Updated: Sept. 28, 2020
eBay sees more than its share of movie vehicles. But, they are rarely as big and bad as the Real Steel Trucks.
What is the truck in Real Steel?
The truck is a modified 1960 International Harvester Sightliner. It’s the rolling boxing-robot repair shop from Real Steel, the 2011 sci-fi classic.
It went up for auction on eBay in 2016. The story takes place in 2020. Here we are so Netflix is now streaming the movie.
The Real Steel truck is no mere prop. Hugh Jackman plays the main character Charlie Kenton. He is a washed-up fighter turned small-time promoter. He drives across modern day America using the cab-over truck to take his fighting robots from match to match. The truck is Kenton’s main set location throughout the film. The movie combines robot action, family worry, and open hope.
Typical movie productions build two or more vehicles to fill non-stunt roles. But, the crew built only one starring truck for Real Steel. Flat12 Gallery, the Dallas-based collector-car dealership selling this vehicle, said:
Due to the amount of money it cost to build this vehicle, which is reported to be about a quarter of a million, they only built one for the movie and it was built as a full working set.
International Harvester produced the ACO-195 Tilt Cab Sightliner in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This one changed into a working one-of-kind movie icon.
What is in the Real Steel Truck?
The interior of the Real Steel truck has amazing design details. It’s dirty. It’s scuffed. The driver’s seat upholstery is split, and the patina is great. Charlie Kenton, his 11-year-old son Max, and their revolving squad of robots lived in the truck. Take a seat behind the wheel and the truck will transport you to an alternate reality where rock-em-sock-em robots draw huge crowds.
The truck’s cargo area has fore and aft cabins. They are both filled with props from the movie. The forward-living area includes:
- Hugh Jackman’s clothing
- Bedding
- A well-worn set of boxing gloves
- A set of antiqued maps
The rear workshop has:
- Tools
- Supplies
- Manuals
- Spools of wire
- Storage cubbies
- Plenty of bungee cords
Flat12 refers to the truck as a pro-touring model, stating that:
The driveline has been completely upgraded to a late model chassis and drivetrain to give it a modern ride.
So, that also made it reliable for traveling from one set location to another. The Sightliner cab tilts forward on dual hydraulic lifts to provide access to the six-cylinder turbo-diesel IH DT 530 engine. The rear lift gate works well. (Robots were not included in the sale.)
Real Steel and Real Drivable
Sightliners are hard to come by. As a result, this example would be impossible to duplicate. Flat12’s Jeff Allen says:
Every corner you look at has hours and hours of set touches and customizations. Lighting, electricity, detail design, set props, lift gate, fans, custom gauges, custom driveline, even down to the large seat that rest against the passenger side of the rear compartment where Atom the hero robot and other robots in the movie sat while being transported and repaired.
Real Steel was not an Oscar contender for Best Picture. Yet, it takes honors as one of the best ever sci-fi father-son summer movies in our book. You can take it on joy rides or shown at comic conventions and car shows. Above all, the famous Sightliner Real Steel truck is ready for action.