Archive, Truck Reviews

BTS 19: Mack’s Big Dog Birthday

It was a happy birthday present as punters got a glimpse of the highly anticipated Anthem

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It’s now 100 years since Mack started selling trucks in Australia, yet rather than looking back at past highlights, the focus in Brisbane was all about the future.

Front and centre was the much anticipated and somewhat overdue Anthem.

It’s not available yet and there’s still no definite timeline for its introduction as Mack continues testing and validation processes.

Nonetheless, an Anthem display with a walk-through cab layout at least showcased the benefits this more modern Mack brings to the breed, not least a much needed stand-up sleeper for most models in the Mack range, particularly Super-Liner.


Read about our report of the Anthem from the USA, here


The only other Mack at the dog show was a B-double concept unit.

Arguably the highest conventional cab ever shown to an Australian audience and with a uniquely styled and heavily raked hood, the prototype has been developed to fit Mack’s big bore MP10 16-litre engine into a shorter bumper to back-of-cab dimension to satisfy 34 pallet B-double roles.

Bris Show - Pic G1.JPG

Mack’s current contender for 34 pallet B-double work is the Trident model but limited to the 535hp output of the MP8 13-litre engine (the 16 litre simply doesn’t fit), the bulldog struggles to satisfy the market’s performance demands.

According to several sources, customer response to the big bore, high-rise prototype was extremely positive. Certainly positive enough to continue with development plans.

We’ll being staying tuned on this one.

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Photography: Steve Brooks and Nathan Duff

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