Revolutionary 1980s truck disappeared after its unveiling

This revolutionary 1980s truck burst onto the scene and then vanished for decades.

Back in the day, trucks fit into two molds – the American model and the European model.

In the cargo-hauling industry, there wasn’t a lot of room for creativity at the time.

A man called Manfred Steinwinter changed that.

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A 1980s truck like no other – the Steinwinter Supercargo 20.40

The Supercargo gained traction in 1983, and garnered interest from Mercedes-Benz, DAF and Isuzu.

As reported by autoevolution, a fully functional prototype was made and tested out on the roads.

However, that would be the end of the dream.

What was the dream?

It was to bring out a truck that resembled a supercar.

In this variation of a truck, the driver would be closer to the ground whilst their trailer was positioned above the driver’s cabin.

It’s certainly a quirky design and definitely fits the bill of being ‘revolutionary’.

Reasons put forth for this design change included more room for transport goods, fuel efficiency and more comfort for the driver.

The cab itself was 8.2 feet wide and just under 3.9 feet tall.

Upon being unveiled at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Supercargo was met with praise from the trucking industry and the media.

So why did it disappear afterwards?

The fate of the Supercargo

Issues began to pop up soon after and threw the dream into jeopardy.

The truck was running off a Mercedes-Benz OM442 400 horsepower engine, which was powerful enough to tow the cargo.

But due to the position of the cab, it overheated in road tests due to the low height causing improper cooling.

The car’s low level also led to poor visibility and made for an unpleasant driving experience.

We can’t imagine it could have possibly been worse than driving in the Yugo, which was branded America’s ‘most unreliable car’.

And to make matters worse, news came in that European legislation would cap truck length at 61.5 feet, with only 51.3 feet being allowed for the bed.

With the Supercargo promising 59 feet, this legislation was essentially the kiss of death.

Having racked up only 1,864 miles, the prototype for the Supercargo was confined to the dustbin of history.

That happens sometimes in the marketplace of ideas – just take the demise of the Apple Car as a prime example of that.

To this day, no video has been produced showing the Supercargo in motion.

As reported by thedrive, the last known appearance of the truck was during the filming of Power Rangers Time Force in 2002.

We’ve heard of worse final appearances to make.

Here’s hoping this cool 1980s truck makes a re-emergence at some point in the future.