A staple of Southern California car culture for many years, the Landmaster was parked in full view next to Dean Jeffries' automotive shop on Cahuenga Boulevard in North Hollywood, California from 1977 to 2005. The Landmaster was sold to a private owner in 2005 and was restored to its original condition as featured in Damnation Alley. The Landmaster was then on the show car circuit for several years. In 2007 it was featured at the San Francisco Rod & Custom Show at the Cow Palace in San Francisco as part of special exhibit with other notable movie and TV cars. Sometime in the late 2000s, the Landmaster was vandalized while in storage. The damage was relatively minor, but repair and restoration were required again. In March 2014, Landmaster was moved from its storage location in Campbell, California to a new maintenance and storage facility in central California. In 2016, the Landmaster was moved to Gene Winfield's Custom Shop on Sierra Highway between Rosamond, California and Mojave, California. It can be seen from the road and is open to public viewing during the week.
Construction
Popular Science described the Landmaster: While the film is fiction, the Landmaster vehicle is real. In the story, the Landmaster was designed to use as many standard truck parts as possible, so that any junkyard would have whatever was needed for repairs. The real Landmaster is powered by a Ford industrial engine, and uses the rear-ends of two commercial trucks and an Allison automatic truck transmission. It features a fully functional, custom-built "tri-star" wheel arrangement, which could actually help it crawl over boulders. All 12 wheels are driven, but only 8 are normally in contact with the road surface at any one time. The vehicle was steered not by turning the front wheels, but by bending the middle section with hydraulic rams to effect a turn, similar to large construction equipment. The Landmaster's bodywork was made with -inch steel plating, which helped it tip the scales at over 10 tons. The design's strength allowed it to survive a jump during testing with no damage.
Gallery
Other appearances
The Morrow Project Role-playing game featuring the M.A.R.S. One; with two sets of tri-star wheels per segment, and front reminiscent of the Ark II.
Amoco "the Road Worrier" commercial with a Mad Max type character.
In name only – the video game seriesPhantasy Star and Star Fox both feature armored vehicles called Landmasters, but neither uses the Damnation Alley design.
