Facebook Marketplace—what a thing. You can find almost anything for sale there, from obscure ’90s tuner vehicles to a rare leaping Lexus prototype and even a seven-figure GM Futurliner bus. And while there are more old rust buckets listed on Marketplace than anything else, don’t be surprised if you stumble upon a rare gem. In this case, there’s a pair of rare gems for sale in the form of two dual-engine 1941 Ford trucks built to haul B-24 bomber parts across the country. The asking price is anything but cheap at $1.25 million, though if the listing is accurate, these are the only two of their kind left.
The seller claims this is the first time these Thorco-built Fords have been offered for sale publicly. He’s apparently the third owner of both—one of which is restored while the other is not. The Army green example is a real looker with pristine everything, right down to the undercarriage and interior instrumentation. Meanwhile, the second truck is fairly faded and rusted, though it seems to be a legitimate example nonetheless.
Legend has it that nearly 100 of these dual-engined trucks were built by different companies in the early 1940s. Some were Spanglers, some were Merry-Nevilles, and 46 of them were reported to be Thorcos. They were powered by twin Ford 239-cubic-inch V8s making about 100 hp apiece, and each one had its own transmission. Manufacturers went through the trouble of fitting two engines because contemporary diesels were expensive and these Flathead Ford gassers had proven to be plenty reliable. Still, a pair of them was needed to drag B-24 Liberator components to Wichita, Fort Worth, and across the Rocky Mountains to San Diego. The full fleet supposedly made more than 3,800 trips in order to help assemble 1,600 or so bombers.
According to the seller, who says he spent more than 30 years collecting information about these trucks from the people who built them originally, the Thorcos are “the pinnacle of design for the dual-engine bomber haulers.” Of the 46 built, these are believed to be the last two in existence. It’s for that reason he won’t separate them, which, y’know, I understand.
I’m no authority on WWII truck values, and no matter how much they might say otherwise, neither are most Facebook commenters. What I will say is that it’s awesome to see a truck with such historical significance in this good of shape; I especially like the contrasting gold “Thorco Dual Motors” badge on the nose. Everything, and I mean everything appears to be factory-fresh—you won’t find a scuff on the fifth-wheel plate or anything. And even if you don’t have a use for the second, unrestored truck, it’s worth having just to steward the history.
It will take a special buyer to pay so much for two antique trucks, but if I’ve learned anything after years of blogging about cars and trucks on the internet, someone out there could very well have money burning a hole in their pocket for rigs like these.
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