Dream Machine — Denny and Sara Bowen’s Kenworth SAR

Denny and Sara Bowen buy the SAR they have dreamed about for years and give it a fresh custom identity.

Words by Chris Smith. Photography by Chris Elmore.

There is something undeniably attractive about SARs.

For husband and wife Denny and Sara Bowen it was simply destiny that they would own one particular 1987 Kenworth SAR.

“Once we saw the truck for sale in South Australia we knew we had to buy it not only because it was Denny’s dream, but the number plates were a sign too, SB00DB as they are our initials and the year we got engaged,” explains Sara prophetically.

Sara tells Australian Custom Trucks Magazine from the moment the couple met it was always a dream of Denny’s to own a SAR.

“Denny and I met in 1997 and from the first day I spoke with him his dream was to own an SAR,” Sara recalls to Australian Custom Trucks.

“He was driving his own truck when we met carting grain on a property near Wee Waa, NSW. 20 years on, his dream is now a reality!”

She says she calls the SAR Denny’s mid-life crisis. Just as quickly Denny retorts, “You can’t make money from a mid-life crisis!”

This particular SAR had been in Denny’s sights for a number of years. It was originally owned by Gary Jones from Melton, VIC.

In 2005 Gary’s truck went up for sale, and you would assume Denny would have grabbed it however be it bad luck or bad fortune, but he was pipped at the post by Adam from South Australia, who bought it and whisked it off to Adelaide. Gary’s original colour scheme of white and red changed to FCL brown-maroon and cream livery.

When Adam sold it, it didn’t last long online. Sara saw it and arranged its purchase Denny tells ACT proudly. Sara is so invested in the truck it is even in her name SARa.

After the purchase the truck stopped off in Melbourne for a bit of work.

It was taken to D’Angelo for a new turn table and the hubs were converted from spiders to 10 stud.

It was then taken to Klos Custom Trucks to be fully rejuvenated.

The boys stripped it right back to bare chassis and the work began on both the exterior and interior of the SAR.

The work was extensive from the fuel tanks, the deck plates, steps to the exhaust. The brilliant customisation is expertly paired with the white and blue company colours.

Denny says the colour scheme was inherited through the family.

“It is almost 20 years ago that my cousins had two SARs and they had a similar colour scheme,” he explains.

He is quick to add Justin Klos added his own touch to the paint scheme, expertly scrolling the SAR.

This truck isn’t a mid-life crisis, it’s a dream come true.

Now Denny and Sara have three girls, a boy, each other and another member of the family, the SAR.

Rear Vision: where are they now?

Do you know where this truck is today, or have an update on its story? Tell ACT what happened next. We will verify current updates before adding them to the archive.