The Steinwinter Supercargo

https://www.thedrive.com/article/12603/the-forgotten-steinwinter-supercargo-is-unlike-anything-on-the-road-today

Comments

samatMay 27, 2026, 6:11 AM
Reminded me of the trucks which truck the airliners in the airports

Searched for it, they are called Towbarless (TBL) Tugs, they go under the nose of plane and lift the front wheels

I don’t particularly like cars, but those ones always had my attention in the terminal :)

twicMay 27, 2026, 7:01 AM
Reminds me more remotely of scoops used in coal mining, in very low-ceilinged seams:

https://www.komatsu.com/en-us/products/equipment/room-and-pi...

mrecMay 26, 2026, 10:05 PM
I wondered if this might have been the basis, either physically or at least aesthetically for the Aliens APC. Apparently not; while very similar in low-slung form factor, that was a Hunslet ATT77 air towing tractor: https://www.hooniverse.com/movie-cars-aliens-armored-personn...
ErneXMay 27, 2026, 1:59 AM
I thought the same, even searched for it on the article.
verve_ratMay 27, 2026, 12:27 AM
I was wondering if it had any relationship to the trucks from The Highwayman tv show.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Highwayman_(TV_series)

https://www.motortrend.com/news/peterbilt-semi-truck-the-hig...

mrecMay 27, 2026, 3:25 AM
That one's explicitly mentioned at the end of TFA itself, though.
usrusrMay 26, 2026, 11:39 PM
Read about it back then in what might best be described as a kid's annual hardcover magazine and loved it so much (a few years later they had a long article about the Porsche 959, it's almost a tie for me). "Das Neue Universum": in those years they had an awesome mix of technology, culture, adventure and science - some parts much further from "ELIF" than one might expect.

A part of that young me still seems to live on being mighty disappointed that I'm not living in that future!

spankibaltMay 27, 2026, 2:12 AM
> "Das Neue Universum"

Interesting publication (history) [1].

1. [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Neue_Universum]

ew6082May 27, 2026, 12:44 AM
Boeing has a similar vehicle that drives the rear end of long load trailers around Seattle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsZ6YPsPpj0

defrostMay 27, 2026, 1:21 AM
There are similar variations about the world wherever blades for wind generators need to be moved through tight roads.

Australian road trains can get pretty lengthy depending on region, but they're essentially standard prime movers with multiple linked trailing "standard" trays.

curio_Pol_curioMay 27, 2026, 2:26 AM
Timeless interior. Maybe inspired

https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/df7a5e0c-8004-40...

(from the electric Ferrari

http://www.roadandtrack.com/photos/g71401901/2028-ferrari-lu...)

rigonkulousMay 26, 2026, 11:13 PM
It reminds me of my old Citroen BX, what a slab of unworthiness that thing was.

I really have to wonder how the Steinwinter was supposed to be pratical, with such dreadful clearance?

A case of whimsical design, perhaps.

bfkwlfkjfMay 27, 2026, 4:59 AM
My father had a Citroen bx, I'd like to hear more why you think it's a "slab of unworthiness". I never had any contact with it as an adult.
jcgrilloMay 27, 2026, 1:46 AM
You might be surprised how low the clearance is on some over-the-road trailers. Especially the long ones for hauling heavy equipment, their breakover angles are atrocious. Most roads are navigable regardless, and they know how to pick routes that avoid impassible ones. Low as it is, this truck's clearance probably isn't as limiting as you might think.
whalesaladMay 27, 2026, 1:13 AM
Kinda reminds me of the movie The Big Bus which is awesome: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bus
dylan604May 26, 2026, 11:20 PM
I can't believe something like this would get any further than artist's renderings. The visibility would be shite. Even for limited purpose use like in a large warehouse lot where they need something just to move trailers around the lot. I'd have thought any dolt could see this being a problem, but I guess not
GuB-42May 27, 2026, 1:23 AM
The design was driven by regulations that limited to total length of the truck but not specifically the trailer. Smaller tractor, bigger trailer, more carrying capacity, more profit. Sure, visibility is shite, but if it is legal, they will get it, because carriers are here to make money.

But it turned out not to be legal, and regulations changed, now specifying different limits for the trailer and the total length, meaning it lost its main reason for existing.