Petes here. Petes there. Petes everywhere. So it goes when you throw a birthday bash for as beloved an old-timer as Peterbilt Motors Co. To mark the truck marque’s 75th anniversary, Pete enthusiast Rick McClerkin organized a little party late last year out at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds in Stockton, CA.
To get in, Peterbilt owners began lining up at dawn and soon their trucks were stretching for blocks in both directions along South Airport Way. Once inside, the trucks—351 in all—were carefully arranged to stretch up to four wide from one end of the fairgrounds to the other. On hand to take them all in were proud Peterbilt customers, enthusiasts and employees, past and present, numbering in the thousands.
The OEM described the roundup as “the largest collection of Peterbilt trucks ever assembled—and likely the largest collection of a single brand of vehicle ever gathered in one place.” With the exception of perhaps two or three, every Pete model ever built was represented, including the first 1939 chassis.
Along with enjoying all that sheet-metal eye candy, attendees could take part in a “peoples’ choice” truck beauty contest and attend a Peterbilt history presentation.
