Mean Green Machine: Anthony Latorre’s Castlemaine-winning K200

Words by Chris Smith. Photography by Cody Portelli. Originally published in Australian Custom Trucks, Issue 2, Summer 2013.

Anthony Latorre’s bright green Kenworth K200 had a demanding first appointment: the 2013 Castlemaine Truck Show. Thorpe Custom Trucks had roughly two months to turn the new prime mover into the one-off build Anthony wanted. It made the show, and took out Best Kenworth.

Built around the whole truck

Anthony already had a T904 called Infamous in the family operation. The new K200 came from Kenworth Melbourne with a 620hp Cummins SCR engine, a 22-series gearbox, 3.99 diffs and a 97-tonne rating, according to the original ACT feature. He had a picture of how it might look, but gave Lee and Leon Thorpe’s team room to take the design further.

The work went well beyond fitting shiny parts. Thorpe’s list included a one-off drop visor, a reworked grille, custom steps and tank skirts, chassis infill, rear light treatment, exhaust shrouds, intake pipes and a specially made Bar Up front bar. Darryl Maud at Transart designed and painted the artwork. Anthony had first considered white; his father Vince encouraged him to choose a colour, and green became the base for the finished truck.

Side view of Anthony Latorre’s green Kenworth K200 showing the airbrushed sleeper and polished wheels — The K200’s sleeper artwork and polished running gear at Castlemaine. Photo: Cody Portelli.

The deadline was tight, but the crew got the K200 to Castlemaine. For Anthony, winning Best Kenworth was a first show win and a reward for the work the customisers had put in.

A show truck with a freight task

The K200 was built to work. At the time of the interview, the Latorre family business was mainly hauling B-double containers with stockfeed and grain bound for Tasmania. Vince had started the operation about 15 years earlier; Anthony worked alongside his parents, Vince and Doris, and other drivers in the business.

The original feature also gave Lee Thorpe’s view of the job. He described it as the major show-truck project that restored his enthusiasm for customising after a difficult period. Its details were made as an integrated build, with originality and the customer’s vision guiding the work.

Rear three-quarter view of Anthony Latorre’s green custom Kenworth K200 with four polished exhaust stacks — The custom rear guards and exhaust treatment on Anthony Latorre’s K200. Photo: Cody Portelli.

Archive note: This is an account of the truck and business as ACT reported them in Summer 2013. Specifications, people’s roles and operations are historical.

Rear Vision — where is it now?

Do you know what happened to Anthony Latorre’s green K200, or have a photo or memory from its Castlemaine debut? Send ACT an update so we can add the next chapter to the story.