I wouldn’t normally open a thread dedicated to a '60s lorry model, as these belong to the province of my teenage-hood. However, I keep finding pictures of LHD sleeper-cabbed export versions of them. There is some cross-over from boyhood into adult-hood too, because it just so happens that I owned (and frequently drove) a LAD-cab Leyland bus in the early '90s. It was a 1964 Titan PD2/27A double-decker. In the bus world they were not called LAD cabs, but ‘St-Helens cowls’. Well, I wasn’t in the bus world, as this Leyland 0.600 powered ex bus was now a motor caravan. It had a 4-speed synchro box, heavy ‘armstrong’ steering, was horrendously noisy but was a joy to drive.
Back to these lorries, then. Here are lots of pictures of LHD LAD-cabbed Leyland artics doing their bit in East Germany (DDR), Belgium and France. Presumably they were powered by 0.600s or 0.680s (both good engines). What was the transmission, I wonder… Please spill the beans! Robert
hey Robert, the Duquesne Purina is a French one, look at the right door window.
Nice pics but they couldn’t keep up with the AEC’s, a cramped cab, and as power plus not reliable, and not specially built for export as the AEC’s.
tiptop495:
hey Robert, the Duquesne Purina is a French one, look at the right door window.
Nice pics but they couldn’t keep up with the AEC’s, a cramped cab, and as power plus not reliable, and not specially built for export as the AEC’s.
robert1952:
I am also aware that LHD LAD-cabbed Leylands were marketed in Israel under the name of Ashod. Here’s a pic. Robert
0
There is discussion of the various LAD export efforts dotted about the forum, for example there is, somewhere , a series of posts about the different coachbuilders’ sleeper cabs and which markets they were aimed at.
Were the Israeli fibreglass LADs made from the same moulds as the British ones, or is there a connection to Belgium? I cannot work it out.
robert1952:
I am also aware that LHD LAD-cabbed Leylands were marketed in Israel under the name of Ashod. Here’s a pic. Robert
There is discussion of the various LAD export efforts dotted about the forum, for example there is, somewhere , a series of posts about the different coachbuilders’ sleeper cabs and which markets they were aimed at.
Were the Israeli fibreglass LADs made from the same moulds as the British ones, or is there a connection to Belgium? I cannot work it out.
Yes, I too am aware of various references scattered across the forum - it’s just a matter of finding the bits and making them fit. An interesting discussion appears on the ‘What went wrong’ thread (here’s the link: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=77860&p=1514539&hilit=ashod#p1514539) between Leyland Ash and Saviem, in which it appears that Brossel in Belgium produced a GRP version of the Vista Vue cab, which although it didn’t materialise in Belgium, was used by Ashod in Israel. This, I think, answers your question.
Meanwhile, here’s this contribution (courtesy of Richard Stanier’s collection). Robert
robert1952:
…Yes, I too am aware of various references scattered across the forum - it’s just a matter of finding the bits and making them fit. An interesting discussion appears on the ‘What went wrong’ thread (here’s the link: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=77860&p=1514539&hilit=ashod#p1514539) between Leyland Ash and Saviem, in which it appears that Brossel in Belgium produced a GRP version of the Vista Vue cab, which although it didn’t materialise in Belgium, was used by Ashod in Israel. This, I think, answers your question…
Well found, sir. That suggests that the Brossel cab was engineered separately from the unpopular British fibreglass LAD, although I am not sure.
IIRC, the “official” Leyland sleeper was built by a coachbuilder down South somewhere- the cabs (or vehicles) were sent down for the modification to be done. More info here: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=70093&p=887724
robert1952:
I’ll bet there’s an interesting history attached to such a large consignment of Leyland Beavers to the DDR. Robert
I’ve never understood the trade regime with,what at the time,was supposedly a hostile Cold War ‘enemy’ Russian run bloc.Ironically my own employers did more trade with the eastern bloc during the 1970’s and little if any with our supposed EU ‘partners’.While selling at least around a similar amount of the largest most expensive products to Poland and Yugoslavia as the few domestic sales.