It almost has pilgrimage status. The annual Clarendon Kenworth Klassic an hour north west of Sydney was bigger and better than ever in 2023. Whether you’re a ‘bug boffin’ or not, you can’t help but be impressed with the iron on show and the wonderful folk sharing and celebrating a love of road transport. I went in search of my particular Kenworth bent – old Ks and people who own them.

LOVIN’ THE 100 E

Adam Twyford is a key man in the Pambula-based Bobbins Transport operation, and like so many of us, when he’s not knee deep in running trucks, he’s spending time in and around trucks! His pride and joy is this 1990 Kenworth K100E ex-DM Transport from Goulburn near Canberra, that today wears his own Diesel and Co. Trucking name. The truck ran general freight to Sydney for the bulk of its work life – the classic gates-and-tarps Aussie gig.

“I just love K100Es, the high-rise dash, square headlights, all that stuff. It’s testament to its owners and their maintenance programme. All I’ve done is paint the chassis and hubs, polish her up.”

Under the cab is a Caterpillar 3406B, 13-speed overdrive Roadranger, and 4.3:1 rear ends, nowadays on air suspension.

Making the whole setup that little bit more special is the semi and two trucks on the back, all owned by Adam’s dad, who ran both the semi and the Ford in the business he was partnered in – each in different eras of course. The Ford wouldn’t cope with that big trolley! The International is a collection piece.

BOBBIN ALONG

Grandson to Bobbins Transport founders Neville and Lyn Bobbin, Dylan Egan drives one of the company’s T909 Kenworths. His assignment on Clarendon weekend however was the restored 1984 Kenworth K125 the high-profile family company runs out of its Pambula, New South Wales headquarters. Interestingly it’s not a lineage truck to the business, originally operated out of Cobram in Victoria by a carrier there.

Her days of running the main routes are behind her and today she’s used for local deliveries and ferrying loads into the terminal for the linehaul units.

“It was really tidy,” says Dylan. “We painted the chassis, polished her up and tidied up the pinstripes. That was about it. Oh, she had a ding up on the roof we repaired, but that was just an accident.”

Running a Cummin’s VT903 and 15-speed direct Roadranger with 4.3:1 rears on Reyco suspension, the K-model looked magnificent with its Freighter semi loaded and covered.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL

Gotta Go Trucking owner John Thierry is in possession of something special; nothing less than Will Shaw’s first Kenworth [Shaw’s Darwin Transport]. The moment you know that, all you can see is the lanky Englishman heading north out of Sydney towards Darwin.

The 1981 K124 lives with its owner in the Victorian town of Horsham and it’s so cool to know the truck is in safe hands.

Powered by a Detroit Diesel 8V92, today she runs an 18-speed double overdrive with 4.3:1 rears on air – another modern-era tweak to make life a little easier.

GOULBURN GOLDEN GIRL

Owned by Goulburn-based Graham Harrison since 2016, this 1984 K100 is now retired to the show scene. Graham recently replaced the old girl with a K200 model in his one-man business around greater Sydney, towing a reefer on pick-up and delivery operations in and out of DCs. The K2 adds a bit more power, comfort, and amenities to the working day.

That’s not to say he doesn’t love his old ride. New to Sydney-based Intercentre Transport PL, the truck runs a 350 Caterpillar 3406, 15-speed direct Roadranger, and SP400 Rockwells at 3.55:1 on Hendrickson suspension.

Back in her heyday, she would have been spotted plying the East Coast routes between all the major centres.