ERF-Continental:
@3300John:
for every Belgian cab they’ve should refund a crate of Trappist-beer to UK!
Bottoms up!
The ‘Belgian Cab’ was only really the same as the domestic UK ERF 5MW, except that it was left-hand drive and, in the ‘European’ version, better appointed inside. This has reminded me that I was originally going to include the 5MW-cabbed ‘Europeans’ in my book, but decided to stick to the 7MW (NGC 420) only. Here, below is a piece I wrote about the Belgian-cabbed European before axing it from the book:
The ERF 5MW ‘European’ 38-tonne tractive unit was displayed at the 1971 Brussels motor show. In practice they became 42-tonners in Holland and Belgium. The show model had the steel Motor Panels cab coded 5MW by ERF, which was already being used on right-hand-drive export tractive units. The 5MW cab had a rather pleasing curved front end with split windscreen but it didn’t tilt, which eventually led to the development of the 7MW two years later. The ‘European’s’ chassis was waisted and derived from the A-series, rather than from the LV-series and had a longer 3.09m wheelbase. The vehicle was designed to the standard of continental heavy goods vehicles with a single bunk, left-hand-drive, ZF power-steering (as standard), metric tacho, cab suspension, suspended Bostrom seats and a powerful ■■■■■■■ NTC 335 engine coupled to a 9-speed Fuller. It differed enormously from its right-hand-drive counterpart, being a much more sophisticated truck and it continued to be offered alongside the 7MW ‘European’. Interestingly, several features of both models evolved side by side until 1976 when production of both ceased.
Many 5MW ‘Europeans’ were exported in CKD (completely knocked-down kit) form to CDB, the ■■■■■■■ distributor in Brussels and Antwerp, who assembled them for local operators such as Transports Delcon of Leuven in Belgium who ran eight 335-powered units on regular round trips to Italy, Scandinavia and East Germany. These were described as A-series ERFs with 5MW cabs. Bearing in mind that Britain had yet to join the European Economic Community, it was necessary to avoid the high import duties imposed on complete vehicles, hence the CKD form. Once Britain had joined the EEC in 1975 vehicles were built whole in ERF’s works at Sandbach. In the first two years, 25 were assembled in the CDB workshops.
Drivers have described 5MW ‘Europeans’ as comfortable and lovely to drive. They had more sophisticated cabs than their domestic counterparts, with twin bunks and better insulation. Following a test drive, the Belgian editor-in-chief of L’Avenir du Transport Routier magazine praised its suspension and reported it to have first-class braking and handling characteristics. Wobbe Reitsma reports that these wagons were sometimes caught doing 80mph on the Belgian motorways. ERF’s in-house magazine, Chassis (issue no.18 summer 1971) describes those exported to European with ■■■■■■■ NTC 335s and 9-speed Fullers as 64CU335: the ‘4’ denoted 4-wheeler.
A LHD 38-tonne version of the ‘European’ for British operators was announced at the 1972 Earls Court motor show, designated MGG 380. In its show preview, Commercial Motor reported it as having a Gardner 8LXB 240 bhp engine (though the ERF brochure states that 250 bhp was available) and heavy duty eight-speed David Brown constant-mesh ‘box. The front axle was rated at 6.5 and the Kirkstall hub-reduction rear axle was a 13.2 tonne heavy duty D85 with a diff-lock. The chassis differed from the export version in that it was a lengthened straight-framed A-series frame. And of course it had standard left-hand-drive and ZF power steering. So British international operators were offered a version of the ‘European’ with a choice of Gardner 8LXB 250 engine with a David Brown 8-speed ‘box, Rolls Royce 220 engine with a Fuller 10-speed ‘box, or ■■■■■■■ NTC 335 engine with a Fuller 9-speed ‘box. British drivers often knew these as ‘Belgian sleepers’.
Richard Read ran a most inspiring LHD 5MW with the waisted heavy-duty chassis, a Gardner 240 and roof-mounted air-con on Middle-East work in Vijore colours (HDF 228N); it was driven by Graham Averis from new and was later converted to RHD and eventually received a B-series cab. Cadwallader operated a LHD 240 Gardner-powered tractive unit (BNT 939L). This was later converted to RHD following a mishap in France. Partrick of Northants ran a Euro-spec 5MW (RRP 68R) on European work (mostly Portugal), as did Calor (NTC 335 engine). Beresford of Stoke-on-Trent ran both models — the 5MW (both RHD and LHD) and the 7MW, alongside each other. One of Beresford’s LHD 5MWs (PVT 646R) had a Rolls Royce 220 and a 10-speed Fuller ‘box: it is believed that Beresford ran 15 like this but PVT was the only left-■■■■■■. S Jones of Aldridge ran one with the ■■■■■■■ 335 and 9-speed Fuller combination and the heavy-duty waisted chassis (SRF 304L). This vehicle became no.104 in the Trans Arabia fleet in Jeddah. It is a testament to the model that some thrived in the Middle East. Trans Arabia operated four 5MW ‘Europeans’ in Saudi with Fuller 9-speed ‘boxes coupled to NTC 335s.
Hye Gebroederen NV (registration AZC 289) and Van Drieche of Gent both operated 6x4 M-series LHD 85-tonners on heavy haulage work in the early ‘seventies. These were not thought to be called ‘Europeans’. The Van Drieche tractor pulled a seven-axle low-loader trailer with a 250-tonne Manitowoc crane.
The 5MW was surely one of the most pleasing ERFs in appearance. It was a nice blend of ancient and modern, with its gracefully curved front panels, twin headlamps and split windscreen. Even more pleasing in my view, were those later examples with the upright rectangular dummy radiator grille. Its distinctive sun visor really marked it out as a lorry bound for foreign parts. Although they lacked the ride-height and stature of the later 7MWs, those that ran on 12.00 x 20 tyres tended to have a less down-at-heel appearance. Many 5MWs had the traditional British-style moulded headboard bearing the operator’s name. A fine example of this was SRF 304L which bore the name ‘S Jones’ above the cab until it was retired to Jeddah and the name was altered to ‘Trans Arabia’. ERF 5MWs were particularly magnificent in the superb livery of Beresford from Stoke-on-Trent who ran them in both LHD and RHD forms; likewise Richard Read of Longhope. Robert 
