Michael Burnett tells us about his 1983 Daf which he spent hundreds of pounds refurbishing before being made redundant.
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Until a few weeks ago my pride and joy was my 1983 Oaf 330, which I'd had for four years and with which I won nine firsts and one second at truck events around the country. I had to give it up when my firm, Tom Shanks Transport in Aberdeen, sold out to the Allen Munro Group {see this week's industry news, page 8). Tom wanted me to stay on and drive the wagon on lowloader work at weekends, but I needed a five-day-a-week job. I'm now driving a 1633 Mercedes-Benz for Kennedy Transport in Newmachar.
The Daf originally belonged to an owner-driver, Gary Lamb of Sunderland. He had it decked out in Sunderland football club colours and he put all the stainless steel on it. When I got it in October 1989, it was a bit faded and so I added tartan curtains and a rug at the back of the cab, The dash was all replaced with new fabric and I put new tartan backings on the door panels. There was a mural painted on the sides of the lorry, but due to the oil-related work it was used for we decided to change the design to its existing one: the North Sea, an oil rig and a helicopter.
I haven't done anything with the Merc, but KT has got a fancy Scania 11 3. I don't know what his plans are; another lad has it at the moment so I'm lying low for the time being. But I've told them I'm interested in going to shows again.