Road Transport Hall of Fame - Alice Springs: Classic Restos - Series 56

Fletch returns to the Road Transport Hall of Fame Museum in Alice Springs, established in 1992. The Museum now includes the Kenworth Dealer Hall of Fame, which is a tribute to the trucks and their drivers who were instrumental in opening up Australia.

The Kenworth Dealer Hall of Fame is an 11,000 sq ft area dedicated to the Australian-built Kenworth trucks and the Kenworth Dealers across Australia. The display showcases the first-ever Kenworth, a K125CR known as ‘The Grey Ghost’, which was designed and built in the Bayswater factory in Victoria. These trucks were used for express freight by companies like Comet and Kwikasair between Australian major capital cities. They were equipped with a powerful V8 engine capable of reaching speeds of 100mph. Notably, they had no sleeping quarters or logbooks and were renowned for their high-speed tailgating antics along Australian highways.

The first ever K125CR built was tracked down in Sydney and underwent a complete restoration by the dedicated team at Kenworth’s home base in Victoria at a cost of $125,000. The original purchase price in 1971 was 12,000 pounds. Subsequently, Kenworth opted to allocate a portion of the funds from each new truck sale towards supplying a new model truck to the Kenworth Dealer Hall of Fame rather than investing in costly restoration years down the track. The Museum now has 47 trucks, including 21 new models.

There is an impressive Hall of Fame for dealers that continues to be added to, including a new addition recognising the role of women in the transport Industry as drivers and managers.

Nick, the CEO of the Road Transport Hall of Fame, mentions that the Museum now features a collection of classic cars. In addition to trucks, these vehicles also played a significant role in Australia’s motoring history. This diverse collection of vehicles aims to appeal to the broader interests of tourists, which is vital to Alice Springs and the Northern Territory. Notably, the Northern Territory Government granted 3.5 million dollars to the Museum to secure its future as a tourist destination for all.

The CEO extends a warm welcome to all those travelling to the Northern Territory, especially to Alice Springs.