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Monday, 28 November 2011 12:30

Peterbilt Truck Fan Builds R/C One-Man Big Rig

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  • 12:30 pm  | 
  • Wired November 2011

Photo: Baerbel Schmidt

Luca Bordin likes American trucks. A lot. More than Merle Haggard, even. Sadly, America’s unique breed of smoke-spewing diesel-guzzlers won’t fit down the narrow streets near his home in northern Italy. “European trucks are small and dull in comparison,” Bordin says. He couldn’t have a hulking Peterbilt 359, so he spent nine months constructing the next best thing: a 3-foot-tall remote-controlled facsimile that’s accurate down to the miniature blue-and-gold vintage California license plate. Bordin’s 400-pound iron and fiberglass replica looks and sounds utterly authentic. Hundreds of LEDs light up the cab. A nightclub-style fog maker puffs faux exhaust out of twin smokestacks. A pair of speakers emit a rumble worthy of a 400-horsepower engine, while a mini compressor pumps out air at 145 psi to re-create two distinct types of horn blasts. The 750-watt electric motor is even strong enough to tow an actual Nissan Patrol GR SUV. Bordin is now putting the finishing touches on an A/V system for the 16-foot-long Nascar-branded trailer. When completed, the trailer will open to reveal a 22-inch LCD and a speaker array that Bordin can fire up with his remote control. Presumably, he’ll treat his neighbors to impromptu screenings of Smokey and the Bandit. Dieci-quattro, good buddy.

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French (Fr)English (United Kingdom)

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