A Mack fit for a sultan

Unveiled just before the recent Brisbane Truck Show, this stunning Mack Super-Liner is a royal ride fit for a king – or for His Majesty, the Sultan of Johor, to be precise.

When the Sultan of the Malaysian state needed a truck, not just any old banger would do. Apparently His Majesty had already decided it had to be a Mack, and so Sultan Ibrahim Ismail beat a path to Mack Trucks Australia to consider his options.

After a steady stream of telephone calls and emails between the Sultan's offices and Mack Trucks Australia, the project got underway in earnest, with a Mack Super-Liner produced at the Mack factory in Brisbane then handed to a crack team of customisation experts at Viking Trucks.

Powered by Mack's 16-litre, 685hp MP10 engine and mated to Mack's mDRIVE 12-speed automated manual transmission, the truck rides on a Mack FXL16.5 steer axle and Meritor RT46-160 drive axles.

A Primaax RADD-A4P air suspension system smooths the bumps while a custom 89-inch sleeper provides plenty of comfort while away from the palace.

The Viking Trucks team weaved its custom magic to take the Super-Liner to a new level of regal style, all set off by a superb custom paint job incorporating the flag of Johor, the head of a tiger, and the Sultan's royal crest. It's a three-layer airbrush scheme, while the eight layers of pearl paint have been followed by six layers of clear coat.

The royal crests sewn into the seats comprise some 72,000 stitches and use real gold thread, and the leather and suede was imported from South Africa just for this job.

The timber for the interior and exterior decking was painstakingly installed over three months and the hand-built rear bumper features a hidden electric tool panel.

Blue lighting adds to the truck's magnetic allure after dark, while the luxurious cab features two televisions, two iPads, an Xbox and a Sony PlayStation 4, plus a kitchenette with stone benchtop and a solid Jarrah timber floor.

All up, a total of 30 men dedicated themselves to the Sultan's Super-Liner, and their collective efforts speak for themselves.

The Sultan's love of all things automotive is well documented – he has an extensive car collection and also loves riding motorcycles. Now, with his Mack Super-Liner, he has the ultimate prime mover, which will go to work as the ultimate tow tug to transport His Majesty's boat – a similarly luxurious craft with matching paint scheme, of course!