Truck concept from wild Western Star

The American brand has designed an outlandish concept truck called Wanted, designed to highlight the Western part of the Western Star name with enough cowhide, fancy scroll work and gleaming steel to make a cowboy grin from ear to ear.

The remarkable custom rig was developed especially for the giant Mid America truck show last year and was a real crowd favourite. It's based on a low-riding 4900EX Low Max prime mover, but is anything but standard.

The build team, led by Western Star designers and Oregon's Twins Custom Coaches, completely overhauled the truck, giving every element the Wild West treatment.

The Redmond-based outfit let their imagination run free although they did stop short of fitting revolvers to either side of the bonnet, as per one member's suggestion, but they did install unique double-barrel exhaust stacks designed to mimic rifles.

Twin Custom Coaches has done some pretty dramatic Western Star show trucks in the past, but the crew admits this is bolder than all the other rigs.

"This year we have gone off the chart with custom modifications and paint work," says company chief, Mickey Larson.

There are so many unique features, but it is the leather that most people's eyes are drawn to. Instead of limiting the use of leather to the interior, like most truck-builders, the Western Star team decided to use in on the outside too.

It enrolled the services of Redmond's Gauteraux Boot Co, run by two ex-rodeo performers who create $4000 cowboy boots while wearing 10-gallon hats. The massive front bumper is lined with fine leather, as are the tool compartments and even the fuel tanks.

And no, you're eyes are not deceiving you, the fuel tank covers are designed to resemble saddle bags, with special straps and buckles fitted to finish the look. The leather surfaces have intricate patterns that need to be seen at close range to be appreciated.

A gear-cog Western Star emblem is bolted to the middle of the bumper and resembles some kind of gargantuan belt buckle. You will find leather on the inside too, but there is nothing custom about. The whole interior is fitted out per the Western Star catalogue, but it also fits in with the Western theme.

There is a table and cabinet doors made from timber and dashboard, door and seat coverings made from a material called Prairie Tan. The standard Low Rider truck already looks dramatic, so the team had a good base to work with.

"One thing that makes the Western Star perfect for customization is its classic lines," says Larson.

"It is a perfect example of Americana."

The Wanted team used unique wheel arches, or fenders, to give the truck a striking appearance, going to the length of making its own custom arches.

"One of special things we did for the Low Max build was these special fenders. It mimics the front fender of a Western Star," Larson says "These wouldn't look right on any other truck but a Western Star."

Another modification your eyes are drawn to is the big stainless steel wing on the roof that may or may not be effective, but certainly does look cool. There are also gleaming vertical truck stacks so large that they resemble industrial chimneys. The team spent a lot of time working on the Wanted truck's paint scheme, which is a lot more dramatic in the metal.

"A lot of show trucks I've seen are beautiful but one of the things that is typically overlooked in the trucking industry is the beautiful finish," says Larson.

"This probably takes as much time as the rest of the build."

However, he says it was all worth it.

"It is very time consuming but the proof is in the finished product, when you have a mirror finish on a canvass that large, it is very breathtaking."