Category Archives: Golden Oldies

Persian Gulf Express – 2014

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Since the days of Destination Doha, I have always wanted to take a Scania 141 out through the desert. I did own a 141 for a few years bit only ever got as far as Holland which unfortunately for those who are atlas-impared is nowhere near the desert, Doha or any where East. Hopefully if you are reading this you know of the website www.toprun.ch a very popular photo website that is run by Ferdy de Martin from Switzerland.

Like myself Ferdy has always wanted to head East and do it in the style of the golden years of the 70’s and 80’s and do you know what the lucky bugger has only just gone and done it, well going to be doing it in the next few weeks.

Starting May 3rd and returning June 9th 2014. The journey will take 3 x Scania 141 and 1 x Scania 111 along 13’000 km and 34 days of travel along the following route;

Vallorbe (CH) – Modena (I) – Ancona (I) – Igumentisa (GR) – Thessaloniki (GR) –

Istanbul (TR) – Ankara (TR) – Erzurum (TR) – Tabriz (IR) – Tehran (IR) – Shiraz

(IR) – Bandar-Abbas (IR) – Ispahan (IR) – Baku (AZ) – Tibilisi (GEO) – Yerevan

(ARM) return via Istanbul, Ancona.

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The trip to Bandar Abbas will keep the trucks very busy, will the 30-year-old trucks stand the heat and dust of the desert 30 years after they were built? Some would say the might fare better than all our modern Euro 6 trucks, I still can’t quite imagine that a Euro 6 truck with all its electronics and sensors will be capable of desert work. A total of 13,000km in 34 days is what Ferdy and his team are hoping to achieve. As long as the paperwork is all in order I think this should be achievable, back in the 1970’s it would not have been possible to set such a time line.

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A few words about the trip from the team;

“This project was born more than 15 years ago, along with the creation of the website www.TOPRUN.ch. Initiated by the creator of the site, quickly joined by a handful of enthusiasts, truckers and owners of older trucks. A team that during all these years has been able to cultivate and maintain the interest of the profession to a wide audience especially with the publication of several books on the history of transportation destination to the East, books that have been a huge success more than 10,000 copies sold, along with numerous articles published in the European press. In 2013, an exhibition and meeting on the same subject, was attended by over 400 enthusiastic people and received an unexpectedly large echo in the media. The very positive result of these initiatives has motivated the idea of this journey on the Silk Road.”

You will be able to keep up with the trip on Ferdy’s website, which I’m sure most of you are familiar with already, but if not just go to www.toprun.ch and you’ll find out all you need to know along with thousands of truck photos from all over the world. After the trip there will be books and DVD’s available to purchase. I know how popular this trip will be so I’ll be snapping up a book as soon as its available as this really is a once in a lifetime trip and could be the last trip that a convoy of classic Scania’s makes across the Middle East. Yes I’m just a tiny bit jealous as my Uncle Dick used to drive for Astran and i once owned and restored a LHD 141 (my 141).

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What can you do to help the trip?? Well to be honest the best thing you can do is donate some money to help pay for a few more KM’s. As you can well imagine this won’t be a cheap adventure but there will be 100’s of us who will be wishing it was us in the driving seat, so for the enjoyment that it will bring why not contribute?. If you are willing then click on this link to go to the Toprun page that gives you all the info you need; http://www.toprun.ch/truck/silkroad_2014/index_eng.html

Good luck boys and I can’t wait to see how you get on, Keep on Trucking!!

 

Mass David Scarff Photo Collection Upload

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Volvo's (214)

You should be aware by now that I am very slowly scanning David Scarffs very large photo collection. Its taking ages but today I finally found the quick scan button for my scanner, so I ploughed through nearly 500 photos in just about 2 hours. As usual I found some absolute belters.

Volvo's (83)

Approx 400 photos were Volvo and approx. 100 were Whites. I don’t think I will ever get bored of scanning photos and I don’t think I will ever get bored of an F12 Globetrotter!

For David Scarffs Flickr page click HERE.

Or if you want easy access to all the different manufacturers sets, then click HERE.

Volvo's (50)

White Trucks (66)

The other awesome thing about all these photos taken from the 1970’s and 1980’s is everything that is going on in the background. I have no idea on how many twin wheel  Transits and Bedfords I have seen and also just look at the price of a litre of diesel….35.9p!!

White Trucks (42)

Magnum Force

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From top Somerset Owner Driver, Tim Rigby:

Hello Ben , this was the first truck that I went to Europe in (Austria ) they were owned by my Dads best friend the late Alan Coles. He had six of them, all 520hp with the big V8 Mack engine ,twin stacks ,alloy wheels etc. They had awesome pulling power , loaded with China clay they made light work of the autobahn hills to Austria , and great for living in as well. The down side for me was the manual gearbox it was a bit heavy going but you could live with that , as you didn’t change gear much when you were rolling. Oh and the eastern block trucks would pull on the hard shoulder to let you pass on the german autobahn.

Renault AE Magnum = 1990-2013

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Last Wednesday I put up a quick photo of a pair of Renault Magnums that I was loading at work. Surprisingly nearly 600 of you looked at it and it generated a load of comments, mostly positive but a couple of negative. I’ve always felt like the Magnum was a bit of a one-off if you know what I mean. It was always an individual truck not like the rest, with its huge block of a cab and a flat floor, it was unique almost right through to 2013 when production of the big French tower block ceased. Some of the comments were:

“An Icon”
“One of the best trucks I have driven on European work.”
“Good riddance to bad rubbish!”
and the best of all;
“We had 14 people in one at Truckfest once!”

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H Frost & Sons - Magnum @ Silverstone

Production of the Renault AE Magnum, as it was first know, started in 1990 (the same year I started secondary school!) at Renaults Bourg-en-Bresse plant. The truck was designed to be for long haul operators and by all accounts it did become a firm favourite with a lot of international operators. I can’t remember his name but there was a German owner driver who used to run right across Russia, an Astran subbie had a red one running to Middle East to name a couple of famous ones. Also Norbert Dentressangle ran them from Spain and with Aston Clinton Haulage. Eddie Stobart had some, I think long haul operator Ralph Davies had one. Countless F1 Grand Prix teams have used them as the flagships for the team and sponsors. All in all they have always been seen as something a bit special. These days you can pick them up for a few thousand pounds, perhaps they could become a collectors item in years to come??

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Personally I never had the Magnum experience and didn’t get to drive one (perhaps there is still time) but it seemed to always be a truck that divided drivers. Either you loved it or hated it. Those who weren’t fans often claimed they felt sea sick, due to the cab being one of the first to be fully air suspended by I think 4 air bags. I’m sure you’ve all see a Magnum leaning well to one side when the air bags had gone. I can actually only remember sitting in a Magnum once, which was just a few years ago at the IAA Show in Hanover. I was a bit surprised that the cab didn’t feel a bit bigger, but then I guess if I had got in one back in 1990 it would have felt huge compared to most other cabs on the market then. Saying that I still got the feeling of a big cab, flat floor and a very high seating position, which along with the huge coach like windscreen, made for pretty good forward vision.

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The AE Magnum was voted International Truck of the Year in 1991. At the time the truck was the first in production from Renault with disc brakes, along with some other mechanic firsts, it was thought that it was the trucks flat floor cab with its 1.87 metres of head room (this was over 2m when production stopped) that gave it the edge to win the ITOTY. The truck was known as the Renault AE Magnum, Renault wanted the range to be known as the Renault AE. This was the case for the 1st 7 years, then in 1997 it was decided that all trucks in the range would be named some thing beginning with the letter “M”, so from then on it was known as the Renault Magnum. A number of special editions over the years have almost gone by without notice, the Magnum Vega, the Magnum Route 66 to name a couple and the last was the Magnum Legend, which was a limited run of 99 trucks produced to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the truck.

Ian Harper F1 Monaco

Well that’s about all I can tell you about the Magnum, but I think its fair to say that the Magnum may be gone but I don’t think it will ever be forgotten. It was the truck that pioneered the way to big cabs and big living space for the driver. It was an eye catcher no matter whether in a good way or a bad way, it all depends on your own taste. I was a fan and will miss the big Frenchie, it’s a sad fact that the new Renault truck range just doesn’t have any outstanding about it. Good trucks they are yes, but they will no way near fill the legendary shoes left by the Magnum. A truly unique truck.

Renault AE Magnum R.I.P. 1990 – 2013.
Click this link for all you need to know about the Magnums life: CLICK HERE.

Renault Magnum - Kipfer, CH

Scania Centurions – The List

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Back in 1991 Scania UK launched the Centurion range of 100 trucks in order to celebrate Scania’s centenary year. The 100 special edition trucks were available to all and came in what ever guise you required. Some were 4×2, some 6×2, some Toplines, some were flat front old shapes and some were the new Streamline cab. In my opinion if your going to do a special edition truck release then they should have all been top of the range 143 500’s. It wasn’t worth letting the purchaser choose what ever spec they liked as it meant a lot of Centurions were fleet spec motors, with an out dated cab. Again in my opinion they should all have been like the one ordered by Philip Henson, the founder of Patrick International. As you can see the above is perfect spec for a special edition purchase. It is a 143 500, Topline Streamline, 6×2 tag (oh what would we all do to be able to order one those right now!), looks like a right stunner sat there in the sun. It turns out Patrick bought #84 brand new and she was a tag axle Topline Streamline a stunning looking machine. If your going to spend out on a special edition, then you should spec it as a special edition, clearly something Mr Henson and I agree on. This is an exert from Commercial Motor magazine back in March 1991;

“Scania has released details of its limited edition centenary Streamline cab, announced last week in Commercial Motor. The high-spec Centurion will have its own livery and each vehicle will have a numbered badge. Accessories will include a reversing warning buzzer, headlamp wash wipe, underbumper spot lights, roof air horns, chrome wheel trims and a CD player. An electronic trip meter and external temperature gauge are also fitted as standard”

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Centurions were available with various luxury options, such as a CD player as standard, special seat covers and also a nice shiny set of Alcoa alloys. Along with the exterior bits and bobs the purchasers were also given a framed certificate like the one above that Philip Henson received when he was handed the keys to K100 PTL. I’m still yet to be told how Patricks came about owning #15 J500 DSW, which was also a 143 500. J500 DSW was the first 500hp Centurion to be delivered. It was brand new to D&S Walker from Pickering and was originally painted up in pearlescent white and silver, only to be repainted into the distinctive white and blue that the Patrick trucks were all painted up in. Now this kind of leads me on to one of my more involved projects. I’m busy trying to complete a list of the 100 original trucks, with as much details and information that I can find. I was leaked a 75% completed list of the original sales list of the trucks but the list did miss a lot of different info, for example the list didn’t tell you the model or hp figures for each of the 100. I have put all the info I have and all that I am finding on the internet into a spread sheet that I hope you can all see.

Please click the link to see my list: Scania Centurion List

If you can help the cause then please email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk or why not Tweet me on Twitter; @truckbloguk

Ideally I need photo evidence of any number claims, spec details are required also with as much info as possible. Even current or past owner info would be handy, reg numbers or what ever else you know and can share. I know that at least 1 of the Ralph Davies trucks was exported to the Middle East as it was spotted by Nick Garlick. Lets try to find the whereabouts of as many as possible. Obviously some have been exported or even smashed up, but if we know the number then I can put it on the spreadsheet and try to complete as much as we can.

Thanks to Neil Henson for sending me the photos of his father Philip and allowing me to use them on’t  blog. Also it’s worth a look at the Commercial Motor Archive if you’re in need of some info from the past.

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Well Stuck Scania

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Or should that be well smart Scania?! This comes from Neil from Northampton, or should I say Neil with the green and yellow trucks, or should I just say Neil Rogers. Luckily at work we deal with EM Rogers Transport, usually giving them exports to France or Italy or them giving us Italian imports. Every now and then Neil emails over a real gem (to be honest they are all real gems!) like this gorgeously hard worked Patrick Scania 141.

Impressive spec, it’s LHD, must be the euro spec cab as its got the little window and mirror on the passenger door, roof tack and ladder, Scandinavian 4 spot bumper, little fuel tank perhaps to be filled from the trailer belly tank?? Anyway forget all that there are a few stickers on the truck too. What’s the 1978/1878 sticker behind the door and what are all the stickers on the windscreen under the window wipers??

Great photo, thank you Neil and thank you for letting me share it on here. One last thing for you truck spotters out there, I remember Neil saying that the real rare unphotographed truck on the fleet was a Renault Magnum wagon and drag. Has anyone got a photo of the rare French beast??!