1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184 
Just a little bit of history repeating.
Page 26
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
In your 5 August issue you report MAN's adoption of Dennis Eagle's Elite 2 low-floor cab for a new municipal chassis range, with a comment from marketing boss Fred van Putten that "the two companies have been in negotiations for the past 18 months".
Mr van Putten might not remember, but much longer ago, in about 1995.soon after Dennis's first Elite model appeared, MAN and Mercedes separately entered into talks with Dennis Eagle with a view to their marketing the vehicle in Germany. In each case the idea was to fit the German maker's engine and axles in an otherwise standard Elite chassis shipped from Warwick. Mercedes even went so far as to show a Dennis-built 0M466powered prototype — badged with a three-pointed star — at the 19% Hanover show. However, it was decided in Stuttgart to follow a different path and clone' the Elite's configuration, with its set back engine position allowing a uniquely low, spacious and uncluttered cab floor.The result was the now familiar Econic.
But in Munich MAN's initially similar plan was put on ice and has only now, a decade on, been revived albeit scaled down to a 10-year cab-supply agreement.
Dennis Eagle managing director Norman 'Thoday says the renewed relationship with MAN has also led to the German company's engines being evaluated, in competition with three other suppliers, including Cummins, to provide power units for Euro-4 compliant Elite chassis.
Alan Bunting, Harpenden, Hens