Modern pickups can be absolutely gargantuan, but what if you want a pickup that’s bigger than them all? This 2008 International MXT offered on Bring a Trailer dwarfs a puny Ford Super Duty.
I’m always searching the offerings on Cars & Bids and Bring a Trailer for weird vehicles, and this one definitely hits the mark.
The 2000s were a wild time for truck and SUV buyers. Gas was cheap and the market was full of giant, lumbering vehicles like the Hummer H2 and Ford Excursion. Seeing an opportunity in the market, modders and companies started converting commercial trucks like Freightliners into pickups and SUVs.
Navistar International, known for its commercial trucks, decided to jump into this niche market with models converted into pickups straight from the factory.
The International Extreme Truck (XT) series launched in 2004 with the Commercial Extreme Truck (CXT). That was followed in 2005 by the Recreational Extreme Truck (RXT). Finally, in 2007 the International MXT entered production as the swan song for the Extreme Truck series.
MXT stands for Military Extreme Truck or Most Extreme Truck, according to most sources. This final version was designed for off-roading and comes with four-wheel-drive and a front end that makes it look like it’s ready to start rock climbing. The MXT was based on the DuraStar medium-duty chassis and is a sibling to the MXT-MV armored personnel carrier. The DuraStar is often used for box trucks and school buses.
I like the idea that this truck was supposed to be for off-roading, because its spec sheet has some scary numbers. It weighs in at 10,500 pounds and has a towing capacity of about 15,500 pounds. Basically, this truck will tow anything that a regular driver’s license will allow.
But I’m not sure that something that weighs 10,500 pounds and is a foot wider than a Super Duty makes for a good trail rig.
Practicality is hindered somewhat by its tall bedsides, but the bed itself appears to be perfectly usable. Check out the reflection of the person taking the picture, here:
Power is provided by an International VT365 6.0-liter turbodiesel V8 making 300 HP and 530 lb-ft torque, sucking fuel from a 40-gallon tank. If this engine sounds familiar, that’s because it was also known as the Ford Power Stroke 6.0. In this application it makes a little less power than the Ford version.
The Bring a Trailer ad does say that the engine’s oil was changed in preparation for the sale and that the odometer reads about 76,000 miles.
Like other commercial trucks of the day that were converted to pickups, the MXT’s interior is decked out in luxury to hide its blue-collar origins. The seats are wrapped in leather and are power-adjustable.
It also comes with somewhat modern equipment like a Kenwood head unit, keyless entry, a DVD player and get this — a Sony Playstation 3.
This truck is like a time capsule into pre-Great Recession excess, and I absolutely adore it.
Despite the luxuries, you won’t forget that you’re in a commercial truck, though one with a lot of leather. The dashboard and doors will remind you what this truck really is. My International school bus has a similar steering wheel.
So, what is a behemoth like this worth? These trucks had a price of $89,500 in 2007 money and don’t appear to have depreciated all that much. This very truck was sold on Bring a Trailer platform in 2018 for $76,666. The seller added only 4,000 miles since then, and the truck appears to have seen so little use that there is cracking on the tires.
The 2008 International MXT auction is at $40,000 with two days to go on Bring a Trailer.
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