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Earls Court Preview

New and not so new models at the Commercial Motor Show

IN SPITE of the dubious economic climate many manufacturers are exhibiting new models, and in some cases complete new ranges, at the 1974 International Commercial Motor Show which opens at Earls Court on September 20. British and Continental manufacturers are there in force, with some marques putting in their first appearance at the London Show.

New faces

Into the category of first-timers come Saviem and MAN who also share many common components by means of a commercial agreement in which, for example, MAN supply engines to Saviem, the reverse system applying to the cabs, which the French company supplies.

Saviem will be showing their SM 32.240 32-ton-gcw tractive unit which was launched on to the British market earlier this year and MAN will have their equivalent model on display as well as a drawbar outfit and a three-axle tipper — the last two vehicles being newcomers to the UK.

Perhaps the most significant item of interest at Earls Court this year is the new range of trucks from Bedford. Although full details of the vehicles must wait until the eve of the Show it is now no secret that this announcement will take Bedford and General Motors into the European premium heavy truck market for the first time. The full story of this exciting new development will appear in the Show Number of Commercial Motor next week.

Another British manufacturer with a complete new range of heavy vehicles is the independent Cheshire company of ERE. The "B" series announced in CM last week will be there in tractive unit and rigid varieties when the public will be able to see their new form of cab construction for the first time.

New vehicles from the giant BLMC combine are restricted to the longawaited light van answer to the Transit, described in this iSsue, and the Bristol VRT, although this will be the first appearance at Earls Court for the topweight Marathon.

Two entirely different approaches to cab design can be seen by comparing the DAF 2800 and the new 1626 model from Daimler-Benz. The Dutch vehicle really looks the part of a heavy long-haul truck but the Mercedes has been deliberately designed to "look small" while not sacrificing anything in the way of interior cab space. The new Mercedes is the British version of the Continental range which was announced by the German company in May.

There is a great deal of interest this year in the tipper field — both heavyduty and on/ off road. Volvo have the bonneted N10 at the Show, which is new to the British market. It is rather unusual for a tipper in that it is sold as a package complete with body rather than as chassis-cab. DAF are exhibiting their eight-wbeeler for the first time, the FAD 2205 DU and there will be another 30ton four-axled machine from the Continent making a first appearance but this will not be announced until opening day.

Although regrettably the new big Ford is a non-starter for this year's Shaw there is no shortage of Fords on the stands. In the D-series range the new Custom Cab will be on show with its improved trim and headlight wash/ wipe system, while front disc brakes for the Transit are new for Earls Court.

As well as the N10 tipper Volvo will be showing the uprated versions of two familiar trucks, the F86 and F88. The F86 power unit now develops 150kW (210bhp) resulting from an improvement in combustion and the F88 gets a startling boost from 172 to 217kW (230 to 29 lbhp).

Both these engines feature the Volvo AT regulator described in a recent CM.

Fodens — whose big new European models made their debut at Amsterdam in February will be showing an interesting new addition to their range in the form of an all-wheel-drive sixwheeler suitable for on/ off road work. A top speed of 109km/ h (68m0h) is claimed, along with a hill restart ability of 1 in 3. The particular chassis on show will be fitted with a military version of the new steel S90 cab.

Chrysler have two trucks, both of which are new to Earls Court but familiar sights on the roads, and a new light van from the Simca stable. The Commer Commando is available in gvws ranging from 7.5 to 18.3 tonnes (7.38 to 18.0 tons) and the Spanish-born K3820P from Dodge is the spearhead of the Chrysler attack on the maximumcapacity market.

• Announced today is the Simca 1100 High Top van which is intended for operators with bulky loads and uses the same running gear as the standard 1100 but has an increased maximum interior body height of 1270mm (50in).

The Italian company of Fiat has exhibited at Earls Court before but this was mainly to sound out the market. Now a complete range of newcomers is available covering the 40-tonne-gcw field with the 619 T1 and ranging down to the 51/2-ton-gross 0M55 model. The recently announced 130 model will be on show in the longest wheelbase option of 4.87m (I6ft).

The Mark III prototype heavy tractive unit from Seddon Atkinson will be at Earls Court incorporating many modifications to the cab in answer to the questionnaire put out when the model was first shown in Amsterdam earlier this year. The power unit of the prototype is the Cummins NTC 335 which produces 242kW (328bhp) at 2100rpm. This will be the Mark Ill's first appearance with a sleeper cab.

Berliet's TR-280 tractive unit was sampled by CM in Glasgow last November, but this will be its first London appearance; its exceptional cab comfort and fittings are likely Show attractions.

Passenger highlights

Earls Court '74 will have plenty to offer psv men, although the long-term effects of the three-day week have prevented several new chassis from being completed in time. Still there are enough new models from the coachbuilders to make the trip to London well worthwhile.

Chassis interest will be limited almost exclusively to the latest version of Bristol's V RT double-deck chassis. This has undergone• some major development work to give it the quiet treatment getting so popular these days. The chassis on show will be a Leyland 510engined example and with the Leyland G2 close-ratio fully-automatic fivespeed gearbox.

Almost all the coachbuilders have some new development to justify a trip to their particular stand. Duple will be showing a brand new model, a service bus body of fairly conventional construction but with some ingenious frontend styling. The 29-seat Dominant body on the Bedford POK is new too. On the next door stand another small body — this time by Plaxtons — is to make its debut on the same Bedford chassis and on the Bristol LHS but full details must await next week's issue. Willowbrook is continuing its recent policy of having a new model for the Show. This year it will be the 008, a curved-sided luxury job with full executive trim, mounted on a Bedford YRT chassis. The body is particularly striking about the front end.

Pride of place in the new-model stakes, though, must surely go to Alexanders. Not one but two new models are featured, and its doubledeck body on the Ailsa front-engine underframe will be making its Earls Court debut too. There will be a full-size dual-purpose model called the T type complete with Continental styling but with curved sides, as well as a new integral midi bus. This bristles with technical innovation and could be only the forerunner of a line of integral vehicles of all sizes using this light-alloy underframe. The Show model has seats for 27 and Ford A Series running units.

Even smaller than this midi will be the luxury coach on the Moseley stand. Called the Faro this is a 20-seater — said to be the only one on the UK market — and is mounted on the Bedford J2.

Turning to buses, apart from the Ailsa decker the. Metropolitan integral double-decker is making its Earls Court debut. Unfortunately the third new double-deck design — Leyland's B15 — is still apparently not ready to show. Van Hool McArdle will be showing its new double-deck body in a bid to win some of the UK market for itself.

As usual, component manufacturers will offer plenty of interest. Of particular note is the Delphic warning system fitted to all the Duple exhibits, and two new coach seats. One seat, the Diplomat Technic° model, is in the Alexander T type while Connolly is showing its coach "chair" for the first time.

Leading from behind

There will be 18 trailer manufacturers exhibiting a wide range of types, from the single-axle maximum-capacity semi-trailer to the specialist-built machinery carriers and logging trailers. York is showing the greatest number of new models and operators will be interested in the company's new Savoyard TIR semi-trailer, which features the rear door assembly from the Freightmaster van range to give easier loading access. The superstructure is mounted on the York Lo-deck semitrailer. Other new models from York include a grp frameless van and a Freightmaster van fitted with the company's new Airpoise air suspension.

As well as a prototype TIR model, Merriworth will for the first time be airing their own tandem-axle rubber suspension unit fitted to a flat platform trailer. Trailer SA (UK), formerly Peak Commercials, will also be exhibiting a TIR tilt-covered semi-trailer. Its straight frame construction features a short depth main-member at the neck for maximum volume within a 4m (13.1ft) overall height.

Crane Fruehauf and Cravens Homalloy will both have new reefers — the CH Taskold features a composite construction floor which reduces its thickness and thus increases the body's cubic capacity; and Crane Fruehauf will have a split model to show the construction of the dry freight and the new reefer version of the flowline-produced "F" series van on a tandem-axle trailer.

Faster turn-around times when loading plant and other machinery are promised with Taskers' recentlyannounced hydraulically operated gooseneck which will be shown fitted to the F6 L.b low-loader. This trailer also features spring-loaded rear ramps which facilitate loading over the beavertail. Crane Fruehauf have also improved their low loader which will be exhibited with a revised gooseneck locking arrangement and slide-away jacking pads for easier coupling/ uncoupling. Further, telescopic side extensions replace the previous fold-away type.

Operators looking for maximum payload capacity for their artics should see the Welford aluminium-frame trailers. A tipping model plated for operation at 29.9 tonnes (29.5 tons) gross trailer weight has an unladen weight of just 4.6 tonnes (4.5 tons) and the smaller single-axle urban semitrailer when coupled to a Bedford urban tractive unit returns an unladen outfit weight below 5.1 tonnes (5 tons).

Drawbar trailers are mainly noticeable for their absence, though York will be showing a new Freightmaster drawbar on their stand in the gallery.

A number of manufacturers have designed their trailers to meet European regulations, though only York really seems to be getting to grips with the situation. In anticipation of EEC regs the axles on the Airpoise running gear have been designed to 11 tonnes capacity. Also they will be showing other axles; one which complies with the EEC 71/320 directive on braking is rated to 11 tonnes capacity and has cast steel spoke wheels. The other axle, of the same capacity, is fully type-approved by the German TUV authorities and when fitted with 420mm (16.5m) by 200mm (7.9in) brakes is "Dauer Bremse" tested and approved.

Pengco's move into the trailer field will be a talking point, one of several chassis/ body developments which the company has announced in the preShow period.

Freight bodywork exhibits will feature few startling technological novelties but there are several bodybuilders with new ways of doing things, and weight-saving, time-saving and drag reduction are topical preoccupations.