10-4 Magazine September 2023

Trucker Talk: By John & Kim Jaikes In keeping with the celebration of 10-4 Magazine’s 30th Anniversary, John and I got to take a trip back in time, and we did it without the help of Doc Brown and his DeLorean! Thirty years ago, Mack Trucks introduced the successor to the iconic SuperLiner. The Elite CL700 brought the legendary E9 V8 diesel powerplant into the era of the aero truck. Our fellow 10-4 writer Mark Harter was familiar with these trucks and went on a mission to find one for our 30th anniversary edition. Mark began by making a call to a fellow Mack enthusiast, Bob Daumer. Bob suggested Mark contact Doug Maney at the Mack Experience Center in Allentown, PA in hopes he might know of a customer that was still operating one of these impressive dogs. After Mark told Doug what he was looking for it was like the stars aligned. Doug said it just so happened the Experience Center had recently been given a 1993 Mack Elite CL700 from the test fleet at the Mack Trucks Hagerstown Powertrain Facility where it had spent its entire life. The story was initially going to be a historical look at this iconic rig, but it turned out to be so much more. John and I were initially going to Allentown to shoot the photos, and then Mark was going to write the story. The Mack Trucks Historical Museum is part of the Mack Experience Center and the former Test Track is at the same location. Mark asked Doug if it might be possible for John and me to take this Mack on a test drive as well, for the story, and he said, “Of course!” This changed everything and it now became our story, not just the photos. We were looking forward to this awesome opportunity, and can’t thank Mark enough for suggesting it. Talking to Doug and Mark on the phone, both are a wealth of knowledge. John drove a Mack from Pennsylvania to California and back to PA for one trip, but I have never had any experience driving or really being around Mack trucks. Being able to do something like this was going to be a first for both of us. Mark was adamant about this being so special because this truck is powered by a 550-hp E9 V8 Mack engine, and it is the only one in North America with the V-Mac II electronic engine controls on an E9. The electronic engine controls for the E9 were never introduced in the US market but are common in Australia. This truck is 1 of 2 built with the V-Mac II electronics, and the only one that still survives today. When John and I arrived at the guard shack to the Experience Center, the guard had our name tags printed out, and then directed us to where we would meet Doug. It’s an impressive entrance, with big Mack signs, and the iconic Bulldog welcoming you in. We saw the truck sitting out front waiting for us. Doug had told us they had her all cleaned up and ready for the photo shoot. It looked like rain was coming when we got there, but lucky for us, it didn’t come. At this point, Doug came out to greet us, giving us a walk-around tour of this Elite CL, since this was both John and I’s first interaction with a Mack of this era. We were both impressed by the fact that Mack hadn’t given the truck a fresh coat of paint. She is totally original to the day she rolled off the assembly line at Mack’s former facility in Winnsboro, SC, which was opened back in 1988. Her faded paint adds to her character, but it doesn’t take away from just how solid she was built. Getting up inside the cab, we were impressed by the special Elite interior. The seats are red velour and embroidered with a Bulldog on the side of each seat, which were extremely comfortable. The room between the driver and passenger seats is very nice, allowing easy access to get back into the stand-up sleeper, which had an upper bunk that was laid down, but it didn’t seem to take away too much room in there. There are three drawers behind the driver’s seat in a beautiful red wood finish, and the top of them is like a little nightstand, complete with a pull-out table above the drawers to make doing paperwork or eating easy. There is also a nice closet opposite the drawers to hang clothes. The quality and layout of the bunk was well thought out and would be very comfortable for everyday use. After our introduction to the Elite CL700 and its amenities, Doug took us to a part of the test track to kick off the photo shoot with a great background of tall trees and the sun peeking through the clouds occasionally – this old Elite Mack was shining in all her glory. The 76 10-4 Magazine / September 2023 A UNIQUE ‘93 BULLDOG