Hello Gentlemen, hope that you have all had a good day. While bumbling around on the Tractor today my mind kept going back to the points that we are discussing. Because of my background I look at the issues raised in the thread from perhaps a slightly different perspective having.spent many years working in Europe, (and other bits of the world), for a European Commercial Vehicle manufacturer. Before that I was at the sharp end in the Domestic retail market, for both a premium “assembler” and a major importer. In the context of the time period that we are talking about, 60s and70s the first thing that strikes me is that nowhere in Europe were vehicles used as intensively as in the UK, both in terms of load factor, and speed of operation. Gingerfolds point regarding perception of quality is valid, how many Mercedes sales came from the car image? Perhaps with Volvo the sheer “suitability” of the initial offering, the F86, took it into the market more than any other factor. Light, (average 22 tons payload at 32tonsgtw), manouverable, quiet, economic,warm and comfortable.The only way you could not make money with it was leave it parked in the yard! In my opinion the F86 was the rock that the British Industry foundered upon, more so than any other. The new operators that the 1964 Transport Act launched into the market were open to new products, not hide bound by tradition and receptive to such" inovations" as turbocharging, power steering, and multi speed gearboxes! Not least the availability of competitive credit terms to aid purchase via Importer backed Finance schemes. Fiscal stimulation of the market via Capital Allowances encouraged profitable companies to acquire assetts against tax, and again the availability of Imported chassis ensured that these were the ones acquired. I well remember visiting a Scottish Operator of some “repute”, where at the rear of his premises were parked a number of unregistered Scania 110 day cab tractor units, despite the 111 having been available for a number of years! Compared to our European cousins UK operators tended to change vehicles more frequently, and the age of the vehicle “parc” post 1969 Testing and Plating, reduced so considerably that by 1978 it was the youngest of France Belgium, Italy,Holland Sweden and Germany. Gingerfolds point regarding the Leyland 500 engine. In one of my barns is a beautifully built tandem axle trailer, constructed by the late Ralph Ferries Brownhills Commercials, a leading Leyland Distributor. Each day it would, coupled to a Sherpa van travel north with two “blown” 500s, returning with two new ones. What an inditement for poor quality! I keep it for what it is, a piece of history, resplendent in faded Multipart livery, and would never part with it. Gingerfold, dont part with documents, they are part of our industries heritage. I have documents, mainly relating to long gone French manufacturers, Willeme, and Bernard, in the main , not valuable, but interesting non the less and a link with the past. This is a most interesting debate, and I enjoy reading every ones contributions, (including young Carryfasts) there is a colossal amount of experience within these threads, thank you all. Cheerio, bye bye
mutts nutts in their day apparentley.
and what was the reason why you would’nt have wanted that same type of power to weight ratio in the 1970’s.
and I’d have used one in mine instead of the V12 motor that’s meant to be there. 
