Popular Science described the Landmaster:

While the film is fiction, the Landmaster vehicle itself is real. In the story, the Landmaster was designed to use as many standard truck parts as possible, so that any junkyard would have whatever was needed for repairs. The real Landmaster is powered by a 427-cubic-inch (7.00 L) Ford industrial engine, and uses the rear-ends of two big trucks and an Allison automatic truck transmission. It features a fully-functional, custom-built "tri-star" wheel arrangement, which could actually help it crawl over boulders. All 12 wheels are driven, but only 8 are normally in contact with the road surface at any one time.

It also used an innovative steering mechanism which guided the vehicle, not by turning the front wheels, but by bending the middle section with hydraulic rams to effect a turn. The Landmaster's bodywork was made with 3⁄8-inch (1 cm) steel plating, which helped it tip the scales at over 10 tons. The design's strength allowed it to survive a 25-foot (7.6 m) jump during testing with no damage.

A staple of Southern California car culture for many years, the Landmaster was parked in full view next to Dean Jeffries' automotive shop on Cahuenga Boulevard in North Hollywood, California from 1977 to 2005.

The Landmaster was sold to a private owner in 2005 and was restored to its original condition as featured in Damnation Alley. The Landmaster was then on the show car circuit for several years. In 2007 it was featured at the San Francisco Rod & Custom Show at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California as part of special exhibit with other notable movie and TV cars.

Some time in 2009, the Landmaster was vandalized while in storage. The damage is relatively minor, but repair and restoration is required again.