A MAMMOTH TASK
Page 24
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The Hawk gave his reading specs a good spit and polish as he settled down to peruse the latest title from the Commercial Vehicles Archive Series. AEC Mammoth Major MK by Graham Edge, covers what the author describes as the Golden Age of British trucks.
In 1954 AEC set out to win the race to put the first eightlogger on the road. The Mkt remained in production for only 18 months before it was replaced by the Mk11 range, which did sterling work during the last war; the book includes a rare photograph showing a wartime convoy of Major Wis.
After the war AEC concentrated on the development of the Mkill range, launching it at the 1948 Commercial Vehicle Show. By the 1950s AEC had difficulty keeping up with demand (one order alone from the War Office was for 550 six-wheelers).
These friendly looking lorries with their distinctive exposed radiator grilles became a familiar sight on British roads. Of course looks are not everything, and for the drivers the cabs were cramped and noisy with two temperature settings: bloomin' boiling in summer, and f-f-ffreezing in winter.
AEC duly designed a roomier cab known as the "tin-front" with the radiator behind a grille—but heating and demisting were still optional extras so drivers had to count on having a generous employer.
MkIlls kept going until the late 1960s, and AEC's customer list remains a testament to the esteem in which these vehicles were held. it included Esso, Shell, the London Brick Company and Guinness.
For further details on the book write to Graham Edge, Gingerfold Publications, B Tothill Road, Swaffham Prior, Cambridge CB5