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Freightliner Century 120
by Tom Berg
Race fans! Do you remember when "stock cars" really were? When NASCAR cars could be driven to the track, compete hotly, then be driven home? That's about how it was in the early '50s, when stockers like Oldsmobile's Rocket 88 and the "fabulous" Hudson Hornet with Twin H Power were the cars to beat, but could conceivably carry six people on public highways.
Today's racing cars are purpose-built machines that have little relation to people, unless they're paying fans sitting in the stands or at home with their TV sets. The cars must be carried, and you've seen the racing teams' custom-built transporters with their fancy paint jobs and big crews.
Today's race trucks are also purpose-built vehicles, and maybe you've spotted the bright blue Number 77 racer run by Mike Ryan of North Hollywood, Calif., sitting on its transporter as it cruises down the road.
However, unlike NASCAR teams which have swarms of mechanics, "gofers" and hired truck drivers, Ryan, who competes in events like Bonneville Speed Week and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, drives both the pseudo-Freightliner racer and its real Freightliner tractor.
As you'd guess, among Ryan's many sponsors is Freightliner Trucks, which supplied pieces for the racer and, through its SelecTrucks operation, the pre-owned Century tractor. The racer, with its tubular frame, hot-rodded Mercedes V-6 diesel and ZF automatic transmission, has not been a winner this season. It spun out at Pikes Peak and failed to make the second of two required high-speed runs at Bonneville.
Here we'll focus on Ryan the truck driver and his '97 Century with its 70-inch "condo" sleeper. Ryan, a slightly built guy who walks with a limp left over from breaking his legs in a light-plane crash in the mid-'80s (he admits he ran out of gas), is as polite and pleasant a guy as you'll ever meet. You wouldn't guess he's really a stunt driver by trade.
Deal of a Century
His Century is something you could easily own, due to a collapsed market for late-model used trucks. This comfortable and powerful hauler, now with only four years and fewer than a half-million miles in its history, is worth less than half a brand-new tractor's selling price.
Scrape beneath that bright blue paint and you'll find C.R. England red. Symbolically it's red ink, for this is one of the many, many tractors that have returned from England and other fleets in pre-arranged buy-backs. SelecTrucks is making sweet deals on tractors like this, and in fact loaned this one to Ryan.
You're not likely to get such a deal, but you could buy one like it for well under 40 grand, according to ads, and have enough dough left over to do some upgrades like he has.
For instance, he took out the stock Bostrom high-back cloth-faced seats and put in a pair of Gray-Mag multi-adjustable chairs with leather covers. Yes, he got a swell deal on those, too, but you could do the same for under two grand cash, and would have some real cush for your tush.
From the drive axles he yanked off the dualed tires and installed a set of Accuride big single rims with Michelin X-One tires, same as he runs on the racer's rear axle. These are quick on a track, but their commercial advantages are lighter weight and lower rolling resistance for better fuel economy. Their diameters are the same as the stock 22.5s, so there's no change in overall gearing.
Speaking of which, the ratio on the Meritor rears is a fast 2.79 to 1 and the truck goes quite fast, even with the direct-drive transmission.
"This thing will go 89 or 90 miles an hour," Ryan confided as I was fuddy-duddying along the Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, Calif., at barely half that.
"I'm gonna have it cut back to 79, because I sometimes find myself driving that fast, which is not good because of what this is," a good-will exhibit for the 40 or so sponsors whose names and logos are plastered (Vinyled, actually) all over the rig. Sponsorship is what makes racing, amateur or professional, financially possible.
What Mike Ryan Really Does
By profession, Mike Ryan, 45, is neither trucker nor racer, but a Hollywood stunt driver. He spins and crashes cars on cue for movies and TV commercials.
"I once shot a car off the end of the Huntington Beach Pier," he related as we cruised by the landmark concrete structure jutting into the Pacific in northwest Orange County, Calif.
"It worked great. I had stripped out the powertrain and had had it steam-cleaned, of course, and had divers standing by and a crane standing by," so there were no environmental consequences. This kind of thing "pays the bills" so he can go after speed records.
But he drives the Freightliner as smoothly as any gear jammer I've ever met, covering about 50,000 miles a year to race venues and appearances on behalf of his hobby and the industry. He also maneuvers the 70-foot rig with its Landoll hydraulic equipment trailer into tight places for photo shoots. This one for Road King, though, was easy.
Specifications
Tractor: Freightliner Century C12064ST, 120-in. BBC, w/ 70-in. Raised Roof double-bunk sleeper
Engine: 12.7-liter Detroit Diesel Series 60, 450 hp @ 1,800/1,650 lbs-ft. @ 1,200 (estimated)
Clutch: Meritor Lite Pedal 15.5-in. two-plate
Transmission: Meritor RS10-155A, 10-speed direct
Front Axle: Meritor 12,000-lb. FF-981 front on parabolic leaf springs
Rear Axles: 40,000-lb. RT-40-145 on Freightliner AirLiner air-ride, w/ ConMet aluminum hubs and 2.79 ratio
Brakes: Meritor S-cam w/ Centrifuse drums and Meritor Wabco ABS
Wheelbase: 229 inches
Tires & Wheels: Michelin XZA-1 275/80R22.5 front, X-One 445/50R22.5 rear, on Accuride
aluminum discs
Fuel Capacity: Twin 100-gallon aluminum tanks
Trailer: 48-foot Landoll equipment hauler with hydraulic tilting drop-deck and sliding axles
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