Wheels at Wanaka 2021 was an eccentric, eclectic melting pot of automotive machinery, one of the best we’ve seen anywhere. There were 120-plus-year-old steamtraction engines, some of the heavy machinery that built the past century, and modern trucks in the mix. The opportunity to see all these machines on display and in action was awe-inspiring.

And while these trojans were strutting their stuff, overlooking them all was this International AR-160 perched atop the hill at the centre of the Three Parks venue.

Produced between 1953 and 1956, the International R series consisted of light-, medium- and heavy-duty models. This AR-160 would’ve sat right in the middle of the five-model medium-duty range (R-140 to R-180). The A indicates it was built at the International manufacturing facility in Dandenong, Melbourne, Australia.

As standard, the R-160 was powered by the company’s 108hp (80kW), 240cu.in. (3.9-litre), Silver Diamond 240 in-line six-cylinder petrol engine. It would have had a GVM of 14,000lb (6350kg).

The International R-series was prolific in Australia and New Zealand during the 1950s and 1960s as the trucks were ideally suited to the requirements of the day.