Ancient Brute: 1924 Mack Model AC – The Origin Of The Bulldog


Ancient Brute: 1924 Mack Model AC – The Origin Of The Bulldog

Running or not, we have to wonder how a 1924 Mack AC is being sold for just a few thousand dollars. Was this a museum pieces that hasn’t been exercised enough? Is the 45-horsepower 471 cubic inch four-cylinder locked up? It seems unlikely that it’s beyond saving…the Model AC was renowned for it’s durability and reliability and was produced for 24 years, from 1916 through 1939, with over forty thousand examples cranked out before the model was ceased. The AC is often considered the point where Mack got it’s reputation, and it most certainly the moment where the correlation between Macks and the Bulldog came into play, with the British troops that utilized them gave them the “bulldog” nickname. The Bulldog would become the corporate symbol of the company by 1921, and from there Mack’s reputation continued to grow.

Often, it’s a bit of a stretch to look at a vehicle from the 1920s and see a connection to anything made a hundred years later, but in the case of the chain-driven AC, you can start to see some early traits: the dual wheels, the flatbed, the covered engine and sloped fenders with the headlights mounted lower. If it wasn’t for the radiator being mounted behind the engine, you would have the earliest form of what would become the B-series, the R-series, the SuperLiner, and the Granite. The fact that this thing is (as of press time) bid at under six thousand dollars is actually shocking.

eBay Link: 1924 Mack Model AC


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6 thoughts on “Ancient Brute: 1924 Mack Model AC – The Origin Of The Bulldog

  1. Schtauffer

    Check out the place that is selling this Mack- Classic Auto Mall in Morgantown Pennsylvania. It’s a former shopping mall that is now full of cars for sale.

  2. Richard M Gaskill

    A little deceptive. The 1924 AC was not the origin of the bulldog. The nickname started in 1917.
    1921 -The company adopted the Bulldog as its corporate symbol. The first usage of the Bulldog as a symbol was on a sheet metal plate riveted to each side of the cab. It was first drawn on June 3, 1921 and was released, printed, and specified for the AB chain drive (CD) and dual reduction (DR) carrier drive trucks

  3. 69rrboy

    A few years ago there was a nice documentary on TV about the building of the Hoover Dam. I think it was on History Channel. There were LOTS of Macks with this nose working on that project. Looked like 1/10 of the entire production run!

    I went to that Auto Mall place last year. It was pretty cool. It was the old MOM mall just off the Morgantown exit of the PA turnpike. Just down the road from Maple Grove. Most of the cars for sale there are on consignment so the prices are pretty high but it’s still worth the trip just to see what’s there if you get in the area. The inventory always changes as cars sell and new ones come in.

  4. Ross

    I read once that the reason the radiator is behind the engine in many trucks of this time was that the teamsters with their horses and wagons didn’t like the trucks taking their work. So, while the teamsters and trucks were in line for work at the loading docks, the teamsters would back their wagons into the truck’s radiator to put them out of service. The truck manufactures moved the radiator to prevent this.

    I read this in a book on the history of International Harvester trucks.

  5. CyberRanger

    Bid’s up to $8500 as of late Mon w/ about 15 hrs left. Auction ends tomorrow. I’m sure the serious bidders are waiting until the end to avoid jacking up the price. It’ll go a lot higher, but lack of period rubber & the addition of modern mudflaps surely aren’t helping the price.

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