Novelties, decotora, pakistan, pakistani dekotora, pakistani trucks, decorations, dekotora...

Since You've Been Extra Good This Week: Pakistani Dekotora

You know a meme has reached its defining moment when it transcends itself. Like a jukebox hero with stars in his eyes, these Pakistani Dekotora have reached for the mic of fate and while displaying mastery of the material, achieved their own awesome spin. These trucks are a result of nearly the same phenomenon which spawned the Japanese Dekotora: single guys, driving trucks, with nothing else to spend their money on.

Using all manner of detritus from paint to reflectors, sheets of steel, rugs, and forsaken bedazzlers, the trucks are fully decked out for all to see. There are even truck competitions, sponsored by fuel companies, in which owners can win free fuel. Because of the truck market in Pakistan, the vehicle of choice is usually an old Bedford or GMC, outfitted with a high cargo hold to maximize capacity. It also provides a supersized canvas to get crazy on. There's a pretty good write-up about the customs and traditions surrounding the style here, and as you can see, we dug our teeth into this one and went a little nutty with the gallery. We just can't get enough of that Hindu-Kush goodness.

2:30 PM on Fri Feb 15 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
1,911 views
40 comments

Comments

HDC at 02:35 PM on 02/15/08
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Very awesome. I like the wheel detail too.

There must be a collection of guys in India with those little rickshaw pedicab things that do this too.
harumph at 02:36 PM on 02/15/08
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the afghans kick some ass at this as well.
CafeRacer1200 at 02:42 PM on 02/15/08
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Take a couple of these cross country for the first season of Top Gear in the U.S.
POLAЯBEEЯ at 02:43 PM on 02/15/08
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These pictures are chicken deprived.

Needs more chicken
Andrewpetty at 02:43 PM on 02/15/08
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eh, I think Jeepney's are cooler.

[en.wikipedia.org]
Maxichamp at 02:45 PM on 02/15/08
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How about some Filipino Jeepneys too?
htrodblder at 02:46 PM on 02/15/08
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Needs more cowbell
sorry couldn't help myself
POLAЯBEEЯ at 02:56 PM on 02/15/08
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@htrodblder: Needs more sacred cowbell.
yellofury * * * * * at 02:56 PM on 02/15/08
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@Andrewpetty: oh man I was just thinking of Jeepneys too
those are so wild ...how about some pimped out tuk tuks??
Cyclist at 02:59 PM on 02/15/08
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I can only cringe at what the interior decor of their houses might look like.
FЯeeMan at 03:02 PM on 02/15/08
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heh. They've got one on display at Disney World just down the road from the Himalaya coaster.

Just thought you'd want to know.
beta.rogan at 03:02 PM on 02/15/08
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I guess they don't have many height restricted bridges over there.
Vintage Racer at 03:09 PM on 02/15/08
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Start with an old Blue Bird, convert it like this guy -[jalopnik.com] - trick out the outside like the Pakistanis and hit the road. Just think of the looks you'll get pulling into that high-end motor coach lot with that baby!!

Or maybe the infield at Daytona or Talledega?
smokeydog001 at 03:15 PM on 02/15/08
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Nice rigs, but I'll bet their DOT isn't as highly motivated as Kentucky's!
Andrewpetty at 03:21 PM on 02/15/08
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@yellofury: tuk tuks? From the Ice Planet Hoth? I don't think those are real.
Braff S. Preston, Esq. at 03:25 PM on 02/15/08
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@POLAЯ: the real reason...
charles_barrett at 03:49 PM on 02/15/08
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@ÇitiŽen BrÅff: Obviously they're all at the Chicken Ranch in Nevada...
mytdawg at 03:52 PM on 02/15/08
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Some of those pictures of all the people hanging out of the vehicles remind me of the Turnbulls AC's from The Warriors.
mytdawg at 03:52 PM on 02/15/08
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Too many SSS's
Gradall at 04:00 PM on 02/15/08
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Trick my truck what????
DoctorNineTenths at 04:00 PM on 02/15/08
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Now that's what I'm talkin about.
Andrewpetty at 04:15 PM on 02/15/08
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Didn't decoy GLG-20s Millbarge and Fitz-Hume take one of these things to Duschanbe? On a related note, why isn't Chevy Chase funny anymore?
readChimayPOLARZ at 04:53 PM on 02/15/08
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@ANDREWPETTY b/c he's an angry jerkass.
POLAЯBEEЯ at 05:01 PM on 02/15/08
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@ÇitiŽen BrÅff: That cock looks like a breast man!
rgseidl at 06:25 PM on 02/15/08
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@ Citizen Braff -

so who gets laid first: Polar or the chick in the dekotora easter egg? Or is this the wrong blog for that?
79TA at 06:31 PM on 02/15/08
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What's with the pointy fronts on the tents? Are they trying to add useless interior space and drag?
voodoojoo at 08:21 PM on 02/15/08
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You didn't have to love me like you did
But you did, but you did.
And I thank you.
You didn't have to love me like you did
But you did, but you did.
And I thank you.
Smells_Homeless at 10:08 PM on 02/15/08
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These, while quite awesome, look less like actual dekotora and more like rolling versions of the Corn Palace.
pitchpitch Type-Я at 10:18 PM on 02/15/08
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I like the more robot themed ones from Japan more, but dekotora is love! Dekotora cannot be contained by only one geographic region!
hootjigga at 10:44 PM on 02/15/08
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Don't get Pakistan started on the highly controversial Kashmiri Dekotora, or the prevalent threat of India and Pakistan's Nuclear Dekotora competition.
corvidae at 11:22 PM on 02/15/08
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Weird how these truck drivers are mostly Pashtun, the people that are the core of the taliban, yet they decorate their trucks in some completely un-Islamic ways. Lots of blasphemous depictions of animals, people, designs reminiscent of Hindu temples, side by side with religious quotes from the Koran.

Makes me hope that hoonage and pimpin' trucks is that missing piece of the puzzle to bring about world peace.
NovaloadMissesPolar at 11:25 PM on 02/15/08
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People with money and nothing to spend it on--surely we can think of something for them to purchase? After all, Jalopnik is the international clearing house for hot exotic cars.
skulldriveshaft at 02:38 AM on 02/16/08
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@Cyclist: marble and granite, brick and mortar, same stuff they haul around.
skulldriveshaft at 02:41 AM on 02/16/08
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@79TA: money to burn
skulldriveshaft at 02:50 AM on 02/16/08
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@corvidae: there's nothing further from the truth - the people that are the core of the taliban are just that dude - whatever region they claim - don't care at all.

it's just like having jesus on your dash board, or rosary hanging from your rear view mirror - how many pimps you see wearing diamond encrusted gold crosses?

leave the politics outta the scenery man - it don't belong - long haul truckers are pretty much the same around the world don't you know?
turbo zero at 11:45 AM on 02/16/08
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Man, these trucks blow my avatar (taken in India) into the weeds. But at least mine has TURBO!

For some reason, I do prefer the Japanese dekotora though, and thinking about it the reason is probably neon. And that awesome song which was in the video that Davey posted a while back.
corvidae at 05:23 PM on 02/16/08
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@skulldriveshaft
I think we're on the same side on this. These truck drivers are just like us, caring more about paint jobs than politics. I was just saying that gave me hope.
skulldriveshaft at 05:13 AM on 02/17/08
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@wild zero: we gotta get some photos of these things at night - they're freakin crazy looking because it's all regular bulbs - sorry they don't have LED's everywhere - could do so much more.

just think old time theatre marquees - now moving on the road :]
skulldriveshaft at 05:27 AM on 02/17/08
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@corvidae: there's tons of stuff you haven't seen yet - I think we're missing most of the developing world's "Dekotora"

For god sakes if I saw that on the road I would have to think long and hard about the reality of Vanilla Sky.

Lots of galleries to look at here:[www.pinktentacle.com]
Stoatmaster at 07:20 AM on 02/18/08
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Western tankers encourage a false sense of security, with their sensible logos and robust aura.

Much better to cover the entire thing in blaze of religio-psychedelic glory, which yet still allows us to focus on the sacred script:

HIGHLY INFLAMMABLE (sic)

Intimations of mortality, indeed.