JULY 2009 OLD TIME TRUCKS
Matt Pfahl’s Old Favorite
By John & Shirley Sponholtz
Mack introduced the B61 in 1953 and produced 47,459 of them through 1966. In its original configuration, the B61 had a 673 cubic inch Mack engine that produced 180 horsepower and a 10-speed duplex transmission. The original owner of this 1955 Mack B61 was John Murtis of New Milford, CT. The second owner of the truck was Richard Morris, and the third owners were the Manzi Brothers. When Manzi got ready to sell the truck, there were two bidders – Louie Bassett and Matt Pfahl. Both of these men were friends and both loved the truck, but Louie had the money, and bought it for $2,500. Six months later, Matt offered to buy the truck as a joke but, to Matt’s surprise, Louie said yes. Matt paid Louie $2,500 and became the Mack’s fifth and current owner. He was 18 years old at the time. Since then, Matt has restored the truck four times. The first rebuild was a frame-up restoration, and the second included a new paint job. During the third restoration, he stretched the truck to 265 inches and then put in a Mack 350 engine and an 18-speed transmission. During the fourth and final restoration, the truck got a new 12-speed transmission, Neway air-ride, a SuperLiner front axle and a Double Eagle sleeper. This truck was also the beginning of a new business. Because of all of those restorations, Matt got a reputation as a person who could restore antique trucks. Today, he owns Pfahl’s Mack and Antique Truck Restoration in Bethlehem, CT. This is primarily a show truck, but Matt also uses it to pick up and deliver trucks for his business. Over the years Matt has owned and restored a lot of trucks, but this one is probably his favorite.