Toleman's transporter
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• A revolutionary new car transporter arrived in Britain this week for testing by the Brentwood-based Toleman Group.
The new vehicle, built by Strasbourg, France manufacturers Robert Lohr, and developed jointly with Toleman, will undergo extensive tests at the Motor Industry Research Association's testing ground near Nuneaton, before trials at the test tracks of various UK car manufacturers.
The 18m rig consists of a modified lveco Ford 165/24 ri
gid on a 3.8m wheelbase, pulling a drawbar trailer with a tandem-axle bogie. The rigid can carry three saloon cars, the trailer takes a further eight.
Alan Cooper, 'roleman's director of engineering, says one of the most important aspects of the design is its overall height, which at 4.65m (15ft 3M) is roughly 30cm less than existing tri-deck trailers.
This height saving has been achieved with new cantilevers, but Cooper admits: "We still need to fully test out the design. The new cantilevers which hold the top deck cars have never been used before in Britain and it is important we get this right."
The upper deck of the trailer is of an experimental design using two independent longitudinal hollow section box members fitted with manually retractable light alloy support arms.
By eliminating crossmembers and tracking, Toleman will be able to keep clearances between cars being carried on the transporter to a minimum.