The Coke truck from Argentina

It’s been a little over a year since we opened the New World of Coca-Cola to the public.

Almost a year before that – two years ago today, in fact -- we installed the very first artifact in the still-under-construction attraction.

Our first piece? A 1939 bright yellow Chevrolet panel delivery truck from Argentina.

The story of the truck is a great one. It actually was used to deliver Coca-Cola in the southern portions and suburbs of Buenos Aires, Argentina. When we first announced plans to build a new World of Coca-Cola, our bottler in Buenos Aires, David Lee, approached us about including this truck in the building. The truck had been in continuous service in Argentina for almost seven decades and was still used for special events.

How did the truck get here?
The truck was shipped from Argentina (by boat) to Jacksonville, Florida, and was then transferred to a special auto carrier for its journey to Atlanta. The Chevy spent the night at our Company headquarters, so the employees could see it up-close, and on June 23, 2006, we drove it onto the construction site. A member of my team – one of the few who could drive this kind of stick-shift – actually drove it down the street.

However, he will not be driving it out of the World of Coca-Cola. They actually built the rest of the building around the truck. (It couldn’t have gone into the building with the walls up, and now it’s not going to come out!)