Hot Rod Trucks In Paradise
Richard Ryll from Penrose, Auckland, in New Zealand wrote a letter telling us he has been a subscriber to CCT for about five or six years now, and used to buy it off the newsstand before then. Richard went on to say that he has never seen an International pickup in CCT like the one he owns. "My pickup is a 1961 International AA110. The AA designation, I believe, means it was built in Australia and shipped here to New Zealand. Do you have any history of this model of truck? Any information would be appreciated." OK, Richard we'll take a shot at it. It looks like the AA series is the same basic truck introduced in the U.S. in 1959 as the B and ran until 1960 when the C series was introduced in the U.S. in 1961. Since yours is a '61 we'd guess the series continued in Australia for who knows how long because we couldn't find the information in a book or on the Internet. As far as the bed on your truck is concerned we've never seen anything like that in our lives. Your bed has to have been something that was specially manufactured in Australia. Enough about the stock stuff. Richard's right-hand-drive International is packing a "350/350 combo fitted with 9-inch diff and Ford disc brakes up front."
Richard included photos of his daily driver, an '81 Holden Kingswood WB Ute with 308-inch V-8 with a Trimatic automatic transmission. Richard said gasoline was up to $8.00 a gallon U.S. and then dropped back down to $6.00. If anyone reading this knows more about Richard's '61 International AA110 we'd be glad to hear from you.
Editor's Note: Getting your truck into Readers' Trucks is a snap, of the camera, that is. All it takes is a stack of good-quality photos of your ride that are in focus and well lit. Due to the volume of mail we receive, we regret that we cannot return photographs. Send photos of your truck (no Polaroids or printouts) to: CCT, Readers' Trucks, 774 S. Placentia Ave., Placentia, CA 92870. It is important that you include a detailed description of the modifications you have made to your truck, including any interesting stories behind it.