How is it that 4 pages have been written about 8-wheelers without a mention about Italian “centipedes”? With England and Spain, Italy was the third country where 8-wheelers were prefered to artics for home transport. Here’s the most famous of all, the Fiat 690 N, with a gross weight of 22 tonnes and engines ranging from 152 to 200 bhp. Produced from 1960 to 1973.
A big shout out to everyone who has contributed in any way to this thread, much appreciated lads 
Froggy55:
How is it that 4 pages have been written about 8-wheelers without a mention about Italian “centipedes”? With England and Spain, Italy was the third country where 8-wheelers were prefered to artics for home transport.
If you look closely the Italian short wheelbase 3 + steering tag is a very different beast to the old school Brit/NZ/Oz 8 x 4.
I didn’t really take that much notice of the subtle difference in the day during my travels there.
But it’s obviously a specialised product made to suit the tight twisty Italian mountain terrain and absolutely no comparison between them other than the number of axles. 
NMP.
i
Some great photos this last couple of pages from you Larry, many thanks. I Especially like the Invincible of Martin Cooks. Tyneside
gazzer:
Here’s my accumulation of 8 wheelers.
I seem to remember an article in the transport press back in the day about the McGregor Cory Maggies.
They were fitted with a sub frame equipped with twist locks that tipped, they could carry either a tipping body or a 20 ft container depending on the time of year. The frame can be seen behind the cab.
Tyneside
Carryfast:
Froggy55:
How is it that 4 pages have been written about 8-wheelers without a mention about Italian “centipedes”? With England and Spain, Italy was the third country where 8-wheelers were prefered to artics for home transport.If you look closely the Italian short wheelbase 3 + steering tag is a very different beast to the old school Brit/NZ/Oz 8 x 4.
I didn’t really take that much notice of the subtle difference in the day during my travels there.
But it’s obviously a specialised product made to suit the tight twisty Italian mountain terrain and absolutely no comparison between them other than the number of axles.
Fiat built them as 6x2 “Chinese six”, and a fourth steered and liftable axle was then added as a conversion. Many Italian trucks kept right hand steering to allow the drived to keep a close eye on the edge of the road in this indeed mountaineous country. Nevertheless, the conversion’s purpose was to add payload; 18 tonnes Gw for a 6x2, and 22 tonnes for a 8x2.
Here’s a Fiat 180 NC (end of the seventies), the last model to have been converted with the adding of a fourth axle. Powered by the excellent 13.8 litre engine which ended its career on the Eurostar; 260 bhp without turbocharging. This one is an OM Titano 8x4, closer to the British 8-wheelers than the Fiat conversions.
