Indiana Jones. Archeologist. Professor. Globe-trotting adventurer. A larger-than-life hero on a perilous quest to find the Ark of the Covenant, the sacred shrine of pure gold that, according to biblical tradition, held the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. Nazi forces are searching for it in 1936 among the ruins of the ancient city of Tanis, Egypt, to seize its supernatural power and wield it in their pursuit of world domination.

Jones will find the Ark first. They will take it from him, transporting the Ark out of Tanis across the Sahara toward Cairo in a battered, heavily guarded Mercedes-Benz LG3000 military cargo vehicle. Along the way, Jones fights his way onto, beneath, and behind the truck before reclaiming his prize in one of the most thrilling action sequences ever filmed.

It is this iconic chase scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark that has since become a part of Hollywood legend.

A New Type of Hero 

Paying homage to the cliffhanger Saturday matinee serials produced by Republic Pictures between 1935 and 1955, Raiders of the Lost Ark tips its fedora to old-school pulp storytelling. In 1973, George Lucas plotted out an action film concept about an archeologist adventurer named Indiana Smith and his pursuit of the Ark of the Covenant. Following the massive success of Star Wars in 1977, Lucas revived the archeologist idea and pitched it to his friend, Steven Spielberg. When Lucas asked him to direct it, Spielberg had only one condition before accepting — change Indiana’s last name from Smith to Jones. 

It’s Not the Years, It’s the Mileage

Long before its memorable appearance throughout a key action sequence in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Mercedes-Benz LG3000 had roots in Germany’s military buildup in the 1930s. Despite its desire to remain politically neutral, German automaker Daimler-Benz built an all-terrain military cargo vehicle prototype known as the Mercedes-Benz LG63. Though never reaching larger-scale production, further development of the original LG63 prototype led to the introduction of the Mercedes-Benz LG3000 in 1936.

Built as a three-ton-class military cargo truck sporting twin-driven rear axles, the LG3000 combined substantial cargo capacity with the mobility required for off-road and desert military operations. Powered by a Daimler-Benz 7.4L OM67 diesel engine, the output of the LG3000 was approximately 95 horsepower. 

With its unmistakable prewar German military-truck styling, the Mercedes-Benz LG3000 ideally matched the vision Lucas and Spielberg had for the elaborate desert chase sequence in Raiders of the Lost Ark. However, they didn’t use an actual Mercedes-Benz LG3000.

Rather than risk harm to scarce 1930s vehicles, including one of the last remaining Mercedes-Benz LG3000 models still in existence, with punishing stunt work throughout the Tunisian landscapes, the production team decided to utilize replicas. This resulted in vehicle specialist Charlie Mann and his team turning to one of history’s most iconic American military trucks, the GMC CCKW. Better known as the “Jimmy” or the “Deuce and a Half,” the GMC CCKW transport truck was mass-produced by General Motors between 1940 and 1945 and served the Allied Forces in all global theaters of operation throughout World War II.

The filmmakers replicated the bodywork of the Mercedes-Benz LG3000 onto three separate  GMC CCKW chassis, each lengthened to the exact dimensions of the LG3000. All three replicas were equipped with a 270 cubic inch, 4.4L inline-six (I6) gas engine that generated roughly 104 horsepower, 216 pound-feet of torque, and a top speed of 45 MPH. A five-speed manual transmission, two-speed transfer case, and 6×6 drive system gave each truck the durability needed for the rough desert terrain.

The Desert Chase

The seven- and-a-half-minute desert chase from Raiders of the Lost Ark was filmed in the Tozeur region of southwest Tunisia, mostly along the winding desert roads near Al-Mitlawi, over a period of three weeks in August 1980. Spielberg and stuntman Terry Leonard, who doubled for Harrison Ford throughout the sequence, meticulously choreographed the thrilling scene. After being thrown through the windshield of the replica Mercedes-Benz LG3000, Indiana Jones grasps the front grille, slides beneath the moving vehicle, pulls himself along its underside, and is dragged down the desert road behind the truck, clinging to his bullwhip before climbing aboard again.

Filmed practically with no special effects, the sequence is a salute to legendary stuntman Yakima Canutt, who performed variations of the same stunt with a stagecoach and a team of horses in two different films back in 1939. Four months before Raiders of the Lost Ark began filming in June 1980, Leonard narrowly escaped severe injury while attempting a similar stagecoach stunt on another production.

Leaving nothing to chance, Leonard agreed to do the desert truck scene for Raiders of the Lost Ark only if the film’s stunt coordinator, Glenn Randall Jr., drove the replica LG3000. As final preparations continued, Leonard and Randall realized that even with the suspension modified to raise the truck higher off the ground, there still wasn’t enough clearance beneath the chassis to perform the stunt safely. The crew quickly excavated a shallow trench along the stunt route, allowing Leonard the ability to move through the recessed ground channel with minimal risk. 

The truck was filmed moving at a slower speed, with second-unit director Michael Moore shooting at low angles with a telephoto lens and undercranking the film to just 20 frames-per-second (FPS), compared to the standard 24 FPS, so the footage appeared faster than it actually was. When watching the film, a sharp eye can view portions of the trench while Leonard is beneath the truck.

For shots of Harrison Ford inside the truck driving and fending off his adversaries, complete and partial replica cabs were mounted to specialized camera and tracking rigs. Throughout the front of the truck, heavy-duty grab points and exterior handholds were incorporated around the bodywork, bumper, and fenders so Ford and the stunt performers could safely hold onto the vehicle when it was in motion.

Fun Fact!

Indiana Jones was named after “Indiana,” George Lucas’s Alaskan Malamute, who was also the physical inspiration for Chewbacca in Star Wars. The dog and adventurer name connection was famously referred to at the conclusion of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989.

Raiders Forever

Today, only one of the three replica Mercedes-Benz LG3000 trucks that appeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark still exists, currently on public display as part of the Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye attraction at Disneyland.

With its daring stunt work and practical ingenuity, the desert chase in Raiders of the Lost Ark remains one of Hollywood history’s most defining action sequences. Clever filmmaking tricks, including the transformation of a GMC CCKW transport truck into a convincing Mercedes-Benz LG3000, contributed to the movie magic that makes this film an enduring cinematic classic.