The Autocar Construcktor was the company’s construction truck, earlier sold as the KK93. The Construcktor 2 of 1977 matters beyond its own sales: it was the first Autocar to use the cab of the White Xpeditor, a cab that later appeared on the ACL and ACM conventionals.
Autocar Construcktor at a glance
| Maker | Autocar, a White Motor Corporation brand |
|---|---|
| Earlier model name | KK93 |
| KK series | construction model from 1974 |
| Construcktor 2 launched | 1977 |
| Layout | Conventional, engine ahead of the cab |
| First cab of the type | White Xpeditor cab on the Construcktor 2 |
| Plant | Exton, Pennsylvania |
| Cab reused on | Autocar ACL and ACM, 1988–2001 |
| Also in the range | A64, A75 and A102 lightweights, AP extreme-duty |
There is no Wikipedia article on the Construcktor; the page is based on the two marque articles only. The video shows a surviving Construcktor 2.
History of the Autocar Construcktor
From KK to Construcktor
Autocar had been part of the White Motor Corporation since 1953 and built its trucks at Exton, Pennsylvania. In 1974 the company added the KK, a model for construction work, to a range that already included the aluminium lightweight A64, A75 and A102 conventionals, the AP extreme-duty trucks with planetary axles and the C and CK models. The construction line was later renamed Construcktor, and the earlier KK model became known as the KK93.
The Construcktor 2 of 1977
In 1977 Autocar launched the Construcktor 2. Most Autocars of the period still used the Autocar Driver Cab, the cab the company had built since 1950, but the Construcktor 2 took a different one: the Xpeditor cab that had just been launched by sister company White. That made it the first Autocar with the low, flat-fronted cab that would define the brand’s severe-duty trucks for the next two decades.
What came after
The Xpeditor cab proved to be the shape of things to come. When production moved to Ogden, Utah, in 1980 and Volvo took over White’s US assets in 1981, Autocar kept the cab in service: the ACL and ACM conventionals of 1988 to 2001 used it, and Volvo eventually sold the Xpeditor designs with the Autocar brand to the GVW Group in 2001. The Construcktor itself was not carried over into that generation; the ACL and ACM took its place in the conventional range.
Design and features
- Construction specification: the Construcktor was aimed at site and construction haulage rather than long-haul work.
- White Xpeditor cab: from 1977 a flat-fronted cab from sister company White replaced the traditional Autocar cab.
- A name with history: the Construcktor carried over the role of the KK construction model introduced in 1974.
- Shared cab shell: the same cab later went onto the ACL and ACM, so body parts and layout were familiar to operators.
Autocar Construcktor versions
- KK (1974): the original construction model of the White years.
- KK93: the designation the Construcktor was known by before the rename.
- Construcktor: the renamed construction truck with the Autocar Driver Cab.
- Construcktor 2 (1977): the version with the White Xpeditor cab.
The Construcktor 2’s cab went on to the ACL and ACM and to the Xpeditor cabovers. Its lightweight stablemate was the A64. More trucks of the marque are in the Autocar collection.
Video: Autocar Constructor-2 Part 3
Video by SRX on YouTube.
Sources
- Autocar Company, English Wikipedia: KK and Construcktor names, 1977 Construcktor 2, Xpeditor cab, later use
- Autocar (Fahrzeugmarke), German Wikipedia: White years, Volvo takeover, sale to GVW
