Modern heavy-duty trucks don’t lack for capability or comfort features. Finally, you can now get a Ford Super Duty chassis cab in luxury Platinum trim. But when it comes to swagger, decades-old trucks have nothing on them.
There’s nothing on the market today that compares to this hot shot hauler that will be hitting the block in the near future mecum Auction in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on July 23. It is based on a 1988 Chevrolet 3500 and has been professionally converted into a mini semi truck with a fifth wheel and expanded second-row seating that also doubles as a sleeper. And it looks totally rad.
The truck has been decorated with a forest of period appropriate stripes and antennas. The modified cab curves back like a giant ducktail spoiler, and is topped by air horns. Massive chrome mirrors ensure good visibility when towing a trailer and complete inability to negotiate the drive-thru. In contrast to the exterior color, the interior is mostly various shades of brown (but that’s also not unusual for a truck this vintage), and also includes privacy curtains behind the cab.
The Hot Shot gets its hauling power from a 454-cubic-inch (7.4-liter) gasoline V8 that produces an estimated 230 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque. It is mated to a three-speed automatic transmission, and is powered by three fuel tanks to reach maximum range. It was one of the first squarebody Chevy pickups with throttle-body fuel injection instead of carburetors, GM made this switch in 1987. A previous owner also installed modern Garmin navigation and an aftermarket radio with satellite reception, so this truck should be a road trip beast.
Squarebody Chevy and GMC trucks are very common – GM has made them for almost 20 years – but the inevitable decline means that really clean trucks are starting to get expensive. Mecum did not publish a pre-auction estimate for this truck, so it will be interesting to see whether its unusual specification works in its favor or against it. A fifth-wheel truck certainly stands out on an auction listing that’s mostly comprised of muscle cars, but that could just mean this rig escapes the notice of the right kind of buyer for it.
Whatever the hammer’s value, hopefully the new owner won’t keep it hidden so we can all enjoy it in all its glory.
