Some builds are engineered. Others are unleashed. The Thor 24 is the kind of machine that makes you question whether the person behind it was chasing speed, spectacle—or something more extreme altogether. It’s a 44-foot-long big rig powered by two Detroit Diesel V12s, force-fed by four superchargers, with a price tag that could fund a racing team.
This isn’t a show truck in the conventional sense—it’s a street-legal monster with drag chutes, a 9,000-watt stereo, and enough chrome to blind satellites. What follows are 10 facts that explain how Thor 24 became one of the most outrageous and powerful trucks ever built.
Built from Two 12-Cylinder Detroit Diesels
Thor 24’s powertrain starts with a serious act of mechanical madness: two Detroit Diesel V12 engines mounted nose-to-nose. Together, they form a 24-cylinder monster displacing nearly 28 liters. A splined crankshaft connects the pair, essentially turning them into one massive engine block with synchronized output.
Each of the V12s was originally rated around 650 horsepower, but after significant tuning and modification, Thor’s total output is estimated at over 3,974 hp. That’s not just rare—it’s nearly unheard of outside of land-speed racers or naval machinery. And yes, it sounds every bit as insane as it looks.
Twin Superchargers and 12 Nitrous Bottles
To push nearly 4,000 horsepower through a custom-built semi, the Thor 24 team fitted it with twin 8-71 superchargers per engine—four total—stacked and belt-driven in a tower above the hood. As if that wasn’t enough, it also runs a 12-bottle nitrous system plumbed into the intake.
The boost setup alone makes it look more like a top fuel dragster than a rig. Those superchargers aren’t just for show—they feed massive volumes of air into the dual V12s, helping Thor hit its projected top speed of 130 mph. On a 32,000-pound truck, that’s a serious number.
44 Feet of Chrome and Custom Fabrication
At 44 feet long and built with no regard for weight savings, Thor 24 is essentially rolling sculpture. The exterior is a mirror-finished blend of stainless steel, billet aluminum, and polished chrome. Just about every exposed surface was hand-crafted or custom-machined.
The chassis and body panels were extensively modified to house the twin engines and wild intake system. It’s a show truck at heart—meant to stun in both presence and precision. According to its builder, over 3,000 custom parts were fabricated specifically for this project.
The Build Cost Surpassed $7 Million
This wasn’t a side project—it was a full-on engineering and artistic endeavor. Mike Harrah, the builder and visionary behind Thor 24, reportedly invested over $7 million into the truck over a seven-year period. That includes labor, machining, materials, electronics, and design work.
For context, that’s more than what it cost to develop some race cars and low-volume hypercars. But the cost wasn’t about speed or practicality—it was about pushing the boundaries of custom fabrication. Every inch of the truck shows where the money went, and it’s not subtle.
The Cockpit Looks Like a Jet Fighter
Inside the cab, Thor 24 trades trucker simplicity for fighter jet complexity. The dashboard is filled with 24 gauges, dozens of toggle switches, a full aircraft-style yoke, and a digital command system for lighting and air systems. There’s even a 40-inch LCD screen tucked into the ceiling.
The control system was custom-wired from the ground up, designed to handle the powertrain, lighting, audio, and onboard electronics. It’s not the kind of cab you hop into without instruction—this truck has a learning curve. In fact, it’s more cockpit than cabin.
Equipped with Drag Parachutes
When your 30,000-pound semi is capable of triple-digit speeds, you need more than air brakes. Thor 24 uses four 12-ton drag parachutes mounted at the rear to slow down safely after full-speed runs. They’re deployed just like on a drag car—via handles inside the cab.
This may sound like overkill, but at 130 mph, the standard air brakes aren’t enough to scrub speed fast enough. These chutes aren’t just visual drama—they’re functional safety gear designed to tame a machine that can’t be stopped with conventional hardware alone.
Audio System Puts Concert Rigs to Shame
Thor 24 doesn’t just make noise through its exhaust—it’s also home to a 9,000-watt sound system. The setup includes multiple subwoofers, amps, and speaker arrays embedded into the sleeper cab, turning it into a rolling venue.
The entire system was custom integrated during the build, with attention to detail matching the rest of the truck. It’s over-the-top, but so is everything else about Thor. If you’re going to build a 24-cylinder street-legal semi with fighter jet gauges, you may as well add the sound to match.
Featured in Films and Global Press
Thor 24 isn’t just a showpiece—it’s also a media magnet. The truck has been featured in documentaries, international automotive expos, and was displayed at the SEMA Show to a stunned crowd. It’s also made appearances in music videos and specialty automotive features.
Its unique blend of engineering and spectacle helped it gain viral status across social media and industry publications. For many, it’s become a symbol of what happens when budget and imagination go completely unchecked. The fact that it runs just adds to its legend.
Sold for Over $12 Million at Auction
In 2019, Thor 24 crossed the auction block in Saudi Arabia and sold for a reported $12 million. The sale made headlines not just for the price tag, but for what it represented—an ultra-niche machine that somehow found the right buyer with the right wallet.
It was never meant to be practical, but it turned out to be valuable. The sale placed it among the most expensive custom-built vehicles ever sold. And while it’s unclear how often it’s driven now, it’s undoubtedly parked in a climate-controlled garage that fits its scale.
Built by One Man with a Wild Vision
The brain behind Thor 24 is Mike Harrah, a real estate developer and custom builder with a long history of ambitious projects. What started as an idea to bolt two Detroit V12s together turned into a multi-year passion project fueled by engineering obsession.
Harrah didn’t just fund the build—he helped design, fabricate, and test the truck. The end result wasn’t made for profit or for racing—it was made to push limits. In a world of cookie-cutter builds, Thor stands out as one of the most overbuilt custom machines ever created.
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*Created with AI assistance and editor review.
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