@MCLegoboy:
Was it specifically designed to work with one or more existing models?

Technic, schmecknic.

I couldn't enjoy pushing all those pins, precious. Give us our bricks, shiny and clicking.

Very beautiful set. It has nice and realistic power functions but the vehicle itself and what it does isn't that interesting.

I mean, I’m not trying to ask for too much of course, but it looks pretty plain without a car to tow around.

@Brickalili said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @brick_r said:
"Optimus Prime after the Heinz factory tour...'incident' (soon to be in the next Michael Bay movie:D)

Edit:...Hmmm...Just realized: Optimus Heinz..:D"

Optimustard."

Ketchuptimus Prime"

Optimayo Prime

Does anyone know why there are black beams across the windscreen as not great for visibility. Usually you would find a flat bed as a B-model to say Cherry Picker 8292, which has a far more interesting A-model using far less pieces. The B model in this set was really different with the scissor lift you find at airports to restock the catering for long-haul flights.

Very cool set! Seemed a bit pricey for its time at first, until I noticed the PF. Looks great, and the functions seem very well implemented. I mean, looking at a video, it's not just the bed moving backwards, but also the chassis lowering itself simultaniously, pretty neat! And same for the wheel lift. And then there's the B-model, which might not look as good but has its own interesting functions. Technic at its best!

One of my early sets this. And I agree with @fredrigl, it is a hidden gem.
The functions are superb, the colour scheme is attractive, and at just over £70 at the time it was very good value for money. Especially when you consider its motorised.
The highlight is definitely seeing the chassis lower as the flatbed slides back and into loading position. With steering, a winch and powered spec lift which folds away, slides out, flips and lifts a car, just very cool.
It wasn’t like today where other items are sold to go with, so no car, but hey, it’s Lego, build one :-)

Fun fact, but very trivial.
The wheel lifting mechanism at the rear is called a ‘Spec lift’ in the recovery industry in the UK.
It’s an abbreviation of ‘Spectacle’ as they look like a pair of specs.

I never found this one too appealing because it looked like it would be like a more boring version of a dump truck in how it operated. Reading about it in the comments above has made me realize that they really did their homework on its mechanism. That's cool!

It's a shame that this set has gone up in price so much. Half of that price for MiSB would be more reasonable. I'm surprised it's nearly as expensive as 8258. Regardless, I'll try to hunt down a bargain sooner or later.

@LegoMike:
I’ve had a few vehicles get picked up with a flatbed, and I’ve never seen one where the chassis lowered. The bed would slide back until it was at least 50% past the rear of the chassis, then it would tip up at a fairly steep angle and slide down to the ground. The winch system does all the lifting, so lowering the chassis isn’t really necessary.

I don’t know what they call the lower two system here, but I’ve seen a couple different styles, and none of them really looked like eyeglasses. Most just have one straight bar with some sort of removable gear that’s used to secure two of the wheels to that bar.

@PurpleDave said:
" @LegoMike :
I’ve had a few vehicles get picked up with a flatbed, and I’ve never seen one where the chassis lowered. The bed would slide back until it was at least 50% past the rear of the chassis, then it would tip up at a fairly steep angle and slide down to the ground. The winch system does all the lifting, so lowering the chassis isn’t really necessary.

I don’t know what they call the lower two system here, but I’ve seen a couple different styles, and none of them really looked like eyeglasses. Most just have one straight bar with some sort of removable gear that’s used to secure two of the wheels to that bar."

I used to work for a recovery company here years ago. One of the biggest issues with flatbeds picking up cars was that the angle of the bed in relation to the road would often cause the lower lip of the front end to catch and often get damaged. A more recent improvement, although I think quite old now, was to enable the rear end to lower making that angle more shallow. It must be 20 yrs ago and I don’t know exactly what was going on, it may be, and probably is thinking about it, air suspension that is allowing this.
The bars over here are used more with goods vehicles, and roadside assistance vans to tow a car to a safe location.
This is all distant memories and I worked in offices rather than doing the recoveries myself.
I’m definitely not an expert :-) lol

Just bits of casual knowledge

@LegoMike said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @LegoMike :
I’ve had a few vehicles get picked up with a flatbed, and I’ve never seen one where the chassis lowered. The bed would slide back until it was at least 50% past the rear of the chassis, then it would tip up at a fairly steep angle and slide down to the ground. The winch system does all the lifting, so lowering the chassis isn’t really necessary.

I don’t know what they call the lower two system here, but I’ve seen a couple different styles, and none of them really looked like eyeglasses. Most just have one straight bar with some sort of removable gear that’s used to secure two of the wheels to that bar."

I used to work for a recovery company here years ago. One of the biggest issues with flatbeds picking up cars was that the angle of the bed in relation to the road would often cause the lower lip of the front end to catch and often get damaged. A more recent improvement, although I think quite old now, was to enable the rear end to lower making that angle more shallow. It must be 20 yrs ago and I don’t know exactly what was going on, it may be, and probably is thinking about it, air suspension that is allowing this.
The bars over here are used more with goods vehicles, and roadside assistance vans to tow a car to a safe location.
This is all distant memories and I worked in offices rather than doing the recoveries myself.
I’m definitely not an expert :-) lol

Just bits of casual knowledge"

I apologise for cheating but I’d never be able to explain properly myself, so I copied from Wikipedia :-)

Wheel-lift (also called a "spectacle lift" or "underlift"): developed from the hook-and-chain technology to produce a large metal yoke that can be fitted under the front or rear wheels to cradle them, drawing the front or rear end of the vehicle clear of the ground by a pneumatic or hydraulic hoist so it can be towed. This apparatus generally picks up the drive wheels of the vehicle (i.e. the front wheels if it is front-wheel drive, the rear wheels if it is rear-wheel drive), touching only the tires. The wheel lift was designed by Arthur W. Nelson of Weld Built Body Co. in 1967. The name spectacle lift is common in the UK; the cradle resembles a pair of squared spectacles (eyeglasses). Medium and heavy trucks use a variation, the "underlift" or "chassis lift", which lifts the axle or frame instead of the wheels. Wheel-lift trucks can have adapters which can also lift the chassis.

@PurpleDave said:
" @MCLegoboy:
Was it specifically designed to work with one or more existing models?"

No clue, just making an observation. Doesn't seem like it though.