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Can Britain Learn from the Continent?

3rd January 1958, Page 50
3rd January 1958
Page 50
Page 51
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Page 50, 3rd January 1958 — Can Britain Learn from the Continent?
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WHEN Europe becomes a free trade area, comparisons between the British and Continental commercial-vehicle industries will cease to be of merely academic interest. They will be of vital practical importance. Comparable types of British and Continental vehicle will be offered for sale side by side in the same countries to a far greater extent than occurs at present. Furthermore, it is probable that similar types of vehicle will be employed competitively by British and Continental operators over the same routes, as it seems likely that there will be a greatly increased use of cross-Channel ferry services.

How do British vehicles show up against the Dutch, French, German, Italian and Swedish designs? Three years ago I would not have been too optimistic on this score, because many British vehicles, light and heavy, were, by Continental standards, underpowered, underbraked, undergeared and understrength.

Fortunately, this is far from the case today. The use of more powerful engines, fiveand six-speed gearboxes, air brakes and servos, and heavier chassis units is more favoured than formerly by British operators. This is partly because of the increase of the legal maximum permissible gross weight ratings in 1955 and the raising of the speed limit for heavier good vehicles last year. This trend is not yet as pronounced as it might be, but at least it is noticeable.

New German Regulations A further consideration in Britain's favour is the proposed new set of road transport regulations which might be brought into force in Germany at any time. These, described in The Commercial Motor on September 27, 1957, affect the maximum weights and lengths of all vehicles running in Germany, whatever their country of

The regulations are the brain child of the railway-minded German Minister of Transport, Dr. ling. H. Ch. Seebohm, and as originally drawn up were due to be enforced on the first day of this month, but have now been postponed until February 1 and may even be put back still further. There is, in fact, a chance of their being rescinded altogether: certainly this is what most European hauliers hope.

Should these regulations eventually be enforced, current British designs will suit them far better than most Continental designs, thus giving us a head start. Condensed, the regulations imply a gross weight of 12 tons for fourwheelers, 18 tons for six-wheelers, 24 or 32 tons for articulated and drawbar-trailer units, and a maximum axle weight of 8 tons. Gross train lengths will be limited to 46 ft., with a maximum length of 42 ft. 6 in. for articulated outfits. A minimum of 6 b.h.p. per ton gross weight is specified: this is to reduce delays on hills.

So far as passenger vehicles are concerned, there are in Britain many chassis which compare favourably with any016 thing made on the Continent. 'Me rash of 'air-suspension systems exhibited at various Continental Shows recently suggests a livelier imagination, but most British manufacturers are at last becoming alive to the advantages of this type of suspension. In fact, it is only where rear-engined buses and coaches are concerned that we have nothing to offer that would satisfy current Continental requtrements.

It is impossible in the space at my disposal to give a complete comparative review of all British and Continental types, so I shaft take one or two examples of certain basic classes made on the Continent and compare their design with equivalent British types.

Starting with the low-payload multi-stop delivery vehicle, one of the more noticeable differences between British and Continental practice in this sphere is that there is a decidedly greater trend in Britain towards using private cars as the basis for such vans.

Admittedly, there are a few Continental designs, such as Borgward, Fiat, Lancia, Lloyd, Peugeot and Renault, which are based on private-car equivalents, but for the most part car manufacturers pcefer to build forward-control commercial vehicles, using a certain number of private car components. These are to be seen in Alfa Romeo, Borgward, Citroen, Fiat, Iso and Volkswagen designs. There is also a large market for the supereconomy class of tricycle goods vehicle, which seems to he much in favour of food deliveries and has even been exported to America.

Two of the newest vehicles coming into the four-wheeler category of up to 1-ton payload capacity are both Italian. The Iso 400 chassis is manufactured by the makers of the lsetta "bubble car," and whilst this type of car could hardly be converted directly into a goods vehicle, Iso have not made any attempt to incorporate car components in their commercial design, with the result that the 400 is a complete departure for the company and one which shows much promise.

It is a four-wheeler with a payload rating of 15 cwt. and B17 a claimed maximum speed of 44 m.p.h. It has a horizontally opposed twin-cylindered petrol engine, which, being air-cooled, provides quick warming up (essential on stopstart working) and relieves the operator of cooling-system worries during cold weather. The unit has a capacity of only 392 c.c. and it develops 14 b.h.p. at 4,700 r.p.m.

A conventional rear-axle layout is used and the gearbox is a four-speed unit to ensure adequate acceleration and hill-climbing performance. There is nothing skimpy about the design, the chassis frame being a robust, all-welded assembly with cruciform bracing, and it is offered as suitable for a variety of types of body. including a lightweight tipper. Its advantage as a delivery van is that the diminutive power unit necessitatesonly a small engine cowl at the front, so that access to the driving seat from each side is relatively easy.

The second Italian newcomer introduced this year is the Fiat 1,100 T design, a forward-control 1-tanner using several components taken from the Fiat 1,100 private car. Comparing it with British designs it could be likened to a combination of the B.M.C. and Ford vehicles of the type.

For instance, like the B.M.C. it has integral construction, the floor-pan assembly being suitable for different types of bodywork. Unlike the B.M.C.. but like the Ford, it has coil springs and wishbone independent front suspension and hinged cab doors. It has a four-speed synchromesh gearbox which, in conjunction with the 6.429 to 1 rear-axle ratio, ensures a good gradient performance, although the 1.1-litre petrol engine develops only 38 b.h.p. at 4,800 r.p.m. The claimed maximum speed is 55 m.p.h.

In common with British designs of this type the engine and gearbox assembly is set back so that it lies between the driving and passenger seats. Access to the driving seat from the passenger side is not particularly easy, because of the high radiator cooling duct, although this is rubbermatted to act as a.step. Otherwise the cab is generally easy of access, the floor height being low (21 in.), partly because of the use of 14-in. wheels.

The standard van body has

a capacity of 185 Cu. ft. and is available with a side sliding door if required. This door runs on rubber rollers, which give

silence and speed of operation. The Fiatois offered also as a pick-up with a two-level floor or as a nine-seat bus. It is well finished and may prove competitive with British vehicles.

There are several other lightweight forward-control designs in this category in production in France and Germany. Among the most functional is the Citroen, which. although also one of the ugliest by virtue of its corrugatedsection body panels and abundance of straight lines, is one of the most frequently seen vehicles in France. Having front-wheel drive, it offers a low loading height which makes it eminently suitable for delivery work and the forward-control layout is such that good manoeuvrability and driving-seat access are assured.

Also competitive are the Borgward and the Volkswagen, the latter having had a steady sale in almost every corner of the World, including the U.S.A., and both using many private-car components.

Among the 2-toriners, one of the most interesting designs is again Italian—the Lancia Beta 190. This is a forwardcontrol model in which emphasis has been placed on obtaining a low cab floor to make entry and exit simple. The Beta 190, although suitable for van bodywork, is normally employed as a drop-sided truck and it has no real equivalent in Britain, particularly in terms of cab layout. The German Borgward 24.-tonner provides another example of an easy-access cab offering good all-round visibility, also the Volvo 3-toriner.

For the most part, a British operator requiring a 2-tonner which gives easy cab access has to resort to a normalcontrol design, which does not offer the same degree of manceuvrability and driving vision as a forward-control layout. Unfortunately, most British forward-control designs involve climbing over the front wheel to get into the cab— a sore point among delivery-vehicle .operators. The only exceptions to this rule are the new Austin and Morris 2-tonners and the Albion and Seddon 3-tonners.

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