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WIDE RANGE OF NEW ( IS MODELS AT BRUSSELS

29th January 1965
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Page 58, 29th January 1965 — WIDE RANGE OF NEW ( IS MODELS AT BRUSSELS
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ik• LTHOUGH the 44th Salon de PAutomobile which

opened in Brussels last Week is the first of the major Continental shows in 1965, it is, in fact, the last of the batch held in the autumn and winter, which started with the Earls Court Show and was followed by the Paris and Turin salons. For this reason some of the gloss of the show is rubbed off, as many of the exhibits at the other shows have reappeared; this is particularly so in the case of vehicles introduced by British, French and Italian manufacturers. However, important introductions have generally been saved for Brussels by commercial-vehicle makers from Germany, Sweden and Holland; and because the Italian Show last year was limited to passenger exhibits there are also new Fiat goods models to be seen. .

British manufacturers use Brussels as a major shop window for their products and A.E.C.,.Leyland, B.M.C., Guy, Bedford, Roots, Ford and Perkins have taken stand space. Because the Leyland Group tilt cab is not yet produced as a left-handdrive version none of the latest A.E.C. and Ley-land goods models is shown, but on three modelsa Mammoth: Major six-wheeler, a Mandator long-wheelbase lorry and a Mandator tractive unit—A.E.C. features a newly designed steel cabby Bolleken. This is a very attractive design and that on the tractive unit is a sleeper-cab version; this chassis, incidentally, has a 12-speed ZI gearbox.

On the Leyland stand the main interest is passenger vehicles, particularly models designed and built by Leyland's associate, Brossel Freres, using Leyland mechanical units. There are two Brossel A91.DARIL one a 90-passenger bus (with 50 seats). the other a bare chassis, illustrating the layout of .units—a Leyland 0.600 horizontal engine and -Pnuemo-Cyclic gearbox mounted at the extreme rear in a similar way to the Leyland Panther—and also the design of sub-structure/frame which slopes up from front to rear and has been recently altered in details.

A third Brussel bus is an A92.DAR model with 100-passenger bodywork by Jonckheere as supplied to the French Municipalily of Valenciennes. This has a Leyland 0.400 130 b.h.p. engine mounted vertically and longitudinally at the rear and driving forward through a Voith automatic transmission unit. The body is typical of Continental bus designs, with few seats and a large amount of room for standing passengers, and among the interesting fittings on the show model is a compartment accessible from the outside which contains all electrical connections and components for the interior fluorescent lighting and so on. 1 was told that Brossel is making inroads into the French Municipal market, and as well as Valenciennes has sold buses to Lille and Boulogne. Models with luxury-type bodywork' are also featured, together with an example from the Hotchkiss tilt-cab goods range introduced at the 1964 Paris Show.

Bedford appears on the stand of General Motors, and the main interest here is a VAL with touring bodywork by Jonckheere, this being to the latter concern's latest design with a relatively flat roof and deep side windows. Also featuring a Jonckheere-bodied coach is Ford, with a Thames chassis having a two-speed axle. Guy. B.M.C. and Rootes stands are the only British ones with models introduced at Earls Court last September. Rootes is exhibiting an example of the Maxiload and, as reported in last week's issue, the break with -Henschel is imminent, so Rootes has a separate stand and the name Henschel does not appear on the cabs as at previous Continental shows. On the Guy stand there are a number of examples of the Big "J" range, which is available in lefthand-drive form, and an interesting exhibit is the Daimler Roadliner chassis shown at Earls Court which is featured at Brussels as the Guy Conquest, its name across the Channel, B.M.C. features a number of FJ models.

Perkins have their own stand and there was to have been added interest because two Russian lorries fitted with Perkins engines were expected to he seen also on the stand of Scaldia Volga SA. But these had not arrived by the time 1 left Brussels On the Thursday after opening day and all that could be seen on the stand were two UAZ 1-ton models, a 450 van and a 450D pick-up; there would not have been much room for the ZIL 130 7-tanner and

GAZ 53 4-tortner with Perkins 6.354 and 4.236 engines, respectively, which were scheduled to appear.

Of the manufacturers from the Continent represented at Brussels, no fewer than 11 feature new models. These range from the Mercedes-Benz LP 608 3-tonner to Henschel Margirus-Deutz, Fiat and Krupp 26-ton six-wheelers and the biggest is a Faun 120-ton g.t.w, tractor. Starting at the bottom end of the scale, the Mercedes-Benz LP 608 has been developed because of the increasing number of regulations by countries in Europe limiting the use of commercial vehicles of 6 tons and over in towns. The gross rating of this model has therefore been limited to 5,990 Kg. (5.89 tons) and this gives a nominal payload of 3 tons. The 608 has a cab with a square-cut appearance in a style resembling that of the LP 1620 heavy goods models, an example of which appeared at the London Commercial Motor Show. Wheelbases of 3-2m. (10 ft. 6 in.), 3-6m. (11 ft. 9.6 in.) and 4.2 m. (13 ft. 8-4 in.) are offered, and as well as chassis/cab versions, the model is sold with a drop-side body 3-8 m. (12 ft. 4-8 in.), 4-5 m. (14 ft. 8-4 in.) and 5-5 in. (18 ft.) long, according to wheelbase. The show exhibit was the middle size, complete with body. The engine fitted in the LP 608 is a four-cylinder diesel—the OM 314—which has been developed from the six-cylinder OM 352. Gapacity is 3.78 litres (230 cu. in.) and maximum gross output is 88 b.h.p. at 2,800 r.p.m. Maximum gross torque is 166 lb. ft. at 1,600 r.p.m. and fuel consumption, based on the German DIN standards, is said to be between 21 and 23 m.p.g. The gearbox used in the vehicle has also been specially developed and is a five-speed, all-synchromesh design. Steering is by recireulatory-ball unit and the hydraulic brake system is air assisted. An exhaust brake can be supplied and a twocircuit brake system is optional when the model is to be used on trailer operations.

A good degree of driver comfort is built into the cab, access to which is by steps behind each front wing. The engine is set back from the front of the chassis, . which means that it is located below the seat pressing of the cab, and there is therefore clear access across the cab; a single or double passenger seat is available. Fresh air heating is standard and to keep down -the noise level inside the cab considerable attention to engine-cowling insulation has been given.

' Scania-Vabis use Brussels to introduce a new medium-weight four-wheeler, the L 36. This is a semi-forward control model and extends the Scania-Vabis goods range downwards by weight, being designed for a maximum gross weight of 11 tons which. with a chassis weight of about 3.5 tons, allows for payloads of around 7-5 tons. Until the L 36, the smallest Scania-Vabis model has been the L 56, which is designed for 13-5 tons gross solo or 25 tons gross train weight as a tractor or tractive unit. Many components from the L 56 are used and the engine is a four-cylinder, 5-2-litre direct-injection diesel, developing 102 b.h.p. gross at 2,400 r.p.m. in naturally aspirated form or 130 b.h.p. gross at the same speed when turbocharged. The engine designation is D 5 and DS 5 respectively for the two versions and it is based on the D 8 six-cylinder diesel used in the L 56. But the gearbox is a new unit with five forward ratios, the four highest having synchromesh engagements. The braking system is air-pressure actuated with dual circuits for front and rear axles and optional extras include a two-speed axle. The main reason given by Scania-Vabis for the introduction of the L 36 is that the market for medium-weight goods vehicles has grown considerably in recent years and that this has been particularly the case in Belgium and Holland. To make the model more marketable in these areas it will be assembled in a Benelux assembly plant opened at Zwolle, Holland, by ScaniaVabis on January 15.

Engine Uprated

Following the current trend in all European countries to increasing power-to-weight ratios of goods models. Scania-Vabis is also introducing at Brussels an uprated version of the DS I I turbo-charged diesel engine used in the L 76S series of chassis. Power output is increased from 225 b.h.p. at 2,200 r.p.m. to 255 b.h.p. at 2,400 r.p.m., the gain being obtained by the use of a newly designed injection pump. The L 76S range includes the biggest vehicles made by Scania-Vabis, including fourand sixwheelers with ratings of 19 tons and 22 tons gross solo and 40 tons gross when used with a trailer or semi-trailer.

Of a little higher payload capacity is a new normal-control four-wheeler introduced by DAF (Van Doorne's Automobielfabriek N.V.). This is the A 18 DS, designed for a gross weight of 14 tons (payload of 9-4 tons) solo and up to 28 tons when used with a trailer or semi-trailer. This model also uses components from other DAF models, the cab being from 13 and 16 series designs, whilst the engine is a six-cylinder diesel producing 165 b.h.p. DAF is also featuring a production version of the MB 200 passenger chassis which has a Leyland 0.680 horizontal engine mounted amidships. The difference between the final design and that of the prototype which was introduced at last year's Amsterdam Show is that the hump in the chassis frame above the engine is now eliminated and the side-members are flat from front to rear.

From a power unit point of view the most interesting item at Brussels is undoubtedly the V 10 air-cooled diesel engine which is used by Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz in the MagirusDeutz 235 D 20 FS six-wheel tractive unit shown. This model bears the name Transeuropa and is designed for gross train weights of up to 36 tons, although it is also produced as a rigid for a gross weight solo of 22 tons and a 40 tons g.t.w. In the tractive unit form shown the chassis weight is 6-87 tons. The engine is the F 10 L 714, bore and stroke dimensions being 120 mm. (4-74 in.) and 140 mm. (5-5 in.), respectively, making the cubic capacity 15-83 litres. Maximum output is 235 b.h.p. net at 2,300 r.p.m. and maximum torque is 621 lb. ft. at 1,300 r.p.m. Weight of the engine is approximately 2,300 lb. and in the show vehicle the drive is taken through a ZF AK 6-80 six-speed gearbox with overdrive top. The 235 D 20 is of generally conventional design, and like most Continental chassis has a cab giving every comfort to the driver. The frontal treatment is attractive and there are forward entry steps for access by the driver and passenger.

Six-wheelers are introduced by both Volvo and Krupp at Brussels and, in addition, Krupp features a new four-wheel tractive unit—the SF 1080—which has a Cummins V8 diesel engine. The Volvo model is the L4956, which is based on the L4951 forward-control four-wheeler, having the same 240 b.h.p. net turbocharged diesel engine, five-speed overdrive gearbox and driving axle. It is, in effect, a 4951 with a lengthened frame and additional trailing axle at the rear. The 4956 is made in two wheelbases-13 ft, 4 in. and 17 ft. 1 in.— and is designed for 24-5 tons gross weight which, with a chassis weight of about 7 tons, allows for loads of about 17-5 tons. It is interesting that the 4956 is the first six-wheel forward control to be offered by Volvo and, in fact, the earlier normalcontrol six-wheeler made by the concern went out of production about six months ago.

The new Krupp six-wheeler is a 6 x 6 model and is shown with a dumper-type body. It has a gross weight rating of 26 tons solo, or 42 tons with trailer, and the engine used is the 220 b.h.p. gross Cummins V6 which Krupp has been manufacturing for some time. The SF 1080 tractive unit, on the other hand, has a Cummins V8 engine which produces 275 b.h.p. gross. The engine in the show chassis is of American manufacture, as Krupp is not producing the V8, but it is planned that the German concern will go into production with the eightcylinder unit in the near future. In common with other Krupp models having a vee engine, the SF 1080 has a I2-speed ZF gearbox; it has been found that a high number of ratios is needed to allow the engine to be kept in its most useful speed range.

Van Hoot Shows Fiats On the stand of Van Hool there are many examples of the integral passenger models that this concern produces, using Fiat mechanical components. New designs are the type 420/HA and the 340. The 420 has a Fiat 220H six-cylinder, horizontal, 9-16-litre diesel engine producing 153 b.h.p. net at 2,400 r.p.m. and is shown as a bus with a Voith automatic gearbox. The 340 has the same Fiat engine, but has a 10-speed gearbox (five-speed main and two-speed secondary) with synchromesh on all but bottom gears. The model shown is a city bus with 50 seats and room for 50 standees.

Van Hool,besides being an important builder of integral p.s.v., is also a distributor for Fiat goods chassis and has a number of new models on show. In the heavy class there are a number of versions of the Fiat 643 four-wheeler, latest additions being the 643 EP for 16-5 tons gross solo or 28 tons g.t.w. and the 643E for 13.5 tons gross solo or the same g.t.w. when used with a tractive unit or trailer. In both cases a 9-16-litre, 175-b.Np.-gross engine and 10-speed synchromesh gearbox are used. A new six-wheeler is the 693 N, which has an Hendrickson tandem-drive bogie with two-leaf-spring suspension. The engine is a 12.883 six-cylinder unit producing 240 b.h.p. gross, and the transmission is through an eight-speed synchromesh box. This model, which has a weight rating of 26 tons solo and 40 tons g.t.w., is based on the 19 ton-gross four-wheeler which Fiat introduced in prototype form at the Paris Show. This model is now known as the 683 W and is said to be in production.

In the light-goods class Van Hool is featuring a new Fiat 3-tonner. This is the 625 M, which for its load capacity is of relatively small size—the cab measures 6 ft. 8 in. high by 6 ft. 8 in. wide by just under 5 ft. deep. Two wheelbases are made-8 ft. 6 in, and 9 ft. 10 in.—and the 2-7-litre four-cylinder diesel engine, which is set back from the front of the chassis so that it is located beneath the seat pressing, produces 65 b.h.p. gross at 3,400 r.p.m. Except that the Mercedes-Benz LP 608 3-tonner has a much higher cab, the two models are comparable and the Fiat also has 16-in, wheels and a five-speed synchromesh gearbox. The mechanical components used in the 625 M are used by Van Hoot for a most attractive small passenger vehicle.

At the Paris Show, Henschel exhibited HS 19 four-wheel and HS 26 six-wheel models with higher power engines than previously used, and these are being shown again at Brussels with two additional four-wheel models, the HS 18 TS and HS 18 HS, which use the same engine as the 19 and 26 and have other mechanical components in common. The Henschel 6 R 1215 F six-cylinder 11-05-litre diesel produces 192 b.h.p. gross at 2,100 r.p.m. Both models are designed for a gross weight of 18 tons, the 18 IS being a forward-control layout and the 18 HS a normal-control.

Henschel became an associate of Hanomag in the Rheinstahl group in 1964 and Hanomag also has two new items. One is a 285-cu.-ft.-van version of the Kurier 1-95-ton chassis, the other a new four-cylinder 1.8-litre petrol engine producing 60 b.h.p. gross at 4,000 r.p.m., which has been introduced for the Kurier range as an option to the existing diesel. The final German manufacturer with new models in Faun, with the largest vehicle at Brussels, the L 1212/45 ZA. This is a sixwheel tractor unit designed for a weight of 22 tons at the ground and to pull a trailer weighing 100 tons. The engine is a Deutz 12-cylinder air-cooled diesel, either a F 12 L 714, 290 b.h.p., or BF 12 L 714, 340 bhp. unit. Also shown by Faun is the L 10 Eurotrans four-wheeler which was introduced in September last year and is powered by a Deutz six-cylinder turbocharged diesel with a gross output of 275 b.h.p. Transmission is by a 12-speed ZF gearbox and the L 10 is designed for 19 tons g.v.w.

Completing the list of new models is the O.M. Cerbiatto 2-25-tonner. This model was introduced by 0.M, at the 1964 Turin Show as a passenger chassis, but it was obvious then that it was intended primarily for goods use as the 4-4-litre 92 b.h.p. four-cylinder diesel engine is set back from the front of the chassis to allow a clear floor across the cab.

Besides all the important Continental manufacturers most U.S. makers arc also taking part in the ,Show, so it will be seen that the Brussels Show has a. considerable international flavour. It is possible that this may be extended to the Far East at some time. There are reports that Japanese cars may be produced in Benelux countries, and with efforts being made currently by Japan in all parts of the world there is certainly the prospect that commercial vehicles may eventually be built in Europe.

Tags

Organisations: Earls Court
People: Brossel Freres

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