CLASSIC TRUCKS
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MILESTONE MODELS
The marques that made history
To commemorate the launch of Commercial Motor’s digital archives, we asked our panel of experts to nominate trucks that define every decade of CM’s 107-year history
Defining moments
Self-propelled truck
1901
The final years of the 19th century saw Daimler create the first commercial vehicle and MAN develop Dr Rudolph Diesel’s compression ignition engine, but four-legged horsepower had not yet been usurped by the self-propelled goods vehicle.
The first decade of the new century saw a VHS-vs-Betamax-style battle for supremacy between different fuel types. Initially, the contest was petrol against steam, and it was not until the 1930s that diesel power made real progress towards its eventual dominance. The latter days of the decade even saw petrol-electric hybrid buses operating on the streets of Brighton.
It was during the second half of the decade that the market really began to establish itself, mirrored by the launch of Commercial Motor in 1905. Initially, manufacturers came from a variety of backgrounds, particularly those involved in agricultural machinery.
Names such as Sentinel and Leyland (pictured above) featured, but the one that most personifies the decade is Foden, then still a long way from the family feuding that would eventually see it split into two, with the ERF brand becoming a bitter rival. Colin Barnett – editor, Truck & Driver
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1910
Ford Model TT 1911
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1920
Just as Henry Ford’s Model T (aka the Tin Lizzie) introduced millions of Americans to motoring, the Model TT (the commercial derivative of the T) had a similar effect on the haulage industry – and not just on that side of the Atlantic.
The Ford Motor Company (England) was established in 1909 and two years later was building Ts at an old tram factory in Trafford Park, Manchester. By 1913 the £135 Model T had become the UK’s best selling car, taking a 30% market share. Production of the one-ton TT started in Manchester right after the end of the First World War. The chassis was toughened and stretched by 25 inches, and a heavy-duty rear axle fitted. The result was a slow, but incredibly durable, light truck.
It felt comfortable at 15mph, but had a top speed of 22mph.
Initially, British TTs were built as chassis cabs, leaving customers to choose from thousands of domestic coachbuilders to supply the bodies.
However, by the early 1920s full-bodied trucks were rolling out of Manchester.
It was a huge hit with UK businesses, and became the best selling light truck of the time. Although the plug was pulled on the TT in 1927, the truck had done wonders for Ford’s image in the UK, and 94 years after its launch the Ford Transit remains Britain’s best-selling commercial vehicle.
Will Shiers – editor, Commercial Motor
Scammell 100-tonner
1921
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1930
The road transport world had seen nothing like it and, arguably, will never again experience the effect that one specific vehicle generated when, in 1929, Scammell unveiled KD 9168 – the first vehicle built to carry a payload of 100 tons.
It was Ernest Charles Marston (of Marston Road Services) who first approached Scammell to build such a vehicle. Originally fitted with a four-cylinder petrol engine developing 80hp, the Scammell had the ability to move such weight – and more – by being geared down to a top speed of only 3mph-5mph. When compared with using the combined efforts of three or four steam-powered traction engines to move a similar weight, the Scammell artic was a proven winner. It stood the test of time and was in heavy haulage use until 1955, although by then it was fitted with a Gardner diesel engine. Now owned by Maurice Hudson, this vehicle is on display at the British Commercial Vehicle Museum at Leyland.
Bob Tuck – freelance journalist and truck historian
GMC ‘Jimmy’ 6x6
Bedford enthusiasts doubtless bridle at the 4.5-ton GMC CCKW ‘Jimmy’ 6x6 being called ‘the truck that won the war’. But with 562,000 built at GM’s Yellow Truck & Bus plant in Pontiac, Michigan, the iconic ‘Deuce and a Half’ (the nickname refers to its two-and-a-half-ton payload) served in more theatres of war, with more armies, than any other truck in the history of military transport.
Its 91hp 4.4-litre, petrol-powered six-pot was designed to last for just 16,000km before a complete engine overhaul. Behind it sat a five-speed crash box and a hard-riding, steel-sprung, double-drive bogie. Various versions included cargo/personnel carrier, tipper, recovery vehicle, tanker and one with a quad-mounted anti-aircraft gun.
Jimmys were also fitted with artillery pieces, and the famous amphibious truck was based on it. During the legendary 81-day ‘Red Ball Express’ operation soon after D-Day, Jimmys hauled a vital 416,586 tons of freight to the allied front line.
1941
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Brian Weatherley – former editor, Commercial Motor and International Truck of the Year jury member
AEC Mammoth Major
1931
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1940
Life was tough for a long-distance trunker in the 1930s – sleeping in questionable digs, governed to a maximum legal speed of just 20mph – but with luck he might be driving an AEC Mammoth Major. This flagship rigid eight-wheeler arguably came top of the heaviest (22 tons GVW) class of vehicles on the road, yet thanks to lightweight construction afforded a 15-ton payload, powered by AEC’s own 130hp diesel engine and returning a creditable 7.25mpg.
AEC (the Associated Equipment Company) was created in Walthamstow to build and repair buses for the forerunner of London Transport, but later went on to have a long association with Southall.
Already known for technical and design innovation, AEC produced its first lorry – the Y-type Army subsidy chassis – in 1914.
With their distinctive blue and red triangular badge AEC trucks and buses had an enviable reputation for reliability and engineering excellence (being designed by the legendary John Rackham) and were exported all over the world.
Dave Young – former editor, Truck & Driver
Fiat 682
1951
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1960
From its launch in 1952 the Fiat 682 became one of the best-known heavy trucks in the world and continued in production for an astonishing 36 years, until its demise in 1988.
The 682’s abiding appeal lay in its rugged simplicity. Originally fitted with a 140hp, 10.2-litre diesel engine, within a decade the 682 had an 11.5-litre powerplant producing 180hp. Its steel cab, with twin-bunk sleeper option, was very sophisticated for its day, way ahead of anything on offer in Britain. The 682 was sold as a solo vehicle, drawbar or artic tractor, and its ability to withstand severe overloading made it an ideal Third World workhorse.
Fiat and Iveco continued to build the 682 in Turin, alongside its more sophisticated successors, but the model was also assembled in Mexico, Argentina and Nigeria, where it earned the title, ‘King of Africa’. Fiat 682s continue to work to this day.
George Bennett – founder, Truck and Truck & Driver magazines
Volvo F88
1961
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1970
Hot on the heels of its smaller F86 sibling, Volvo’s F88 model rewrote the book on heavy truck engineering standards in the 1960s. This new ‘King of the Road’ first appeared in Britain during 1968 and its performance caused a sensation. In the following four years alone, Jim McKelvie’s Alisa Trucks organisation in Barrhead imported around 2,000 F88 models.
The big Volvo’s arrival coincided with a time when many UK operators were beginning to haul to either mainland Europe or further afield into Asia and northern Africa.
An all-steel sleeper cab with pioneering safety standards, a 240hp TD100 engine and eight-speed synchromesh gearbox, meant there was nothing to equal the Volvo F88’s abilities on long-distance work.
With a commanding view of the road from its Bostrom suspension seat, the Volvo F88 was the truck that everyone wanted to drive in the late 1960s.
John Henderson – freelance journalist
Volvo F10 & F12
1971
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1980
This decade probably saw more change for truck drivers and fleet engineers than any other, post-war. Volvo’s F86, F88 and F89 had already made a big impact with British operators, and in 1977 Volvo topped the lot with its F10 and F12. The industry knew it had moved up a whole gear.
Volvo’s straight-six 10-litre TD100 engine and SR62 four-over-four 16-speed box, with dash-mounted splitter, inspired confidence from the word go. The velour interior wore better than cynics expected and although the F10-F20 had only 278hp and just 1,000Nm to call on, the weight limit was then only 32 tonnes.
Ian Norwell – freelance journalist
Scania 3-Series
1981
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1990
There are many pretenders to the ‘King of the Road’ crown, but only one marque stands out as owning that title – Scania. And that is largely due to the Scania 3-Series. Even in today’s world of huge cabs and economical, green engines, drivers still talk reverentially about the best Scania series ever made.
If ever a truck was right from day one it was the 3-Series. It was roomy for its day, powerful, reliable and its looks were striking, giving it a presence on the road that its competitors struggled to match.
The 3-Series transported the humble workhorse truck into the realms of prestige motoring and became the truck to drive, to be seen in, and to own. Many of Scania’s products have gone down in transport folklore, but none have the lasting effect that, even today, many drivers would choose to have a 3-Series if possible, just to be able to say they drove one... and that is the mark of a true classic.
Rikki Chequer – community manager, TrucknetUK
Daf XF
2001
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2010
The noughties were all about big cabs. Extra living space went from being the preserve of owner-operators and the very lucky to something a fleet driver could reasonably expect, and the Daf 95XF is a classic example of a lorry that grew over the decade.
Based on a cab designed in 1985, its evolution perfectly illustrates where we came from and where we arrived. In 2000 drivers thought they were something if they had the Space Cab version. By 2005 the Super Space was the only thing to be seen in, and increasing numbers of those employed by larger companies were. Hand a driver the keys to anything that wasn’t at least a top-spec 105XF in 2010 and the look of disgust could strip the paint off the yard shunter at 40 paces. We can only look forward with excitement to whatever ergonomic delights this vehicular ‘line in the sand’ makes ‘standard’ over the next 10 years.
Lucy Radley – truck driver and freelance journalist
Renault Magnum
1991
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2000
This is a tough one, with a number of good trucks vying for the top spot. The 90s marked the accelerated transition of trucks from Gaffer’s motor to one that put the needs of the driver and operator at its heart – and the industry is a better place for it. Renault was an unlikely leader in this sphere, but here was a truck with style and presence others could only dream of, an osteopath’s dream as its head-turning presence gave us all a crick in our neck.
Inside, Magnum revolutionised in-cab living with its flat floor, big bed and umpteen storage areas. Sure, the ride could make you seasick and the B18 gearbox took a bit of mastering, but these were minor irritations when you had one of these iconic babies in the fleet.
Renault was incredibly brave with the Magnum.
It deserves plenty of recognition for its bold leap forward. Let’s hope its replacement occupies a similar place in our hearts...
Andy Salter – MD, Road Transport Media
Mercedes Actros
2011
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Like a fine wine the Actros, launched by Mercedes-Benz in 1995, has matured with age. A clear departure from the SK, its mechanically based and much-loved predecessor, the early days of Actros were beset by electrical teething problems following a radical embrace of electronics and a burgeoning reputation for being over-engineered. Salvation was the much simpler Axor. With the pressure of being everything to every operator removed, Actros blossomed as a flagship product.
Several evolutionary revamps of Actros culminated with a revolution in 2011 that altered its appearance and driveline. With an all-new OM471 12.8-litre engine for Euro-5 and the jump to Euro-6 the Germans made their intent clear; better ride and handling experience and in-house telematics were standard. As the jury pointed out when voting it Truck of the Year 2012, Actros has “demonstrably raised the bar in heavy truck efficiency and comfort”. Tall, striking, strong, spacious, comfortable... in an
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age where ‘bad trucks’ no longer exist, you’d have to go an extra mile or six to justify anything even subjectively negative about this truck.
Kevin Swallow – deputy technical editor, Commercial Motor