You could argue that International Sightliner was a truck ahead of the times with styling that must have seen downright futuristic in the late 50’s and early 60’s. With unrivaled BBC measurements and a cab that offered a second windshield by the feet of the driver the Sightliner was the logical choice for an intercity delivery truck.
This old Sightliner was able to catch the eye of movie producers when they began casting for a futuristic vehicle. Back in 2011 Hugh Jackman starred in a movie called Real Steel, a movie with a plot that combined the best of the films Rocky, Over the Top, and Johnny Five. Set in the near future, (2020’s?) robot fighting has become an international sporting phenomenon with Jackman traveling the country as a small time competitor using the Sightliner as his base of operations. The truck you see below was used in every scene in which a truck was called for, there were no stunt doubles or spare trucks used for just the moving shots, this rig did it all. Recently for sale on ebay, this International found its way into the fleet of a local collector and remains intact as it was seen in the movie including the functional robot repair bay.
I remember when Real Steel first came out and a friend, with very little truck knowledge, approached me excited about what they had just seen on the silver screen. They couldn’t wait for me to see the movie so I could catch a glimpse of the “very futuristic” truck created for the film. I didn’t have the heart to tell them the truck was already 60 years old by the time the movie was filmed to say nothing of its age according to the movie timeline!
While I generally don’t cover too much of the tractors that show up at the truck show I had to watch as this Michigan 55A wheel loader was unloaded. It seems like it would be a useful machine to have around the home.
Below, the near final group of photos from the 2016 show. Tomorrow we’ll have an ATHS Hudson Mohawk version of Autocar Mondays and then the book will close for another year on this great show. Thank you to all those that volunteer at the show and those that bring out their trucks. It wouldn’t be the show it is without you!