Peterbilt 379 Semi Purrs Like a Kitten at Idle, Pulls Like a Hellcat During Drag Race

To be fair, the original design for Optimus Prime had him transform into a flat-nose Freightliner FL86, which sort of suited the character better than Michael Bay’s take on the matter, but I would have been fine either way – both models are iconic in their own right.

Anyway, we’re here to talk about the Peterbilt 379, which served as one of America’s top long-distance haulers from 1987 all the way until 2007. It’s the official successor to the Peterbilt 359, and the predecessor to the 389.

When it was first unveiled, it automatically became the company’s largest highway truck ever, especially the extended hood variant, measuring 127 inches (3.22 meters) from the bumper to the back of the cab.

By the way, if you’re trying to tell the 379 apart from the 359, there are several things you can look at. For example, the 379 has a larger windshield with horizontally mounted wipers. The newer model also comes with headlight-mounted turn signals, instead of fender-mounted ones.

You can also look at the headlights themselves, with rectangular units becoming the new norm, whereas most 359 trucks came with round headlights (except for late model year variants).

Now, the 379 you’re about to watch kick some serious behind in the video below is a serious piece of kit. I can’t tell you what model year it is (kudos to you if you can somehow figure it out, but I doubt it), but what I will tell you is that it is seriously quick, especially when unloaded.

During the loaded pulls, it didn’t quite look so formidable, although it still managed to grab a few good wins. In terms of raw acceleration though, I think this Kenworth W900 might be even faster.