Manheim Australia will auction Don Watson Transport’s 300th Kenworth truck as part of the business’s asset sale since its closure in 2025.
The truck is a mint Kenworth Legend SAR 50th Anniversary Edition, bearing the number 300 in a strictly limited production run of 750 prime movers.
Manheim Australia is conducting auctions of the shuttered logistics company’s fleet.
Known as the ‘truckie’s truck’, the Kenworth is modelled on a W900SAR, built and sold in Australia from 1975 to 1987.
Kenworth was inundated with interest when it unveiled the Legend SAR in 2021 — the third in a series of high profile and coveted special edition models — with the entire production run sold out in a single day.
Manheim Australia said everything about the Kenworth commands attention, from the round tanks, spider wheels, 7-inch stacks with rain caps, power-coated tanks and bullbar, and signature Don Watson Transport pale blue paint.
Unlike the other DWT vehicles, the truck will be sold in its current livery, with the company eager to work with the eventual buyer and contribute up to $25,000 for a new paint job in their desired scheme.
The Legend SAR comes with a 50-inch sleeper, KoolKat bunk air-conditioning, an upright bar fridge, microwave, inverter, two UHF radios, a TV and soundbar, and a retro cabin bristling with wood and leather.
It runs an X15 Cummins engine with 600hp and 2050 lbft of torque with warranty plus, Meritor axles with diff locks, and Airglide 460 rear suspension. The Kenworth has only 176,867km on the odometer.
The Don Watson Transport sell-down campaign was a significant task for Manheim Industrial, a global auction company with an Australia-wide footprint that specialises in selling used equipment of all shapes and sizes, as well as advisory and valuation work.
Don Watson is a highly regarded, multi-generational transport and cold stores provider, operating 140 trucks and 170 trailers.
Via a series of five online auctions drawing tens of thousands of bids, Manheim has now sold all but one truck and most of the trailers.
“What ultimately set Manheim apart during the process was their ability to genuinely listen. Rather than presenting a generic solution, they took the time to understand exactly what we were trying to achieve with the sale of the fleet,” said Don Watson Transport chief executive, Lyndon Watson.
“They then structured a proposal that aligned with those objectives and delivered a practical outcome. That willingness to listen first and tailor the solution accordingly is what distinguished Manheim from the other parties we spoke with.
“I never would have been able to sell this many unique and separate pieces of equipment myself without the support of a partner like Manheim.
“Manheim helped alleviate the stress of managing so many transactions, handling storage, painting, advertising and remarketing our fleet via its online auctions. We had no appreciation of the level of heartache we were going to be in for had we gone it alone.
“Engaging with the Manheim online auctions brought in a massive number of potential buyers, in a market that has been softening since in the middle of last year. The way Manheim has been able to navigate that and continue to bring in buyers to get us proper market rates beyond expectations for the equipment, has been invaluable.
“We achieved what we felt were the right market outcomes, and a lot better than we could have hoped for doing it any other way.”
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