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It’s a long way from the suburban towns of West London to Tokoroa, but there’s a direct connection in the name of the stunning new Sheldrake Haulage Kenworth W900 SAR Legend which entered service in early July.

The Legend has been given the name Uxbridge by Sheldrake Haulage owner Mat Sheldrake.

“When we ordered the truck we could choose which build number we wanted. I saw that 292 was available, and I used to live at 292 Uxbridge Rd in London. 

“The name is a tip of the hat to the time I spent living in London,” says Mat.

Finished in the signature white, blue and silver Sheldrake colours, the SAR Legend has gone to work just a week short of three years from the day it was ordered.

The special edition SAR Legend was released for sale for one day only - July 8, 2021 – with a total of 757 examples being sold. The design blends the classic short, sloped bonneted style of the original W900 SAR with the latest engine and safety technology.

The original SAR was first built in September 1975 with the initials designating `short-bonnet, Australian, right hand drive’.

The SAR Legend special edition was released to celebrate 50 years of Kenworth manufacturing trucks in Australia. It’s modelled on the iconic W900SAR - built in Australia from 1975 until 1987 – which was first Kenworth model designed, engineered and built in Australia specifically for Australian operating requirements. 

The SAR Legend is of special interest to Mathew Sheldrake who was among the first to sign up for one of the special editions. His father Graham, who founded the business, owned of one the original nine Kenworth SARs that were imported and sold in New Zealand in the early 1980s.

“The old man had one of the first SARs and a while back I bought an old one from Australia which we are restoring. I’ve always been a fan and the SAR has a special place in my heart,” says Mat.

“This is the third one we’ve had in the fleet. The first one was 45 years ago, the second one is still being restored and now this one.”

However the final build of the truck is not quite how Mat originally intended. This particular truck was initially ordered as a day cab log truck, then changed to a tractor unit with Aerodyne sleeper cab in mid-2022 as the curtain side part of the Sheldrake Haulage operation secured new contracts.

“I have to give Adam McIntosh a big shout out. I’ve probably given him a few headaches but he has been excellent all the way through the process and made sure we got what we wanted.”

Most of the work for Uxbridge is carting pulp and paper products for Oji Fibre Solutions, mainly from Kinleith to the OJiFS packaging plants.

“It’s mostly Central North Island. The truck goes to Levin, Wairarapa, Hawke’s Bay and the Waikato,” says Mat.

“Dave Adie from Taupo is driving it. He’s actually worked for us twice. He started a long while back, went back to be with his family in Hawkes Bay and then came back to us. Now his son and his daughter-in-law also drive for us.”

The specification of this special Kenworth is impressive with the powertrain featuring a 600.615hp Cummins X15 which develops peak torque of 2050 lb-ft driving to an Eaton RTLO 22918b Roadranger gearbox. The Legend has Meritor 46-160 rear axles with dual diff locks and a 4.1:1 ratio with Kenworth Airglide 460 rear suspension and disc brakes.

The 36-inch (915mm) Aero 1 sleeper cab is fitted with dual sleeper doors and a dove tail wind deflector sits atop the cab. Other exterior features include lower sleeper stainless trim, drop visor, 11 grill bars and fuel tank bracket side trims.

The cab features a parchment interior colour along with dual ISRI 6860/870 leather seats.

The Legend is towing a new Jackson Enterprises 6-axle B-train curtainsider with a Jost fixed fifth wheel and stainless guards.

“It’s my first Jackson trailer and I’m really pleased with how its turned out,” Mat says.

“There have been a lot of talented people involved in the build of this special truck.

“Goose Haddock painted the cab and Southpac Engineering did all the stainless and shiny stuff. Evan from Wrapped Auto Signs in Tauranga did the signwriting.”

There is no doubt about the status the new SAR Legend in the Sheldrake Haulage fleet.

“It’s definitely the new flagship of our fleet. We’d be mad not to call it the flagship,” Mat says.