End of the road seen for limited edition Peterbilt

Diesel Progress North American Edition, July, 2004

Peterbilt Motors Co., Denton, Texas, said it will end production of its special edition 379X truck in December of this year. The limited edition mink was introduced by, Peterbilt in '03 as a premium on-highway vehicle for the owner operator.

"When we brought it out it was to be a limited edition model," said Todd Acker, on highway branch segment manger for Peterbilt. "We didn't want to limit it by the number that we built but we did want to limit it by the time that we built it."

Designing the Model 379X, Peterbilt pulled out all the stops on its polished aluminum-on-chrome detailing featured on the front and rear fenders, hood centerline trim, grille, Texas style bumper, air cleaners, 7 in. exhaust stack, extended sun visor and interior accents. "We wanted it to maintain this exclusive mystique about it," said Acker. The truck also features a number of customization options to truly tailor the vehicle to the operator. "There were some components there that had to be specified," said Acker, "hut the rest of it can be customized like any other Peterbilt can."

Specs for the chassis include Caterpillar's C10, C12 and C15 engines rated 305 to 525 hp or Cummins' ISC, ISL, ISM and ISX engines ranging from 225 to 565 hp. Chrome polished Donaldson air cleaners adorn the 379X and as Acker explains, "are almost like a jewel on the side of our trucks." Cooling is provided by 1270 sq.in. Modine radiator with a front-to-back configuration.

The drivetrain includes 13- or 18-speed Eaton Fuller manual transmissions and Dana Spicer front and rear axles. A series of tag and pusher axles are also available. Air braking systems are provided by ArvinMeritor or Eaton along with suspension options by Peterbilt. The truck has steel or aluminum wheels and Bridgestone or Michelin tires.

The truck's 70 in. Unibilt UltraCab has a charcoal and grey duo color interior, leather Ultraride seats, brushed aluminum dash and trim accents, full length sleeper cabinets and four-spoke steering wheel with leather wrapping. LED lighting trims the cab.

Production of the vehicle will cease at Peterbilt's Dentou facility following the end of its offering period in December. "As a special edition, it had to at some point in time go away," said Acker. "If we didn't do that, it would have stayed around as a mainstream product and that's not what we were asking for with this particular product."