The K100 was Kenworth’s long-running cab-over: a heavy truck with the cab above the engine, which allowed a longer trailer within the same overall length. It appeared in 1961 under the name K900, was renamed K100, and became the company’s main cab-over tractor for four decades.
Kenworth K100 at a glance
| First shown | 1961, together with the W900 |
|---|---|
| Original name | K900, later renamed K100 |
| In production from | 1963 |
| First revision | K100C, 1972 |
| Second revision | K100E, late 1984 |
| Distinguishing feature of K100E | rectangular headlamps |
| End in North America | phased out after 2002 production |
| Australia | model line kept in production into 2004 |
| Sleeper | Aerodyne cab of 1976, first factory sleeper with stand-up headroom |
| Maker | Kenworth, a PACCAR company |
History of the Kenworth K100
For 1961 production Kenworth revised its whole commercial range. Together with the conventional W900 it launched the K900, a cab-over that was later renamed K100. It shared its doors with the W900 and, compared with the earlier K500 it resembled, had a taller cab. Series production began in 1963.
The model was revised twice in a major way. In 1972 the cab-over became the K100C; in late 1984 it became the K100E, recognised by rectangular headlamps, with the changes centred on fuel economy, road handling and reliability. In 1976 Kenworth had already given the K100, along with the W900, the Aerodyne sleeper cab, the first factory-produced sleeper with stand-up headroom; it was introduced with the VIT customisation series, of which 50 trucks were built for the American Bicentennial.
Demand for Class 8 cab-overs fell away, and in North America the K100E was quietly phased out after 2002. Kenworth Australia, which had been building right-hand-drive trucks in Melbourne since 1968, continued the model line into 2004. The K-series cab-over idea did not disappear: the K500 of 2006, built on C500 chassis with a DAF XF cab, became the largest cab-over the company had ever produced.
Design and features
- Cab-over layout: the cab sits above the engine, which shortens the truck and leaves more room for the trailer.
- Shared doors with the W900: the cab-over used the doors of the conventional model.
- Rectangular headlamps: the visual mark of the 1984 K100E.
- Aerodyne sleeper: from 1976 the first factory sleeper cab with stand-up headroom.
- Long Australian life: built in Australia until 2004, two years after the end of North American production.
Kenworth K100 versions
- K900 (1961): the original name of the model.
- K100: the standard cab-over after the rename.
- K100C (1972): the first major revision.
- K100E (1984): second revision, with rectangular headlamps.
- Aerodyne: the high-roof sleeper version of 1976.
The K100 was the cab-over sister of the W900, and its Australian descendants are covered in the K104 and K108 page. The air-sprung T600 later took over the aerodynamic role. More trucks are in the Kenworth collection.
Sources
- Kenworth, English Wikipedia: K900 of 1961, K100C and K100E, Aerodyne of 1976, end of production
- Kenworth K100, Russian Wikipedia: production from 1963, revisions, end of production in North America and Australia
