging.
In 1916 the Gerlinger Motor Car Company moved to Tacoma, Washington. Seattle businessman Edgar K. Worthington was managing his mother's commercial building, where Gerlinger became a tenant, and became intrigued by the Gerlinger company. Worthington's tenant was doing quite well, or so it seemed, and the Gersix became a popular fixture in the Northwest. In 1917 Worthington and his business partner Captain Frederick Kent bought the Gerlinger business, renaming it the Gersix Motor Co.
In 1919 Kent retired from the business, and his son Harry Kent became Worthington's new partner.In 1922, Gersix made 53 trucks at its factory on Fairview Avenue at Valley Street. Under the new name, the company moved to 506 Mercer Street and later to 1263 Mercer Street. Trucks and motor coaches were assembled in individual bays rather than on a conventional assembly line. In 1923 Kent and Worthington reincorporated the business as the Kenworth Motor Truck Company.
The name was a combination of the two names "Ken" and "Worth", the same as the surname "Kenworth". In 1926 they started making buses, and in 1933 Kenworth was the first American company to offer diesel engines as standard in their trucks. In 1945 Kenworth was bought by The Pacific Car and Foundry Company.
In the 1989 James Bond movie Licence to Kill, James Bond drives a Kenworth Semi-truck as he duels drug dealer Franz Sanchez. In Licence to Kill, the producers had 6 Kenworth Trucks rigged for stunt work, but they only used one for the stunt which 007 raised the front of truck to protect himself from a fire.
Advantage Kenworth - The T409 Series  Take advantage of extra payload with thePRODUCTIVE T409SARTake advantage of fuel efficiency with theAERODYNAMIC T409The Kenworth T409SAR is a hard working quarry solution that can punch above its weight with a set forward axle which delivers bigger loads for your business. The Kenworth T409 is a sleek and flexible highway solution that delivers efficiency, productivity and a return advantage on your dollar. |
|||
 |
|||
