What has twenty-four cylinders, weighs 32,000 pounds and was outlandish enough to command US$12 million in a country where moneys no object for many of its residents?If you think the answer is this Thor24 crew cab semi built by stunt pilot and boat racer Mike Harrah, youd be absolutely right.Over the span of seven years and about US$7 million, Harrah constructed one of the most extreme vehicles let alone truck tractors ever to ply the face of this earth. The power developed by 1,704 cubic inches of displacement comes from a brace of two 12-cylinder Detroit diesel engines, arranged neatly like ducks in a row.There are a dozen 871 superchargers arranged above the blocks to push the beast to create a blistering 3,974 horsepower. It also packs a nitrous boost, allowing the 32,000-pound truck to crest 200 km/h. A quartet of 12-foot drag chutes help to reel in all that speed.Harrahs vision began with a Peterbilt 359 crew cab semi, a truck stretched to 44 feet in length to accommodate his plans. Once the frame was completed, most parts on the bottom side were replaced with chrome-plated or polished aluminum bits. From a visual standpoint, its a good wager there is nothing else in the world like Thor24. As if to put the exclamation point home, flames adorn Thors flanks because of course they do.A bidder at the Global Auto Salon auction, hosted by Worldwide Auctioneers in Riyadh this past weekend, paid a reported US$12 million for this 44-foot-long brute. Keeping in spirit with other custom big rigs, an auxiliary power unit is onboard. The unit is what else? a Hawker jet engine. Your author was on the ground at the Riyadh show, where Bugattis were as common as Corollas. In that context, perhaps Thor24 doesnt seem so outrageous after all. But make no mistake back here in a world that loosely approximates reality, Thor24 is a wonderfully brutish machine that has more road presence than a fleet of Jensen Interceptors.Well have more car stories from Saudi Arabia in the days ahead, including the tale of a man who bought a brace of heavily-patinad 57 Chevys and plans to take them on a 1,600-km road trip. Until then, enjoy these snaps of what is surely the wildest semi in
Origin: 4,000-hp Thor24 custom truck hammers for US$12 million in Saudi Arabia