10-4 Magazine September 2023

10-4 Magazine / September 2023 77 gold Bulldog on the hood signifies that this truck is a pure-bred Bulldog with a Mack engine, Mack transmission, Mack air-ride suspension, and Mack rear-ends. Doug pointed out (and I took pictures of) all the Bulldogs I could find on many parts all over the truck, like the exhaust manifold, the end of the air cleaner tube, the air bags, the suspension parts, and so many others. It is so cool! Then it was time to take her for a run around the test track. John went first and was impressed how tight the Mack 18-speed transmission was, the smooth ride and handling, and the power of that big V8 under the hood. He would have been happy to “crash the gate doing 98” and take that dog for a long walk to California and back! John really liked the idea of the vent on the driver’s side door – it’s like a bunk vent, and would let air flow in the summer to your feet. He also really liked the way the side box was under the bunk and the pouches in the side box doors. The engine doesn’t have the roar of a CAT, but it does have the bark of a dog! John really liked this dog and would scratch its neck anytime. When it was my turn to drive, I was impressed by how smooth it shifted and just how close the transmission gears are – I compared it to driving a Corvette. There was lots of power, great handling, and good acceleration when shifting up through the gears. The dashboard is well laid out and the gauges are easy to read. The ashtray up on the dash shows she was born in a different time period. Overall, it handled well, and the rig’s acceleration was quick and smooth. The Elite package could be bought on a CL600 or a CL700 at the time, but