Highwayman’s Truck

Two days in a row was just not enough to cover everything I wanted to say about the Highwayman. Actually it was the perfect amount of time for me to talk about the pilot movie, but during the time I spent re-watching the pilot and researching the show I found something very, very interesting and I had to share it. The semi used in the Highwayman show was just put up for auction on the Auctioneer Express website. The auction ended on March 31st and there is no indication if the reserve was met or not. Regardless of who the current owner is, the website has a number of pictures showing the rig in its current condition.

This was the first picture I had seen and despite some extra paint, it was still the big rig that I had fell in love with the first time I had seen Terror on the Blacktop. Sure the flames were new and the windows on the trailer where a little strange but I didn’t think anything of it. As I kept reading about the history of the truck after the show was canceled things started making more sense.

As you can see from this side shot, more then windows have been added to the trailer, there is also a side door. The person who owned it before this auction was converting it into a mobile home. A tub and toilet were being installed in the back of the trailer. Could you imagine camping and seeing this pulled up in one of the RV slots? The conversion from helicopter truck to recreational vehicle didn’t get very far though. So far we’ve only been looking at the outside, sadly the interior hasn’t held up as well.

Remember how I mentioned that a lot of the futuristic control panels were lifted directly from Knight Rider? Well here is what it really looked like inside the cab. Obviously it wasn’t this trashed in 1987 but it was still a far cry from what I imagined it would be. The auction website lists all the mechanical issues the truck has, but I think this picture sums up its condition better then me listing all the parts that need fixed or replaced. Needless to say it would take a lot more money then I have to get it operational again.

I’m including this picture just because I think it is fascinating to see what was behind the driver’s seat. You can actually get back into the trailer from there which is pretty cool.

Here is a view of the trailer’s insides. That’s the toilet bowl in the lower right hand corner. The side door is just past the windows to the right. The doors at the far end actually lead back into the cab. So the trailer insides were mainly just a work in progress; a blank slate for the next owner to play with.

I’d love to tell you that I was the winner of the auction and I’m currently converting the trailer to a mobile office for That F’ing Monkey. I’m going to travel from convention to convention and do all my updates directly from my awesome Highwayman truck. Sadly, that is not the case. So who ever did end up owning this truck; take care of it please, it deserves better then this.

More Terror on the Blacktop

Welcome to part 2 of our walkthrough of The Highwayman’s pilot movie, Terror on the Blacktop. Yesterday we ran part 1, but I’ll start with a quick recap of what we know so far. Merrick runs the town of Gallico. He somehow wronged the rest of his war buddies, who called themselves the Blue Bullets. To get him back the Bullets robbed the bank and took 10 safety deposit boxes full of Merrick’s money. The leader of the Bullets, Bo Ziker is arrested but the money was apparently the money was hidden before he was arrested. How will the Highwayman sort it all out? Read on, I promise that it only gets stranger from here.

Terror on the Blacktop

They say he came into this world from someplace off the clock.

And his mother was an ice-cold wind; his pa a fiery rock.

It's told that on some starless nights his rig could up and blow,

And folks who say they saw it coming swear they didn't see it go.

Now you hear a lot of legends told when you ride the long hard slab,

From some who say the man is good and some who say he's bad.

But all agreed who've ever tried to play a cheatin' hand;

You only get one chance to draw against "The Highwayman."

Today we look at the pilot movie for the 1987 TV show, the Highwayman. Strap in and take a look at what blew away my 11 year old mind. As with all movie reviews, this is a long one, but with a line up like Sam Jones, Claudia Christian, Jimmy Smitts, Richmond, G. Gordon Liddy, and Rowdy Roddy Pipper you won’t want to miss it.