Aussie Battler
Owner(s): Bruice Reilly, Ed Mulligan
Debut: Undated, estimated December 1985
Retirement: 1991 - Flying Falcon debut
Body Type: 1978 Chevrolet K20 pick-up
Driver(s): Bruice Reilly, Ed Mulligan
Engine: 454cu.in V8
Horsepower: 800
Chassis: Custom-built to American standards by Bruce Reily
Aussie Battler was designed and built to meet American standards (of the time) by Bruce Reilly in Queensland and took over 3,500 hours to complete. The truck was constructed during the Christmas period in 1985 by Reilly himself, with assistance from select contractors and family members, and was estimated to have cost a quarter of a million dollars in both time and product upon its completion. The Aussie Battler would go on to tour under Reilly's ownership as one of the first Monster Trucks in Australia.
Ed Mulligan later acquired the 'Aussie Battler' in late 1986 and gave it a bright red coat of paint. It proudly displayed the name of his widely successful 4X4 company, Opposite Lock, which he had previously founded in 1974. The truck would compete against the likes of Bigfoot and Taurus at the 1989 'Monster Truck Challenge' before being transformed into the 'Flying Falcon' ahead of the 1991 tour of the same name.
*Last updated: 8/10/2025. Image(s) courtesy of: the Aussie Monsters archive
*Click on images to view in a larger size*
