SAR is the name Kenworth Australia uses for a line of its bonneted conventionals. The original W900 SAR was built from 1975 to 1987; the name was carried into the T404 SAR and T408 SAR, it is still offered in the T410 SAR and T610 SAR, and a SAR Legend was released in 2021.
Kenworth SAR at a glance
| Name | SAR, a Kenworth Australia conventional model |
|---|---|
| Original model | W900 SAR |
| Built | 1975–1987 |
| Later models | T404 SAR and T408 SAR |
| Current models | T410 SAR and T610 SAR |
| SAR Legend | 2021, over 700 orders |
| SAR Legend engine | special-edition Cummins X15 in Cummins Heritage Beige |
| Built in | Bayswater, Victoria, Australia |
| Range | T range: bonneted conventionals |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on Kenworth; the SAR models are described there in the Australia section, so this page covers only what that article states.
History of the Kenworth SAR
Kenworth Australia divides its range by cab type: the T range is bonneted, the C range covers heavy haulage, mining, off-road and road-train work, and the K range is the cab-overs. The SAR models belong to the T range; the original W900 SAR used the cab and bonnet layout of the W900 conventional.
The first of them, the W900 SAR, was produced from 1975 until 1987 and used the cab and bonnet layout of the W900. The idea returned in later models: the T404 SAR and the T408 SAR appear in the list of previous Australian Kenworth models, and the current range includes the T410 SAR and the T610 SAR. By July 2020 the T410 SAR and T610 SAR were among the few models in the range that were not offered with a Twin-Steer configuration.
In 2021 the SAR name came back as a limited-production model. The SAR Legend, the third truck in Kenworth’s Legend series after the T950 Legend of 2015 and the T900 Legend of 2017, is a homage to the W900 SAR. It took over 700 orders, and its special-edition Cummins X15 engine is painted in Cummins Heritage Beige, similar to the Cummins Big Cam engines fitted to many of the original SARs. The two earlier Legends were built in small numbers: 75 T950 Legends, which sold out in 48 hours, and 257 T900 Legends.
Design and features
- Part of the T range: SAR models are bonneted conventionals, not cab-overs.
- Long history: from the W900 SAR of 1975 to today’s T410 SAR and T610 SAR.
- No Twin-Steer: the T410 SAR and T610 SAR are among the models without that option.
- SAR Legend of 2021: a limited-production homage with over 700 orders.
- Heritage engine paint: the Legend’s Cummins X15 is finished in Cummins Heritage Beige.
Kenworth SAR versions
- W900 SAR (1975–1987): the original short-bonnet conventional.
- T404 SAR and T408 SAR: later models of the same line.
- T410 SAR and T610 SAR: the current models.
- SAR Legend (2021): limited-production homage to the W900 SAR.
The SAR belongs to the Australian T range together with the T900 series, and it shares its ancestry with the American W900. The cab-over side of the Australian range is covered by the K123. More trucks are in the Kenworth collection.
Video: T404 SAR drive
Video by Giles on YouTube.
Sources
- Kenworth, English Wikipedia: W900 SAR, T404/T408 SAR, T410/T610 SAR, SAR Legend, Legend series
