rivers of broken-down lorries stranded on northern stretches of the
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M6, M1 or the AIM may take comfort when this impressive monster truck turns up to tow them to safety—but at the same time they might be left wondering: "Where on earth did that come from?" Not from any of the Mad Max films, that's for suranstead the heaty-duty unit was snapped up by Middlesbrough-based recovery operator Auto Recovery Services when AWL) called in the receivers The vehicle is a one-off prototype, built as part of a £250,000 tanktransporter development project for the army
Despite trials on Salisbury Plain, it never went into production as the army placed its order with Leyland Daf instead John Heads, boss of Auto Recovery Services, bought it for "a song" with just 250km on the clock A Brimec body was fitted by the Roger Dyson Group at Droitwich for 157,000 and the 23.tonne monster was ready to roll "It's particularly good for reaching trucks stuck in boggy places," says Head "It can climb anywhere" He recently recovered a fire engine upside down in a bomb crater at the top of a 1:3 gradient: "I went straight up the hill, recovered the vehicle and brought it straight back down."
unters turning up at a sale of farm and
commercial vehicles held recently by the West Sussex.based society Sidlham Steam were able to pay their money and take their choice on a scale ranging from £65 for a rusting farm tractor to 4.25,000 for a working Foden DType steam tractor.
The sale was held following the death of 66-year-old Hampshire haulier Charlie Russell, who died before realising his ambition to open a museum of the vast collection of vehicles he had gathered over a lifetime.
The collection had been stored in a gravel pit, a challenging
environment which meant that many had to be hauled out of bushes, trees and shrubs that had grown around them over more than 30 years (an experience not unfamiliar to the Hawk, sat steadfastly at his desk in Commercial Motor's garret through wars, pestilence and famine: or at least that's what it feels like at
the fag end of another long week).
The sale raised more than ,.40,000, and the good news is that Charlie's son Gerald is using the cash to build proper housing for the cream of his father's steam collection. Fans of steam may want to put an entry in their diary for the next event being organised by Sidlesham Steam, the Downs Steam Show, to be held at Bensgreen Farm, Froxfield, near Petersfield on 6-7 July. The Hawk will endeavour to be there, as part of a long, hot summer rambling round the British countryside enjoying old vehicles during the day and new beer during the evening while taking his pleasures in a hostelry boasting clean sheets, a jovial host and a tidy space by the latrines to park the trusty Robin...