Part of this particular story was previously posted as a secondhand account to a forum online, though like many other parts of Big Red's past, it was hearsay. To finally have it nailed down from someone who was there is relieving. And following that fateful tow, the circumstances of Holman-Moody actually taking ownership of Big Red are interesting, to say the least.

bigmacktrucks.com | kscarpelBig Red in the Holman-Moody hangar. Note the tow bar still connected to the front of the truck.
It was around that same time, Holman told us, that H&M's racing contract was canceled abruptly by Henry Ford II as Ford and the rest of Detroit's Big Three found themselves under pressure from the government to reduce emissions following the landmark expansion of the Clean Air Act in 1970. According to Holman, Ford pulled the plug instantly. The money stopped coming, Ford ordered trucks on the way to events in California to be turned around and sent back to North Carolina—via them being pulled over by the California Highway Patrol, Holman said—and it all left a bad taste in his father's mouth.

This was allegedly followed by a lot of bickering between the two parties until finally, Henry Ford II sent the company a letter—which Holman says he still has—saying "everything in your possession is yours to use as you see fit -- Henry Ford II." This letter arrived, of course, with Big Red still sitting in Holman-Moody's Charlotte, North Carolina facility. Someone had forgotten about it—but soon enough, Ford came knocking again.

"When they called up to say 'Ok, we've arranged a tow vehicle to pick up Big Red' my father had gotten that letter," Holman said. "And after Henry had been so rude and obnoxious, he told Ford 'Piss off, Big Red is ours'—in those words."

Now that H&M had this massive, semi-famous truck, though, there was the lingering question of what to do with it. The answer, in a nutshell, was not much really could be done with it. Holman says that, due to its immense weight—the cab alone weighs 20,000 pounds according to original documentation we found—it faced serious hurdles in becoming road legal. Its powerplant was also thoroughly ruined after that failed start in Atlanta. As it turns out, an engine that runs up to 75,500 RPM and 1,750 degrees Fahrenheit really doesn’t like doing so without oil.