THOR 24 is a unique big rig often referred to as “the most powerful big rig ever built” because of its horsepower rating (3,974 horsepower) reached through a 24-cylinder engine with 12 superchargers.
Can you imagine the god of thunder in truck form? Me neither, but builder Mike Harrah definitely could and the result is nothing short of insane. The 44-foot-long big rig is powered by two 852 cubic-inch V12 diesel engines and 12 superchargers and requires four drag parachutes to deploy out of the rear bumper to stop when it reaches its peak speed of 130 mph (209 km/h). It apparently took Harrah seven years and thousands of hours to build and cost over $7 million.
Photo: Mike Harrah
One look at THOR 24 and anyone can tell that it’s no ordinary big rig. The shiny chrome plating and aluminum accents catch the eye and the sound of those two V12 diesel engines really gets your attention. But the inside of this metal monster is just as intriguing. The dash features no less than 24 gauges, including a speedometer, tachometer, several pressure gauges, and a compressor operation indicator, and the whole cabin is illuminated with LEDs.
The gear shifter is shaped like a badass sword, and a Hawker Jet Helicopter engine acts as an auxiliary generator powering features like a 40-inch television and 1,500-watt audio system. Because the front part of the truck is so unusually long, four cameras mounted on the front bumper feed live footage to four 4×6-inch display screens mounted above the windshield so the driver can actually see in front of them.
The two diesel engines and their accompanying superchargers can push this 32,000-pound behemoth to a top speed of 100 mph (160 km/h), but once the built-in nitrous boost kicks in, the top speed jumps to a whopping 130mph (2019 km/h). There are eight nitrous oxide bottles installed between the middle bank of superchargers.
in 2019, the THOR 24 truck seat a new world record for the highest-priced custom vehicle ever sold, when it was auctioned off for a whopping $12 million, which was boosted to its $13.2 million final price once the auction house’s 10 percent buyer’s premium was added.
For more over-the-top rigs, check out Big Wind, the most powerful firetruck ever made, and the world’s largest, weirdest SUV.
