The Legend of Rubber Ducks and Bulldogs—Mark R Series Trucks

When I thought about writing about the Mark R series models, I was really excited and didn’t know what to say. So before reading this article, I want to share a song with you first. Listening to this song and reading this article can make you feel the scene of American trucks racing on the highway in the last century.

Mark B series trucks

Let’s first talk about the past and present life of the Mark R series. What kind of truck is it? In fact, the Mark R series was born as early as 1966. It was born to replace the early Mark B series trucks. The sales volume of the Mark B series in North America is very impressive, and its influence is also very large. It is an extremely classic pointed truck and still has a large number of fans today. However, as road transportation develops towards long-distance, the B series seems to be unable to meet its expectations.

The glory days of the Mark R series were from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. Because from the early 1950s to the late 1970s, highways in the United States developed very quickly, taking into account the connection between cities and not ignoring the needs of remote areas such as wilderness. The Mark R series models grew up under this background and quickly became the main force in American road transportation, establishing the legendary status of Mark trucks in North America.

With the launch of the Mark R-series trucks, there are also Mark's Maxidyne engines and Maxitorque transmissions. The Maxidyne engine's maximum horsepower exceeded that of any other standard diesel engine at the time, and its horsepower curve was more perfect, improving fuel efficiency and reducing the need for gear changes. The Maxitorque gearbox was also born with the Maxidyne engine. Next, we will introduce some very classic Mark R series trucks.

In 1978, a movie called "Convoy" was released in the United States. The movie tells the story of the protagonist "Rubber Duck" driving it in order to resist the corrupt American police and unwritten road traffic laws. truck embarked on the road to escape. On the way, he talked with other truck drivers through the American Truck Drivers' CB radio. After knowing his purpose, the truck drivers joined him one after another and formed a large convoy to cross the United States.

As a big fan of this movie, I naturally like the truck driven by the protagonist. The protagonist Rubber Duck drives a Mark R series model RS712-SLT. This car is specially built for the western United States and uses a steel cab. It belongs to level 7 in the US GVW level (weight between 11.8-15 tons) and is a lightweight tractor with 6×4 drive.

The RS712-SLT in the movie is painted in all black, with a fully surrounded bullbar and double-layer bumper added to the front. The three-dimensional bulldog sculpture on the hood was transformed into a rubber duck by the crew, which is humorous but very personal. A nearly vertical air deflector is also added above the cab, which will actually make the vehicle consume more fuel, but it does have a lot of personality.

There is a square sleeper cabin behind the cab. This car does not use shiny silver chrome wheels as decoration. Instead, it uses black two-hole wheels, which looks more solid. In addition, the ultra-long wheelbase drags a flat two-axle oil tank. Anyone who has seen this car will definitely say that this is the best-looking Mark R series.

The chase between the Mark RS712-SLT and the Jaguar E-Type is also a story not to be missed

The Mark RS712-SLT is equipped with a Mark's "cutting-edge turbocharged" inline six-cylinder Engine, maximum power 283 horsepower. We can often hear the deep and powerful sound of vehicles in the movie, but the sound is a bit like the sound of a Detroit diesel engine. Matched with the engine is a 10-speed Fuller manual transmission.

In the movie, not only "Rubber Duck" drives a Mark R series truck, there are also other Mark R series trucks in the movie. Just like the car in the picture above, it adopts 4×2 drive form and should be a Mark R400 series model. The R400 series is the smallest tractor among the Mark R series heavy trucks and is not suitable for long-distance transportation.

The protagonist drives a Mark R series, while the supporting character drives Mark’s flat-top flagship "Mark Cruise Line" from the 1970s. We do not rule out that the movie has "chafan" elements, but there are still many American trucks that we have never heard of but are very handsome, such as Brockway 361TL, Diamond Reo? Royale, Diamond T921, Wanguo Trucks such as Transport Star and Chevrolet C60.

Next we return to the main line. Because of the success of the Mark R series, Mark launched Mark's new flagship model "Super Route" based on the R series in the late 1970s. The appearance of this vehicle is very close to the American trucks we see today. The exterior design is very unrestrained and avant-garde, but the frame of the vehicle still adopts the design of the Mark R series, and some changes have been made in some power configurations and designs. However, this model was discontinued in the early 1990s, and its production time was much shorter than the Mark R series.

There is also a very special model under the Mark R series, but its naming rule starts with U and uses an offset cab. The U series models are very popular in special fields.

Mark later even launched an independent DM series based on this model and combined with the short hood model. Of course, the U series is just another representative model. Each R series model has a very detailed model classification based on sales area and purpose.

In the end, the R series broke Mark's historical record. It continued to be produced for 39 years and was completely discontinued in 2005. The reason for the suspension of production is likely to be the backwardness of the platform, or it may be the interference of external factors. However, many R-series models have not withdrawn from road transportation. To this day, a certain number of Mark R-series are active in North America and even around the world, influencing American road transportation for more than half a century.

The "rubber duck" RS712-SLT introduced in this article is just a very classic case. The Mark R series models appeared many times in movies from the 1970s to the 1990s. The various types derived from the R series represent its influence, and its sales volume fully proves its status in the hearts of users. Today's Mark is no longer the bulldog that conquered American roads. He has foreign blood flowing through him. This change is a bit regrettable.

There are also use cases of the Mark R series in China. After learning this news, R series enthusiasts must go and take photos. In the following article, the author will give you a detailed introduction to the Mark R series Bulldog truck on the left in the picture above, which has traveled across the ocean, so stay tuned.

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.