Monster Truck
Oversized tires, massive power, and car-crushing mayhem.
A monster truck is a specialized off-road vehicle with a heavy duty suspension, four-wheel steering, large-displacement V8 engines, and oversized tires constructed for motorsports and entertainment uses. Originally created by modifying stock pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs), they have evolved into purpose-built vehicles with tube-frame chassis and fiberglass bodies. A competition monster truck is typically 12 feet (3.7 m) tall, equipped with 66-inch (1.7 m) off-road tires, and several tons in weight—those competing in Monster Jam events, for instance, must weigh at least five short tons, or 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg).
Quick Facts
- Type
- Vehicle – Heavy Truck
- Franchise
- Saints Row
- Notable appearance
- Saints Row: The Third (2011)
- Top-speed class
- Below average (outpaced by sports cars and muscle cars)
- Collision damage
- High (mass advantage over lighter vehicles and pedestrians)
- Customization
- Paint colors
- wraps
- and standard vehicle options
Lore & Background
Monster trucks developed in the late 1970s and came into the public eye in the early 1980s as side acts at popular motocross, tractor pulling, and mud bogging events, where they were used in car-crushing demonstrations. Today they are usually the main attraction, with motocross, mud bogging, ATV racing, or demolition derbies as supporting events.
Reader's Guide
Monster truck shows are generally held at stadiums, arenas, race tracks, and other permanent and temporary sports and entertainment venues. Shows typically have two main segments: a race (common since the 1980s) and a freestyle stunt driving competition (common since the 2000s), with an intermission at the midway point. Races are conducted as a single-elimination tournament on short, symmetrical tracks, which may include obstacles such as junk cars or dirt mounds. In freestyle events, each driver puts on a performance consisting of stunts such as obstacle jumps, backflips, wheelies, and doughnuts, with a panel of judges assigning points.
Did You Know?
- The term 'monster truck' is said to have been coined in the early 1980s by Bob George, one of the owners of Truck-a-rama, when referring to Bigfoot.
- The first monster truck to crush cars was Bob Chandler's Bigfoot in April 1981, driving over a pair of junked cars in a field.
- The first side-by-side monster truck race occurred in August 1983 between Bigfoot and USA-1, filmed for the television show That's Incredible.
- In 1988, the Monster Truck Racing Association (MTRA) was formed to standardize rules for truck construction and safety.
- The biggest innovation in monster truck construction came in 1989 with Bigfoot #8, featuring a full tubular chassis and long-travel suspension.
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