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Evel Knievel has a previous Mack. T’was a haul rig and it truly was something marvelous. It had endured the roughness of existence unlike anybody had ever known. Anybody except Evel had ever known. And yet, t’was idyllic. An iconic transporter for the most dangerous stunt person in the face of the planet. Wouldn’t you want to be on that ride? 

I sure would. The very benefit of driving with Evel Knievel is that he must have the best stories about his travels. And his Mack too. Just imagine how prolific it must’ve felt to drive the man. It must have been a sight to behold.

When operating the truck with Evel Knievel inside, who knows what delights must have come your way? 

Robb Mariani is the man who handles the driving machine of Evel Knievel these days. Furthermore, Mariani’s business in the matter was driven by his deep-rooted love for commercial automobiles like this truck. Absolutely “trucking’s biggest fan.”

Simultaneously, Evel Knievel had his 1974 Mack become reborn on the”Finding Evel” episode, Season 2. It had premiered in September of 2011. 

Mariani and crew cleaned up the 1974 Mack FS700L cabover and it’s Post Coach living quarters, while being rescued from the weeds. The trailer came across while still showcasing faded signage of Knievel’s touring days. Regarding his days of motorcycle-jumping among other daredevilry. 

A year later, the truck and trailer is now at Wike’s shop. The steering has been locked, the fuel tank is full of dirt and yet, Wike starts up the Cummins engine. This, of course, is after plenty of clean-up and trial and error. Plans for the rig at the time includes a cab replacement, where a replacement cab had been located. They also brought back the painting to Knievel’s original red-dominated scheme, to replace what Knievel apparently had before. It was now seen with the red and blue of the original paint colors when he went on his European tour late in his career.