Impeccably maintained, one owner and with low kilometres for its age, this 1987 Mercedes 2233 V Series is a rare find – and one that owner John Carroll is glad he got his hands on.
Growing up in Ireland, John was surrounded by trucks and heavy machinery throughout his entire childhood. He came to Australia in February 2007 and worked in construction, before starting his own machinery and truck hire business in 2013, called Carroll Plant and Haulage. As he explained,” I came to Brisbane for a one year working holiday and never went home.”
John says his father Pat Carroll was a truck driver and “always had a thing for Mercedes”.
He set out to find a Mercedes truck he could do up and use as a show truck.
John named the truck ‘Hiker’ in honour of his truckie dad. Image: John Carroll“I searched for months and months, but couldn’t find one I liked,” he revealed. “Then I found this one for sale at the Mack Volvo dealership in Newcastle. I rang and enquired about it, then purchased it off them and got it delivered here. I bought it based off the pictures – I hadn’t actually seen it for myself.”
So when it arrived, was the truck what John had expected? “It was all that and more,” he said.
The truck came from the Ellerston Pastoral Station in the Hunter Valley, where it was used to transport horse floats.John purchased the truck in October 2018. It had come from the Ellerston Pastoral Station in the Hunter Valley, which was owned by the late Kerry Packer.
It was one of two Mercedes trucks the Packer family had originally purchased brand new and used to transport horse floats.
Those trucks were traded in for newer models and that’s when John came across the V Series.
“There was only about 508,000 kilometres on the clock when I purchased the truck, so it’s a bit special to have it in that original condition. All the interior is original, other than having the seats reupholstered because they were ripped,” explained John.
“Obviously we’ve done stuff to the exterior to make it look flashier for the truck shows, but it’s still pretty unique.”
Mechanically the truck was already very sound, so didn’t require much work. However John spent the next couple of years doing the truck up.
At the 2024 Matty Hillcoat’s Truckies Day Out, the truck got first place in the Best of the Rest – Cabover category. Image: John Carroll“It took me nearly two years to get the truck to where it is today. I started working on it in early 2019, then didn’t take it to its first truck show until 2022. That was the Matty Hillcoat’s Truckies Day Out, and we got third place in the Best of the Rest – Cabover category. Rather than doing everything all at once, I did the truck up bit by bit,” he said.
“I haven’t touched the engine or anything mechanical. I’ve done things like replacing the fuel tanks, the front bull bar, new mudguards, new wheel rims, new tyres and things like that – so nothing major.”
John named the truck ‘Hiker’ after his dad, who is now 73. “When he was driving trucks, that was his nickname. It’s what everyone knew him as.”
Asked where the name stemmed from, John explained, “Dad used to do drama, acting in plays and stuff, and he did this play once where he was the main character – the play was called The Hiker. And that name has stuck.”
John may soon need a bigger trophy cabinet. Image: John CarrollAnd his father Pat is a big fan of the truck too. “He absolutely loves it. He was supposed to come here while I was doing the truck up around 2020-2021, but with Covid, he couldn’t come out, so we sent him a video. He came here in July last year and that was the first time he got to see the truck.”
Since John began taking The Hiker to truck shows, it’s been to around 10 so far and has taken home numerous awards along the way. He also takes the truck to the St Patrick Day Parade each year too.
The most recent truck event John attended was the Brisbane Convoy For Kids earlier this month, where he drove his Mercedes in the convoy.
In October he attended the Matty Hillcoat’s Truckies Day Out, where his truck won the award in the Best of the Rest – Cabover category. While at the Gold Coast Truck Show in September, the truck won the Best European Truck category.
John’s kids with the Hiker at the St Patricks Day Parade, which John attends each year. Image: John CarrollAdding to the trophy cabinet, the truck also took out Best Tribute Truck at Wondai Truck Show last year; and for the past two years’ running came third in the Best Mercedes category at the Brisbane Convoy for Kids.
John added that his kids Saoirse (11), Erin (8) and Niamh (5) also love the Mercedes truck too. “Every now and then, I’ll take one of them with me when I do the convoys. They know if one goes to this show, then someone else gets to come next time!”
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