Optimus Prime, Kenworth W100

Trucking Trivia: Transformers’ Optimus Prime was a Kenworth K100

The trucking industry has been well-represented in media. That said, one of the most popular representations of a semi-truck is often forgotten about. No – I’m not talking about the trucks from Maximum Overdrive or Smokey and the Bandit.

I’m talking about Optimus Prime from Transformers.

Despite the fact that a semi-truck is the cornerstone of the entire franchise, the trucks often get forgotten about when you’re looking at the overall landscape of the trucking industry in films and television. Still, Optimus Prime was a key part of one of the most successful movie franchises in American history.

Trucking Trivia: Did you know that Optimus Prime was a Kenworth K100?

Okay… if we’re getting really technical, Optimus Prime was represented by a few different trucks. We’ve seen more recent renditions of Optimus Prime as a custom Western Star truck and as a Peterbilt. But as many things go, nothing ever matches the original.

In this case, the original was based on a cabover Kenworth K100. This would eventually be changed into a Peterbilt 379. In fact, everything about the design of Optimus Prime “transformed,” so to speak.

The truck now features a blue and red flame design and is no longer a cabover. The longer nose on the truck makes it look more menacing at times.