After Starring in a 1978 Classic, This Hero Truck Was Crushed Into a Cement Mixer

One of the most famous trucks in American movie history sits inside a museum in St. Louis. Black paint. Tank trailer. The duck on the hood. Thousands of visitors stand next to it every year believing they’re looking at the hero truck from Convoy. But they aren’t. In the 1970s, trucking wasn’t just transportation — it was culture. CB radios. Billboard country hits. Prime-time television. Hollywood stunts done without CGI. And the trucks were real. In this episode of Retro Reel Rides, we trace the true fates of four legendary rigs from the golden era of American trucking cinema: • The smoke-belching Peterbilt from Duel that launched Steven Spielberg’s career • The green Kenworth from Movin’ On that hauled real freight long after NBC cancelled the show • The red-and-white cabover from BJ and the Bear — hiding a welder’s forgotten signature • And the black Mack from Convoy that was converted into a cement mixer… and destroyed These weren’t replicas. They were working machines. Driven hard. Modified for stunts. Sold off. Scrapped. Saved. Restored. Some survived because collectors cared. Some were unknowingly preserved. And one still carries explosive blast marks from a 1978 bridge sequence. Most Hollywood vehicles disappear quietly. These didn’t. If you appreciate real steel, practical stunts, and the mechanical legends of the 1970s — this is your era. Build Your Own Movie-Style Stance If you’re upgrading your truck or going for a more aggressive road presence, here are the exact types of components that change a vehicle’s stance and geometry: • Wheel Spacers — Wider, more aggressive stance: https://tinyurl.com/ksp-wheel-spacers • 2.5” Front Leveling Kit — Eliminate factory rake: https://tinyurl.com/ksp-leveling-kit • 3” Suspension Lift Kit & Control Arms — True height + articulation: https://tinyurl.com/ksp-suspension-li... • Forged Aluminum Upper Control Arms — Strength + proper alignment: https://tinyurl.com/ksp-control-arm • Factory / Stock Replacement Lug Nuts: https://tinyurl.com/ksp-lug-nuts (These are affiliate links that support the channel at no additional cost to you.) — If you want full sourcing, restoration documentation, and behind-the-scenes research notes for every episode, members get access to the complete archive and vote on future investigations. The trucks from our last episode are still missing. But these four made it back. Subscribe for more forgotten machines from the era before CGI. #TruckingHistory #Convoy #Duel #BJAndTheBear #MovinOn #ClassicTrucks #RetroReelRides #PracticalStunts #70sCinema #AmericanTrucking