trucking heritage
BUNT TAKES A PUNT Already a Mack fan, Brian Bunt was on the lookout for a restoration project, eventually locating an ex-Tasmanian Super-Liner log truck that was on its last legs. The intensive rebuild took three years, as Warren Aitken discovers 52 FEBRUARY 2021
OWD_337_052-56_FEA_Bunts Superliner_GB.indd 52
I
’m willing to go to some pretty extravagant lengths when it comes to chasing down a story. I’ll set an early alarm and sacrifice much-needed beauty sleep. I’ll do a full day on the road and then still pack up my camera gear and go shooting. I’ve even missed some of the Bathurst 1000 in order to catch a photoshoot. I do however draw the line at taking my camera gear out in the rain. I’m far too protective of it for that. My Nikons are like my children, if I had or even liked children. I protect them from elements, I try to protect them from falls and injuries, and I most assuredly keep them safe from Canon shooters. It’s what a good parent does. I always assumed this would be a steadfast rule as well: if it’s raining, I’m staying inside and my Nikons are not getting wet. There is nothing I would risk my babies for, or so I thought. On a recent trip into NSW, however, it turns out there is one thing that I would not only jeopardise
my carefully styled hair for but also place my beloved Nikons in the middle of Mother Nature’s moody path – an immaculately restored 1986 Mack Super-Liner. When I say immaculate, I mean seriously immaculate. This Super-Liner was too much to pass up. Let me introduce you to ‘Never Late in a V8’ and the team behind it. Big bonneted Super-Liners are a crowd favourite, no matter where they go. Their significantly staunch look, their intimating size and their spine-tingling air start are just a few of the traits that have made them an Aussie icon. Throughout the years there has been some immaculate restorations done in various different guises. The award-winning restoration job by Brian Bunt definitely has to rank up there with the best. From a well-worked logging truck in Tasmania, Brian has restored the 1986 model back to almost better than original condition. Not bad for a man who’s trucking legacy began with
ownerdriver.com.au
27/01/2021 12:35:32 PM
