King Kong ® was a 1975 Ford F-150 monster truck owned and driven by Jeff Dane and several other of his employees. It's one of the earliest, if not the first diesel powered monster trucks. Also disputed to be the not just the first monster truck, but the first to crush cars. The original truck was a mid 70's Ford, bought from Texas. The stock frame was beefed up over a few years, then swapped for a straight rail frame. It was known for its incredible pulling power, doing tug of wars with other early monster trucks, pulling fully loaded sleds, and even a large John Deere tractor.
History[]
The trailer King Kong® was on tipped over and the truck fell off on a sharp corner in NM. on a way to an event. King Kong® completed that NM show damaged. No other vehicles were involved. Upon returning back to Texas, the diesel motor was pulled replaced with a gas motor and a newer Ford body was installed to build King Kong® III.
King Kong® III would go through many variations, swapping between the orange/red and yellow paint job many times in the TNT series. Due to the rule changes. King Kong® III was brought out in place of Awesome Kong® to finish out the 1990 season, being surprisingly competitive at outdoor events. Steve Cain made it famous for its crash in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in a race against Carolina Crusher in 1990.
A replica of the original King Kong® was built by Jeff Dane to be in the Hall of Fame. Jeff Dane has the names, King Kong® & Awesome Kong® trademarked when referring to Monster Trucks. In 2011 Jeff Dane was among the first group inducted into the International Monster Truck Hall of Fame.