DEANB:
Graham, how come the Mandator is badged as a Leyland ? I know its a left hand drive but AEC had a foot hold in Europe.
0
Hello Dean, it was probably being exported to Israel. AEC had supplied some of the Arab states with large orders of buses; Leyland was strong in Israel, so it would have been badged as a Leyland for political reasons. I’ll have a look at the chassis build details and see if I can pin it down. One or two other export markets also had AEC’s badged as Leyland.
It looks like an early V8 , didn’t some NZ and Australian AECs have Leyland badges?
DEANB:
Graham, how come the Mandator is badged as a Leyland ? I know its a left hand drive but AEC had a foot hold in Europe.
0
Hello Dean, it was probably being exported to Israel. AEC had supplied some of the Arab states with large orders of buses; Leyland was strong in Israel, so it would have been badged as a Leyland for political reasons. I’ll have a look at the chassis build details and see if I can pin it down. One or two other export markets also had AEC’s badged as Leyland.
Good point Graham i now remember reading something similar when they re badged Scammells as Leylands.
DEANB:
Graham, how come the Mandator is badged as a Leyland ? I know its a left hand drive but AEC had a foot hold in Europe.
0
Hello Dean, it was probably being exported to Israel. AEC had supplied some of the Arab states with large orders of buses; Leyland was strong in Israel, so it would have been badged as a Leyland for political reasons. I’ll have a look at the chassis build details and see if I can pin it down. One or two other export markets also had AEC’s badged as Leyland.
Having looked at the Mandator V8 chassis records this can only be one of two Mandator V8s.
Chassis number VTG4L 001, which was exhibited at the 1969 Commercial Motor Show, and if memory serves this is it. The other possibility was VTG4L 002, an experimental Mandator V8, which is unlikely to have been a sleeper cab model. There is a works photo of another left hand control sleeper cab V8, but it’s date and chassis number are not recorded. The only other LHD Mandator V8 was the long wheel base load carrier exported to Switzerland in 1970 and that was badged Leyland.
DEANB:
Graham, how come the Mandator is badged as a Leyland ? I know its a left hand drive but AEC had a foot hold in Europe.
Hello Dean, it was probably being exported to Israel. AEC had supplied some of the Arab states with large orders of buses; Leyland was strong in Israel, so it would have been badged as a Leyland for political reasons. I’ll have a look at the chassis build details and see if I can pin it down. One or two other export markets also had AEC’s badged as Leyland.
Having looked at the Mandator V8 chassis records this can only be one of two Mandator V8s.
Chassis number VTG4L 001, which was exhibited at the 1969 Commercial Motor Show, and if memory serves this is it. The other possibility was VTG4L 002, an experimental Mandator V8, which is unlikely to have been a sleeper cab model. There is a works photo of another left hand control sleeper cab V8, but it’s date and chassis number are not recorded. The only other LHD Mandator V8 was the long wheel base load carrier exported to Switzerland in 1970 and that was badged Leyland.
Thanks for the info Graham. Heres a clipping i found,not the best quality.
NZ JAMIE:
Being a left ■■■■■■ I wouldn’t have thought so mate. Europe,or South America,Leyland and AEC had a good following in South America.
Or it was quite possable a demo truck for european shows.
Sorry Jamie i was totally oblivious to it being left hand drive,i agree it wouldnt be SA or Australia ,im sure i`ve seen this picture before though, or 1 similar ,i bet i know a man who could shed some light on this … enter Gingerfold
No more than 5 or 6 V8 Mammoth Major 6x4 tractor units were made and possibly all of them were either show models or demonstrators. One was trialled by BRS in the UK for certain but no photos of it service with them have ever come to light…up to now. Probably two were left hand drive versions. Kev Dennis claimed to have had one of these (rhd) elusive V8 6x4 AECs for a time. Definitely a rare machine.
Back on page 13 there was a bit of chatter about the V8 Mammoth Major. Heres an article about it from 1968.
NZ JAMIE:
Being a left ■■■■■■ I wouldn’t have thought so mate. Europe,or South America,Leyland and AEC had a good following in South America.
Or it was quite possable a demo truck for european shows.
Sorry Jamie i was totally oblivious to it being left hand drive,i agree it wouldnt be SA or Australia ,im sure i`ve seen this picture before though, or 1 similar ,i bet i know a man who could shed some light on this … enter Gingerfold
No more than 5 or 6 V8 Mammoth Major 6x4 tractor units were made and possibly all of them were either show models or demonstrators. One was trialled by BRS in the UK for certain but no photos of it service with them have ever come to light…up to now. Probably two were left hand drive versions. Kev Dennis claimed to have had one of these (rhd) elusive V8 6x4 AECs for a time. Definitely a rare machine.
Back on page 13 there was a bit of chatter about the V8 Mammoth Major. Heres an article about it from 1968.
Click on pages twice to read.
3
2
1
0
Only between 3 and 5 Mammoth Major V8s were built (exact number is unknown). One was allocated to BRS for evaluation, but there aren’t any photos of it with BRS…unless you find one.
In the 6x4 MM article above, it says that 247bhp puts it “among the ranks of the most powerful normal haulage machines…” in 1968. Racking my brains, I can only think of the LB76/110, which had 256bhp DIN at that time, and the OM Titano with, IIRC, 287 DIN, making the latter vehicle Europe’s most powerful. Of course, the whole of Europe must have known that the entire industry would go 300+ bhp within a year or two. I think Scammell offered an NTC380 in the '60s, but the only person who would dream of putting a 14 litre ■■■■■■■ in an ordinary lorry of the period was still dreaming about long trousers.
6x4 Tractor here but can’t tell if its a V8, not a lot of info given from the 1974 Observers Commercial Vehicles series. Looks a nice combination all the same. Franky.
gingerfold:
No more than 5 or 6 V8 Mammoth Major 6x4 tractor units were made and possibly all of them were either show models or demonstrators. One was trialled by BRS in the UK for certain but no photos of it service with them have ever come to light…up to now. Probably two were left hand drive versions. Kev Dennis claimed to have had one of these (rhd) elusive V8 6x4 AECs for a time. Definitely a rare machine.
Back on page 13 there was a bit of chatter about the V8 Mammoth Major. Heres an article about it from 1968.
Only between 3 and 5 Mammoth Major V8s were built (exact number is unknown). One was allocated to BRS for evaluation, but there aren’t any photos of it with BRS…unless you find one.
Heres a few bits and bobs regarding the V8 Mammoth Major.
I may be getting my wires crossed here but this clipping from 1969 Commercial Motor magazine indicates that they had an order for
24 V8 Mammoth Major 6’s.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The date of that clipping is interesting. By then the plug had been pulled a couple of months before for the V8 engine because of poor reliability.
DEANB:
Graham, how come the Mandator is badged as a Leyland ? I know its a left hand drive but AEC had a foot hold in Europe.
0
Hey, This pic has been made on the Begian Moter Show at Brussels. AEC was very strong here, but with Leyland involved, and this V8 and other Leyland bagded AEC’s. The game was even sooner over. Both makes were even very strong in the Bus and Coach market too, till they lost grond to Daf.
The Belgian AEC’s were in fact a belgian make, lots of parts were continental, even chassis were made in belgian steel mills. That it’s was so popular here. But under the Leyland umbrella, from the beginning of the '70’s on it went wrong, and dissapeared very soon. Even Leyland ceased here and was sold under the umbrella of Scania with there Marathon. Scania could sell a lot of them , because of low pricing and to old AEC men, but soon it was over because of bad quality of the Marathon.
Frankydobo:
6x4 Tractor here but can’t tell if its a V8, not a lot of info given from the 1974 Observers Commercial Vehicles series. Looks a nice combination all the same. Franky.
0
Indestructible Crane Fruehauf trailer probably on 1200s. For just a tandem they were strong all round.
What a beautiful looking lorry that is, it just looks so robust. Imagine being handed the keys to that on a Monday morning, you’d probably still be smiling now.
newmercman:
What a beautiful looking lorry that is, it just looks so robust. Imagine being handed the keys to that on a Monday morning, you’d probably still be smiling now.
I always thought AEC made the smartest looking Ergo
I’ve just seen an AEC Mandator MKV on the M62 eastbound near Leeds carrying a tractor, i’ve seen it a few times before i think Gingerfold is quite familiar with it but it was a good sight to see on a miserable rain soaked Friday morning
just finished this commission for a chap in Newcastle, whose grandfather ran this company ,saw the AEC thread and thought you might like a look ,
Was down at Newark this year at AEC gathering ,saw some beautiful examples of this marque and met some really nice people and owners hope to be there next year,
excellent photos ,keep it up Paul
Nice one Paul, Smiles had 5 of these AECs RJR 346/350, i DROVE RJR 349, & My pal Jimmy Blackburn had 348, This fellow you were chatting with must be a relation of mine ■■?, Regards Larry
