Transtar was the name International Harvester used for its Class 8 highway tractors from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, in both cabover and conventional form. The name was revived by Navistar in 2007, and today’s TranStar is a separate regional-haul truck.
International Transtar at a glance
| Maker | International Harvester |
|---|---|
| Name used | 1965–1985 for International Harvester trucks |
| Role | Class 8 highway tractor |
| Cabover line | CO-4000 from 1965, Transtar from 1968, Transtar II from 1974 |
| Cabover engine (1968) | IHC DVT573 turbocharged diesel V8 |
| Super Transtar (1970) | Detroit Diesel 12V71 V12, loads up to 144,000 lb |
| Unistar (1970–1972) | all-wheel drive with a freewheeling front axle |
| Transtar II engines | IHC V800, Detroit Diesel 8V92, Caterpillar 3406, Cummins to the KT-450 |
| Conventional models | Transtar 400 (1969), 4270 and 4370 (1971) |
| Successors | CO-9670 in 1981, International 9370 in 1985 |
| Revived | 2007, as the Navistar TranStar |
Written from the English Wikipedia article on the Transtar, a single source; the article also covers the later Navistar truck of the same name.
History of the International Transtar
The Transtar name grew out of the CO-4000 cabover, which International Harvester introduced in 1965 to replace the DCO-400 “Emeryville”. The CO-4000 had a larger, wider cab and a big trapezoidal grille, a shape that International used on its cabovers into the late 1990s. For 1968 the CO-4000 was updated and given the turbocharged IHC DVT573 diesel V8 as standard, with Cummins and Detroit Diesel engines as options; internally it was the CO/COF-4070A, or COF-4090A with a raised cab, and it was marketed as the Transtar.
Two more cabover models followed in 1970. The Super Transtar used a Detroit Diesel 12V71 V12 and was rated for loads of up to 144,000 lb. More unusual was the Unistar, an all-wheel-drive tractor with a freewheeling front axle that was powered only when the system detected that the rear wheels had lost traction; it was sold through 1972. In 1974 the cabover was upgraded again as the Transtar II, the CO/COF-4070B. Visually the two were very similar, though the Transtar II can be recognised by windscreen wipers mounted at the top of the cab.
Under the cab the engine list changed to suit the trend towards larger-displacement engines. International replaced the DVT573 with its own turbocharged V800 diesel V8, Detroit Diesel brought in the 8V92 in place of the 12V71, Caterpillar supplied the 3406 six and Cummins offered several engines including the 1,150 cubic inch KT-450, one of the largest engines ever fitted to a roadgoing vehicle. The Transtar II CO 4070 was discontinued in 1981 and replaced by the CO-9670, the first of the Newport Series cabovers, which shared little with the Transtar beyond the trapezoidal grille.
The conventional Transtar was a separate line. In 1969 International introduced the Transtar 400, an update of the 1961 D-400 fitted with the cab of the DCO-400 “Emeryville” cabover and a long bonnet. In 1971 it was replaced by the Transtar 4270 with a short bonnet and the 4370 with a long one, both completely new designs with a much larger cab that was shared with the Paystar introduced in 1973. The 4370 was updated and renamed in 1985, dropping the Transtar name to become the International 9370, the first model of the 9000 series. Navistar revived the TranStar name in 2007 for its 8000 Series regional tractor, a truck unrelated to the International Harvester machines apart from the name.
Design and features
- Trapezoidal grille: the CO-4000 face that lasted on International cabovers into the 1990s.
- Big engines: from the DVT573 and 12V71 to the V800 and the 1,150 cubic inch Cummins KT-450.
- Unistar: all-wheel drive with a front axle driven only when the rear wheels slip.
- Super Transtar: a 12V71 V12 version rated for loads up to 144,000 lb.
- Two cab styles: the cabover and the conventional 400, 4270 and 4370.
International Transtar versions
- CO-4000 (1965): the cabover that began the line.
- Transtar cabover (1968): CO/COF-4070A, later COF-4090A.
- Super Transtar and Unistar (1970): V12 and all-wheel-drive versions.
- Transtar II (1974): CO/COF-4070B with a revised engine range.
- Transtar 400, 4270 and 4370: the conventional tractors.
The Transtar sat above the Fleetstar and was replaced by the S series and its successors in the heavier classes. More trucks are in the collection.
Video: International Transtar cabover
Video by john imburgia on YouTube.
Sources
- International Transtar, English Wikipedia: cabover and conventional history, engines, Unistar, successors
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