Was this the lorry that Finished British lorries

I have posted this picture on the Scrapbook thread and the F86 thread and not one comment was made. as far as I know this was the first Volvo imported in 1964 before Scania and Daf, unless you know otherwise, was this truck the start of the decline? did anyone ever see it , or know the company, according to the text they were bodybuilders.

having delivered into the motor manufacturers i dont believe the imported trucks finished the industry, i see it that the car industry was shored up by the trucks and so no money was available for investment of new designs, and also hampered by the fact that the majority of the workers both in the car and truck factories were bone idle, i dont think there was one delivery where i was unloaded within 4 hours, and have sat at some for days, as an owner driver this was no good to me and the jobs did not pay better to reflect the time lost so knocked that on the head very soon, made more money hand balling marley tiles. and i was fit as well.

Hiya in 1965 i would have thought the volvo was no better than a ford D800 custom cab maybe the reliability
was a little better it was the heavy range volvo that made british trucks loose out …only my view
John

I agree with what your both saying, i to sat for many hours in car factories, and know all about leyland trucks proping up the car side, what I was really getting at was this the first of the imports before the rush so to speak.

3300John:
Hiya in 1965 i would have thought the volvo was no better than a ford D800 custom cab maybe the reliability
was a little better it was the heavy range volvo that made british trucks loose out …only my view
John

Its been said on here that the Mercury was the best 16 tonner available at the time

Both the Mercury (Ergo) and the D series Ford didn’t come out until 1965.

Dieseldogsix:
Both the Mercury (Ergo) and the D series Ford didn’t come out until 1965.

But wasnt the Mercury the best selling 16 tonner at the time?

This was what was responsible for the decline of the British wagon

Was this the lorry that finished British lorries?.

No.

Anybody that had anything to do with the very early F86 I’m sure would vouch for that.
Whether this is the first F86 into the UK, I don’t know.
This is now the third F86 that has been claimed to be the first to my knowledge.

Midland’s Volvo dealer John Billows certainally retained some of the first examples that Volvo sent over for evaluation.

Let’s not also forget that Volvo Trucks had a minor presence here prior to the F86.

oldsid:
This was what was responsible for the decline of the British wagon

How on earth do you come to that rather tired excuse?

The decline started in the 70’s with the Unions turning out too many Friday motors and the designers not being given a free hand to copy the competition. In 1970, your lady was secretary of state for education, in opposition at that :neutral_face:

The Cubitt Volvo was also known as the F84 and was probably quite underpowered compared to the Bedford KM Dodge K Series and D Series Ford

We need to get away from this idea that Scania and Volvo lead to the decline of the British Commercial Industry, there were still many British makes being built and sold here and abroad along with the Swedes. Also there were other foreigners such as Mercedes Benz that were over here before Volvo, and many US makes that had found favour since WWII and of course the built in Britain but originally owned by the US such as Ford, GMC, International, Rootes etc. Britain wasn’t a totally British makes only transport industry before the S and V mob arrived in numbers.

The pic above isn’t actually an F86, true the cab is the same but that’s just about it and there doesn’t seem to have been another example of the same vehicle used in this country, I also remember the first 86’s and they were no great shakes, head gasket problems for one, true the quote of the day by drivers was “Its just like driving a car” but again many others thought the industry was going soft introducing motors like these, not everybody in the Sixties wanted sleeper cabs like they did twenty years later, they knew it would be a change that would not be to their advantage in many ways. In summary yes the early Scania and Volvo’s did make an impact in Britain but they were not solely responsible for the decline in commercial vehicle manufacturing. If todays examples are anything to go by then they (Volvo and Scania) have taken many steps back, build quality is definately not the same as then. Franky.

Wheel Nut:

oldsid:
This was what was responsible for the decline of the British wagon

How on earth do you come to that rather tired excuse?

The decline started in the 70’s with the Unions turning out too many Friday motors and the designers not being given a free hand to copy the competition. In 1970, your lady was secretary of state for education, in opposition at that :neutral_face:

The Cubitt Volvo was also known as the F84 and was probably quite underpowered compared to the Bedford KM Dodge K Series and D Series Ford

On the contrary the decline started in earnest after 1979 when the iron lady gave huge financial support coupled to laissez-faire management which resulted in the lunatics running the assylum.

In 1979, these were the lorries we were driving with great memories of them.

Can someone name me a decent British built W plate lorry during Maggies Tenure?

There are still some great ERF and Fodens out there but look what was offered by the other manufacturers.

Wheel Nut:
In 1979, these were the lorries we were driving with great memories of them.

Can someone name me a decent British built W plate lorry during Maggies Tenure?

There are still some great ERF and Fodens out there but look what was offered by the other manufacturers.

Aye your right I was weened on F7,s and F10,s I had thought of going on my own around .86 and there used to be a dealer on the A64 between leeds and Bramham who had a V8 scania with tipping gear on it for sale, nearly bought it in haste and glad I didnt but its along story. Scannies were the creme then but having been away twenty years they now seem a bit of a joke as far as I can make out or have I got it wrong. I drive an Actros and its a bit different to the 1628 I had once

It was purely the Unions that “did” it for the British truck industry,read Michael Edwardes’s book,“Back from the brink”,its an eye opener to all those interested in the once proud British automotive industry,he tried his best and almost pulled it off…however…we know the rest!

Take it easy,

David :angry:

Wheel Nut:
In 1979, these were the lorries we were driving with great memories of them.

Can someone name me a decent British built W plate lorry during Maggies Tenure?

There are still some great ERF and Fodens out there but look what was offered by the other manufacturers.

I was going to say the ford transcontinental but that was built in holland except the Last ones foden built.

oldsid:
This was what was responsible for the decline of the British wagon

responsible for the decline of britain fullstop,and now she’s got one of her offspring to come and finish off what she started !!! ggggggggggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

curnock:

oldsid:
This was what was responsible for the decline of the British wagon

responsible for the decline of britain fullstop,and now she’s got one of her offspring to come and finish off what she started !!! ggggggggggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

It is funny that I have a different memory of the 3 years before Margaret :exclamation:

1976
29 January - Twelve Provisional Irish Republican Army bombs explode in London’s West End.

14th July - Ford launches a new small three-door hatchback, the Fiesta - its first front-wheel drive transverse engined production model - It will be built in several factories across Europe, including the Dagenham plant in Essex (where 3,000 jobs will be created), and continental sales begin later this year, although it won’t go on sale in Britain until January 1977

Emma Bunton and Ellen McArthur born

1977
29 January - Seven IRA bombs explode in the West End of London, but there are no fatalities or serious injuries.

15 March - British Leyland managers announce intention to dismiss 40,000 toolmakers who have gone on strike at the company’s Longbridge plant in Birmingham, action which is costing the state-owned carmaker more than £10million a week.

26 June - 16-year-old shop assistant Jayne McDonald is found battered and stabbed to death in Chapeltown, Leeds; police believe she is the fifth person to be murdered by the Yorkshire Ripper.

6 September - Car industry figures show that foreign cars are outselling British-built ones for the first time. Japanese built Datsuns, German Volkswagens and French Renaults are proving particularly popular with buyers, although British-built products from Ford, British Leyland, Vauxhall and Chrysler UK are still the most popular.

3 October - Undertakers go on strike in London, leaving more than 800 corpses unburied.

21 December - Four children die at a house fire in Wednesbury, West Midlands, as Green Goddess fire appliances crewed by hastily-trained troops are sent to deal with the blaze while firefighters are still on strike. 119 people have now died as a result of fires since the strike began, but this is the first fire during the strike which has resulted in more than two deaths.

30 January - Opposition leader Margaret Thatcher says that many Britons fear being “swamped by people with a different culture”.

31 January - 18-year-old prostitute Helen Rytka is murdered in Huddersfield; she is believed to be the eighth victim of the Yorkshire Ripper.

18 February - Twenty suspects arrested in connection with the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombing of the La Mon restaurant in County Down which had killed 12 people and injured 30.

28 March - The government lost a motion of no confidence, later leading to the 1979 general election

26 September - 23 Ford car plants are closed across Britain due to strikes.

4 November - Many British bakeries impose bread rationing after a baker’s strike led to panic buying of bread.

30 November - An industrial dispute closes down The Times newspaper (until 12 November 1979)

West midlands motorcycle manufacturer Norton Villiers Triumph is liquidated.

Keith Moon Died

1979
5 January - Lorry drivers go on strike, causing new shortages of heating oil and fresh food.

10 January - Prime Minister James Callaghan returns from an international summit to a Britain in a state of industrial unrest. The Sun newspaper reports his comments with a famous headline: “Crisis? What Crisis?”

12 February - Over 1,000 schools close due to the heating oil shortage caused by the lorry drivers’ strike.

1 March - National Health Service workers in the West Midlands threaten to go on strike in their bid to win a nine per cent pay rise.

30 March - Airey Neave, World War Two veteran and Conservative Northern Ireland spokesman, is killed by an Irish National Liberation Army bomb in the House of Commons car park.

4 April - Josephine Whitaker, a 19-year-old bank worker, is murdered in Halifax; police believe that she is the 11th woman to be murdered by the Yorkshire Ripper.

Largest number of working days lost through strike action since 1926.

4 May Election Day - Margaret Thatcher Won.

27 August - Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, last Viceroy of India (assassinated) (born 1900)

14 December – Michael Owen, footballer born.

Wheel Nut:

curnock:

oldsid:
This was what was responsible for the decline of the British wagon

responsible for the decline of britain fullstop,and now she’s got one of her offspring to come and finish off what she started !!! ggggggggggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

It is funny that I have a different memory of the 3 years before Margaret :exclamation:

1976
29 January - Twelve Provisional Irish Republican Army bombs explode in London’s West End.

14th July - Ford launches a new small three-door hatchback, the Fiesta - its first front-wheel drive transverse engined production model - It will be built in several factories across Europe, including the Dagenham plant in Essex (where 3,000 jobs will be created), and continental sales begin later this year, although it won’t go on sale in Britain until January 1977

Emma Bunton and Ellen McArthur born

1977
29 January - Seven IRA bombs explode in the West End of London, but there are no fatalities or serious injuries.

15 March - British Leyland managers announce intention to dismiss 40,000 toolmakers who have gone on strike at the company’s Longbridge plant in Birmingham, action which is costing the state-owned carmaker more than £10million a week.

26 June - 16-year-old shop assistant Jayne McDonald is found battered and stabbed to death in Chapeltown, Leeds; police believe she is the fifth person to be murdered by the Yorkshire Ripper.

6 September - Car industry figures show that foreign cars are outselling British-built ones for the first time. Japanese built Datsuns, German Volkswagens and French Renaults are proving particularly popular with buyers, although British-built products from Ford, British Leyland, Vauxhall and Chrysler UK are still the most popular.

3 October - Undertakers go on strike in London, leaving more than 800 corpses unburied.

21 December - Four children die at a house fire in Wednesbury, West Midlands, as Green Goddess fire appliances crewed by hastily-trained troops are sent to deal with the blaze while firefighters are still on strike. 119 people have now died as a result of fires since the strike began, but this is the first fire during the strike which has resulted in more than two deaths.

30 January - Opposition leader Margaret Thatcher says that many Britons fear being “swamped by people with a different culture”.

31 January - 18-year-old prostitute Helen Rytka is murdered in Huddersfield; she is believed to be the eighth victim of the Yorkshire Ripper.

18 February - Twenty suspects arrested in connection with the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombing of the La Mon restaurant in County Down which had killed 12 people and injured 30.

28 March - The government lost a motion of no confidence, later leading to the 1979 general election

26 September - 23 Ford car plants are closed across Britain due to strikes.

4 November - Many British bakeries impose bread rationing after a baker’s strike led to panic buying of bread.

30 November - An industrial dispute closes down The Times newspaper (until 12 November 1979)

West midlands motorcycle manufacturer Norton Villiers Triumph is liquidated.

Keith Moon Died

1979
5 January - Lorry drivers go on strike, causing new shortages of heating oil and fresh food.

10 January - Prime Minister James Callaghan returns from an international summit to a Britain in a state of industrial unrest. The Sun newspaper reports his comments with a famous headline: “Crisis? What Crisis?”

12 February - Over 1,000 schools close due to the heating oil shortage caused by the lorry drivers’ strike.

1 March - National Health Service workers in the West Midlands threaten to go on strike in their bid to win a nine per cent pay rise.

30 March - Airey Neave, World War Two veteran and Conservative Northern Ireland spokesman, is killed by an Irish National Liberation Army bomb in the House of Commons car park.

4 April - Josephine Whitaker, a 19-year-old bank worker, is murdered in Halifax; police believe that she is the 11th woman to be murdered by the Yorkshire Ripper.

Largest number of working days lost through strike action since 1926.

4 May Election Day - Margaret Thatcher Won.

27 August - Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, last Viceroy of India (assassinated) (born 1900)

14 December – Michael Owen, footballer born.

What has three previous years of memory got to do with it? And you must have a good memory to remember that! I voted for her for my sins always did, but I was young and naive. She fed the unions and management[thats a laugh ] all they needed to hang themselves hence my quote Laissez -faire it means obtaining your goal by coersion and steering the result without being implicated, she was very good at that. It was like giving a child a pocket full of fifty pound notes in a sweet shop in the knowledge it will get diabetes. She wanted rid of manufacturing as China had a moral hold and wanted to get rich like the west. All they have is cheap labour and theyve been flooding us with ■■■■■ evrsince. We might as well have just given them all our money but that wouldnt have washed with the voters. This way it loooks like we are getting something for the huge amount of money we have given them to join the modern world.
Back on topic we were producing some very antiquated products in the motor industry by the late seventies. the bmc engine in the mini had been around since the A30 and morris minor virtually unchanged . The money save inresearch and development should have made them a fortune but it leaked out in the worst inneficiencies imaginable.

oldsid:
This was what was responsible for the decline of the British wagon

Witchipoo :imp: :imp: :imp: :imp: