A glimpse, however fleeting, of Kenworth’s newest product has done enough to whet the appetite of operators across Australia.
It may have only been on public display just for a few days at the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show, and it may have been the subject of a brief ordering window lasting just one day last week, but the response to the 2021 Kenworth Legend SAR has probably taken even the most optimistic PACCAR enthusiast a little by surprise with more than 700 firm orders reported to being placed for the celebratory model.
If nothing else it gives clear indication of the current strength of the Australia Heavy Duty truck market.
Following the outstanding response to the Legend 950 in 2015 and the Legend 900 in 2017, the timing of the debut of the Legend SAR is aligned with Kenworth celebrating 50 years of manufacturing trucks in Australia.
The 50th Anniversary Edition Legend SAR is modelled on the iconic W900SAR, built and sold in Australia from 1975 until 1985 which was the first Kenworth model designed, engineered and built in Australia specifically for Australian operating requirements.
While more than 45 years have passed since it first went into production and other SAR models have ensued, the allure of the original ‘SAR’ still remains and is reignited with the release of the third in the series of Legends, the Legend SAR.
“The truck not only commemorates 50 years of proudly manufacturing Kenworth trucks in Australia, it symbolises what was a turning point for local design and engineering and the custom-build philosophy that Kenworth is still renowned for today,” said Brad May, Director Sales and Marketing at PACCAR Australia.
The Legend SAR includes a full suite of heritage style limited edition features including a split flat windscreen B-series cab providing extra headroom and seat travel, and numerous exclusive trim details which extend to the Cummins X15 engine being specially painted in a beige colour to commemorate Cummins’ heritage.
The interior of the Legend SAR has a premium feel and features diamond pleat trim with ‘Legend SAR 50th Anniversary Edition’ embossed into the rear wall and door trims and a wooden plaque on the glove box lid to identify the unique build number of each truck.