Tybum's time trial
Page 10
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• A time trial to Italy and back with a Volvo F.88 tractive unit and 5,300-gal pressure tanktrailer has been completed by Tyburn Road Tank Services, part of the Powell Ouffryn Group.
Main object of the run was to plan an express schedule for the route from Tyburn's headquarters at High Wycombe, Bucks, to Vado Ligure. Italy. And, despite severe weather conditions and delays at Customs points, the total distance of 1,961 miles was completed nearly two days faster than with vehicles previously used by Tyburn on the route.
The Volvo was equipped with a sleeping cab and its 270 h.p. turbocharged engine was pulling a 20-ton load of additive oil. It was driven by Mr. K. J. Loosley, head of the company's technical research and development department. and Mr. J. Payne, one of the company's Continental driving team.
The route taken was from the company's main office at Wooburn Green, High Wycombe, via the Thoreson Ferry at Southampton, to Le Havre, Rouen, Vernon, by-passing Paris for Fontainebleau, Auxerre, Chalon, Macon, Geneva, Mont Blanc Tunnel, Aosta, Ivrea, Turin, Ceva and Savona.
The shipment was off-loaded at Vado Ligure and the tank was then cleaned 30 miles away at Bolzaneto. A new load of 20 tons of oil additive was taken on at Savona for shipment to Manchester on behalf of Esso Chemical.
The outfit left Wooburn Green at 6 p.m. on a Saturday and returned there at 12.15 p.m. on the following Saturday. A full day was lost because of a general strike in Italy and other delays were caused by adverse weather conditions which reduced speed at some points to 25 m.p.h. But the average overall speed for the trip-1,751 road miles and a sea journey of about 210 miles—was 32.5 m.p.h.. with an average m.p.g. of 6.5.