bird's eye view by the hawk Happy winner Mho is
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this man; and why is he so happy? The answers, in order, are: Steve Porretta, managing director of Coventrybased fuel merchants S Porretta & Sons; and because he's the winner of the recent Commercial Motor/Hatcher "Keep your Wheels on" competition.
His prize? A set of free Safe Wheel nut retaining rings for his 17-tonne Mercedes rigid.
Having got all the answers right, his tiebreaker, "They run rings around other wheel nut safety devices" was enough to clinch it with the judges. History on wheels 0f you want to keep abreast of what vehicles from the past are up to in the future, I suggest you catch up with the latest issues of Historic Commercial News. Did you know that more than 25,000 people in the UK earn their living from the historic vehicle movement? It also turns over more than £1.6bn a year. These are figures from a Federation of British Historic Vehicles Clubs survey in association with the University of Central England in Birmingham; they can be seen in the January/February issue. The March edition includes an intriguing article on the Triangle Truck Company in the US, reproduced courtesy of the American Truck Historical Society from its journal, Wheels of Time. All issues contain dates and venues for rallies throughout the year. Historic Commercial News is available by subscription from Susan Barrie at Iden Grange, Cranbrook Road, Staplehurst, Kent TN12 OET. Restoration man Dhivers were sent tingling down the Hawk's spine when he spotted this 1957 Foden S18 FGH 5/15 tractor in a show at Chilham Castle near Canterbury. He tried to call it to the attention of his canine companion Foden, but the mutt had other weightier doggy matters to consider such as scrabbling frantically in the earth with his front paws for no apparent reason. The Foden, which won the Commercial Vehicle class, is owned by Herne Bay haulier Nigel Pearson. It is Nigel's passion to renovate vintage trucks and to get them on the road again. This one is fitted with a Gardner 98hp engine; it previously belonged to British Rail and, aside from a paint job, is all original. Next to the Foden is an ex-army 1952 Bedford 0-type tipper with a six-pot petrol engine which Nigel has also lovingly restored. As you can see from the picture, Nigel is somewhat of a New Man in that he allows his good lady wife Nikki to drive his pride and joy. Now that's what I call true love.