Legendary OKA off-road trucks return

Legendary Australian all-terrain truck maker OKA is making a comeback. The West Australian builder of some of the most off-road capable trucks ever produced Down Under is now in new hands and starting to ramp up production of new four-wheel drive and six-wheel drive off-road trucks and expedition vehicles.

Local businessman Dean Robinson, who previously supplied parts for OKA vehicles, bought the OKA brand and associated assets in 2017 and under the new OKA All Terrain Vehicles (OKA ATVA) banner, is taking orders including custom-built options for production of new OKA trucks at the Perth production facility.

As well as parts and servicing, OKA All Terrain Vehicles is currently offering remanufactured versions of OKA R-Series and NT-Series trucks, and is working on a new OKA RT-Series model that will have similar dimensions but more technology and off-road capability than previous OKA models. Buyers will have the option of four- or six-cylinder engines, four- or six-wheel drivetrains and up to 8000kg GVM.

The new OKA all-terrain trucks will be fitted with the latest Cummins diesel engines and Allison automatic transmissions, Dana diffs, leaf springs, solid axles and huge tyres up to 42in.

OKA displayed a prototype R-Series 6x6 Cab Chassis at the Big Boys Toy show in Perth in early-2020, and also recently signed up to the 'Australia Made' logo program.

The Perth business recently had a turn-key single-cab cab chassis OKA for sale for $150,000, plus on-road costs, but most trucks will be built to order and it's currently building a six-wheel drive motorhome with big-capacity water and fuel tanks, which will cost around $400,000 when finished.

While originally aimed at mining companies and government departments, OKA trucks with their unique long-travel suspensions, compact 2.0m wide bodies and big payloads quickly gained a following with outback tour operators as well as RV travellers looking for a go-anywhere motorhome.

The West Australian company was founded in 1986, and achieved success selling around 500 trucks including single-, dual and multi-cab configurations and with truck, van, bus and motorhome bodies. before going into administration in 2011.

Many OKA trucks remain on the road today, with well-known RV writer and former OKA owner Collyn Rivers describing the Aussie tough trucks as having "legendary reliability."

Writing in his latest book 'How to choose and buy an RV', Rivers says he drove his OKA motorhome across "Australia via dirt tracks for much of the way from Broome to Sydney and back (some 14,000km return) over 12 times without a single breakdown".

Rivers reckons "any good OKA now sells for way over twice its new price", and there's an 11-year-old OKA with pop-top motorhome body and a claimed 70,000kms, currently advertised for $195,000.

Click here for the OKA website.

Related reading:
2020 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 5023: Review
2020 Iveco Daily 4x4: Quick spin
2019 Iveco Daily 4x4: Review