The Last Marmon Ever Built

In February 1997 the last Marmon truck rolled off the assembly line in Garland, Texas. Owned by Ken and Carol Matuszak of Green Bay, Wisconsin, the model 125 DHR is Vehicle ID No. 1000080 and sits on a 250-inch wheelbase. It is powered by a 470-hp Detroit Series 60 engine with a Rockwell 10-speed transmission, Rockwell 3.73 rears, and Hendrickson 40 LH suspension. After taking ownership of his new Marmon on February 5, 1997, Ken rallied other Marmon owners to meet him in Texas five years later. They did just that, and have continued to do so ever since. Marmons were first designed and built in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1960-1963, at the Marmon-Herrington factory, which had been the old Duesenberg assembly plant until 1937. Due to a soft market and small dealer network, the Marmon Group decided to sell their truck product line to Adrian Roop, who moved it to Denton, Texas. Sadly, only eight trucks were produced in 1964. All was again sold, this time to Space Corporation, who moved production to their Garland, Texas, plant. Interestingly enough, when Marmon sold off their over-the-road truck production, they licensed the Marmon name only for trucks sold in North America. This resulted in no fewer than four other model badges being engineered for trucks headed overseas. Evolution best describes the changes that occurred next, with 1973 seeing the introduction of a conventional model to enhance the existing product line. Another milestone came in 1981 when the COE models were restyled, causing sales to skyrocket to over 900 trucks per year. However, through the ensuing years, annual sales seemed to fluctuate at numbers around 370 trucks, largely affected by orders from overseas. By 1995, COEs had dropped out of favor, and conventionals constituted the bulk of Marmon’s production – nonetheless, sales continued to suffer. International Harvester leased two of the three assembly lines operating in the Garland factory, and by 1997, Space Corporation’s decision to lease out the last remaining Marmon assembly line was just good business. To own a hand-built truck assembled with quality parts instills pride in ownership.
Many of these trucks are still in service and out on the interstate highways earning their keep. The styling, care and pride that went into building these “magnificent machines” was unprecedented. Marmons may not have been the best known trucks out there, but they were one of the best.