There’s an awesome new vehicle on the off-road scene in South Africa. And no, we’re not referring here to the mighty ex-Dakar Pajero. It’s a massive Freightliner truck. And this beautiful Argosy is causing a real stir.

The reason why is quite simple. Never before has such a large and impressive vehicle embarked on an off-road racing career in South Africa. Ah, we here the sceptics say… surely the Argosy is not actually going off-road racing? Nope, it’s not. But, without the Argosy, the mighty Pajero of Buks Carolin and Hennie ter Stege would never make it to the finish line. (See “Precious Cargo”.) The fact of the matter is that the Argosy is just as important to the team as the French mechanic, Jean-Louis Andre, who flies to South Africa to prepare and service the Pajero for each race. This is because, sans the Argosy, the Pajero wouldn’t even make it to the start line!
The Pajero doesn’t actually get DRIVEN to each race, you see. It’s ensconced in comfort, in a 14 t trailer towed by the 9t Argosy.
And, while the Pajero gets the red carpet treatment at the back of the rig, its driver - Slabbert Maartens (a sales representative for Freightliner Truck Centre in Zandfontein) – gets the royal treatment up front.
“I love this truck,” he says unabashedly. “It’s just like driving a luxury car. It’s an absolute pleasure to drive to and from the races (which are often hundreds of kilometres from DaimlerChrysler’s headquarters just outside Pretoria). I don’t drive the truck because it’s part of my job, I do it because I really want to. Furthermore, I love motor sport and this was the perfect opportunity to get involved.”
Maartens says that, given the awesome power and torque of the Argosy’s C-15 CAT motor (a dazzling 435 hp at 2 100 r/min and a huge 2 237 Nm of torque at 1 200 r/min), each journey to and from the race is accomplished with ease. “Naturally, I come across other trucks from time to time. Sometimes they are inching along the road, at a really low speed. But they are no problem. Despite the trailer behind the Argosy, it’s easy to overtake. Then I just pull away from them,” he reveals. The Argosy, which was imported from the Freightliner plant in North Carolina, USA, is of mid roof design. The striking combination of chrome on white enhances the aggressive styling of the grille and chrome lined rounded headlamps. All of these wonderful aesthetics serve to disguise the devil of a motor that hides under the 90° tilt aluminium cab. Add a trailer, sporting the large Mitsubishi Pajero signage, and you have a breathtaking all-round package. The race truck is essentially a standard vehicle, featuring a Tuftrac suspension, Jacobs engine brake and 15-speed Eaton-Fuller gearbox. In addition to transporting the Pajero, the trailer also carries two Mitsubishi Colts, which also take part in the South African off-road championship. A clever ramp design allows these 4x4's to fit snugly and safely while being transported on around the country.