Quest trucks

[edtruck]

I know we have had discussions about Dennison vehicles, how about another rare product , the Quest 80 rigid?

I know BR Whorton/South Staffs Freight in Shenstone had/ran a couple, but where there any others run in the UK?

I beleive that the parent manufacturing company in South Africa is now owned by UD Diesel, and they are producing a product range of rigids/drawbars/tractive units called Quester!!

Any information greatly appreciated,

Ed

[frankydobo]

I’ve only seen the pictures of the Whorton Quest, infact I was looking at it just the other day glancing through an old copy of CVC mag. I’m sure its been covered on here before and can’t recall any other pics being put up but maybe a search will help. Franky.

[edtruck]

I had a vague recollection that Whortons had two - one box, one flatbed, and another couple of operators took some as 4wheel tippers!

Any information is apprecaited

Thanks
Ed

[zb_anorak]

A very good article is published here:
rustyoldrubbish.blogspot.co.uk/2 … quest.html

The Quester is indeed a model name used by UD:
i.ytimg.com/vi/0IPGeuRTeKs/maxresdefault.jpg
…is there evidence of a link to Quest 80?

The chassis, according to the article, was 2 tons overweight, but suffered from cracking. That, in my book, is a ■■■■-up.

[windrush]

I used to see Whorton’s Quests around, a boxvan and a tipper. One is still about on the classic scene.

Pete.

[oiltreader]

Hi EDTRUCK, posted some way back on Past and Present.
Oily

[frankydobo]

So it seems the correct name was Quest 80, I wonder who built the unusual looking cabs for these or were they just formed from Bus parts, another unsuccessful venture similar to the Scottish built Argyle, God loves a trier though! Franky.

[richellis78]

Whortons have the only spare cab, never been used. Just sitting in a field
quest 041 by richellis1978, on Flickr

Whortons still have both Quests, the box has been removed from the one so it can be stored under cover.

[frankydobo]

When I was a kid in the Sixties I used to draw side on views of what I thought future lorries would look like, non of these have survived but I recall some looked like the Quest cabs, set forward, angled windows and panels and some with sleeper cabs, maybe someone from Quest found my old drawings in the bin my Mother would have thrown out. Oh well back to the drawing board! Franky.

[pyewacket947v]

Ref Quest 80 trucks.
Here are a few mainly comical and grainy pictures i managed to grab of these strange beasts.
There were two of them, a box van, Reg WNT 502Y,and a tipper,Reg D166 FHA .
They nearly always managed to appear unexpectedly, catching me out and leaving me frantically scrabbling for my camera.
It wasn’t till i caught the box van at rest just outside Kidderminster that i managed to have a close look and chat to the driver.
When i asked him what he knew about them he told me that they had some connection with Guest Motors of West Bromwich, who if i remember correctly were
main Ford Agents,? .Now whether he meant that they were supplied by Guest Motors and/or built by them i do not know, or perhaps he was tired of being quizzed about it and was ‘having me on’.
I can understand that the Quest logo on the grill could have easily been mistaken for Guest 80.
he also told me that it was being retired shortly, along with himself…
Of course they were in fact built in Telford, along with a number of PSVs, all of which had a short working life.
The reasons i think are too well known to warrant repeating here,nonetheless,its a shame they have gone from the everyday scene,unsuccessful or not, they made a welcome change from the ever increasing ‘sameness’ of the Eurocab.