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All in a name
Page 76
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Fashion is a funny thing, not least when it comes to vehicle names. At present the "in" idea seems to be numbers—almost every truck you can think of has a numerical identification— Volvo F86, DAF 2800, Scania LB81 and so on. Others have letters, ERF B series etc. Only Leyland has stuck to names throughout. Traditionally it has used animal names—Buffalo, Bear, Terrier and so on, Latest is Octopus—and the new eightwheeler is the fifth model since 1935 to bear that name.
Truck and Bus md Ron Ellis told me the other day that he had been talked into using the Marathon name and had regretted it ever since. Apparently there are plenty more animal names under Leyland control, though Bulldog is not one of them. The American Mack outfit will soon be selling in Britain and the bulldog is very widely recognised as a symbol of that marque, but the Bulldog name is held by Metro-Cammell.
Incidentally, Leyland's latest Octopus is pretty competitively priced at just under £14,000 in chassis-cab form, Just for the record, the 1935 model cost £1,350 with double-drive. An "oil engine" cost another £150. A shot in the arm for nostalgia.