This Mercedes Actros Silo Truck Will Not Go Unnoticed

See this truck? Now guess where it’s from. Mexico? Nope. Japan? Try again. It’s from Finland.

Sure, Scandinavian countries may be better known for low-key, minimalist designs. But that, we gather, is the point with this truck: to stand out.

Its a Mercedes-Benz Actros 2663 semi, but it’s not just for show. In addition to a 617-horsepower V8 turbodiesel engine, it has two silo trailers, similarly decked out, for transporting grains and such. The truck was created by Kuljetus Auvinen, a family-owned and -operated hauling company in Finland. And they made it just to keep its driver happy.

Purple Train

The exterior of the tractor and trailers are done up mostly in purple, as you can see, with a custom airbrush paint job. It features the image of Mexican-American actor Danny Trejo, for some reason. It has off-white-wall tires, special ornaments, and more brightwork than an orthodontic surgery. Don’t even get us started on the cab, that’s all done up inside in white leather and purple velvet. All of which makes us wonder if Prince and Hendrix really are dead, or if they’ve been secretly customizing trucks in Finland.

The customization took over 6,000 hours of labor and 450,000 euros just for the raw materials. Fortunately the trucking firm’s managing director Mika Auvinen has a knack (and reputation) for the work. And driver Arto Simola, for whom it was created, seems happy with his rig. Which was the whole point: he’s been driving for the company for three years now. And his bosses want to keep him, and keep him happy, for as long as possible. “Good drivers are hard to find,” notes Daimler, “and even harder to keep hold of.”