History of Highway Duelling

• 1926: Gang warfare between rival Illinois bootleggers Charlie Birger and Carl Shelton reaches peak when both gangs build steel-and-concrete tanks on truck chassis. The first instance of autoduelling in North America takes place on a rural country road north of Marion, Illinois; the battle is indecisive, neither vehicle taking significant damage. Shelton later ends the war by aerial bombardment of the Birger headquarters.
• 1987: High summer temperatures combine with typical Los Angeles freeway traffic to push some drivers over the edge. Several incidents of gunplay between cars occur.
• 2010s: Armed cycle gangs fight Texas Rangers, Mexican warlords and each other along the Mexican border. Corporations use heavily armed security forces to protect their factories and vehicles.
• 2017: Angered by government conscription of trucks for hazardous food runs, a loose coalition of independent truckers, led by "Mongo" McGuire, calls a general strike. Strike culminates in Battle of Pittsburgh, following which truckers' demands are met. McGuire, fatally wounded in the battle, founds the "Brotherhood of Truckers" with his dying words.
• 2023: Term "autoduelling" first coined by sportswriters after Joe Harshman uses a .50-caliber machine gun to win a Fresno Demolition Derby.
• 2025: AADA founded to serve the autoduelling community. AADA-organized forces help combat cycle gangs in many areas.
• 2027: Anti-Duelling Legislation repealed or ignored in most states and nations in North America, and is permitted in Australia by 2023. TV stations first present live coverage of highway combats.
• 2029: Automotive manufacturers introduce combat equipment as standard options on factory-built vehicles. EDSEL chartered as anti-duelling movement gains popularity.
• 2031: Car Wars released to general public.
• 2032: EDSEL effectively eliminates, by legislation or force, highway autoduelling in most East Coast states, but is unable to expand due to organized resistance by autoduellists.
• Today: The primary threat to highway travelers in most states is no longer cycle gangs but is instead other duellists.

50 Years Ago Today

Vehicle Designed to Counter Terrorists

Patent 4,667,565 was granted Reg. A. Anderson, president of the company, which has been producing armored vehicles since 1973.

As described in the patent, the Viking has a machine gun that can be extended through the car's roof to control terrorist activity. The roof hatch and the weapon are moved into position by motors. When the weapon is stored inside, the vehicle is said to have a totally conventional appearance.

Michael D. Anderson, sales manager, said that 35 have been built for the Department of Energy.

-New York Times Service, 5/31/87