I’ve had further positive communication from Hans Witte, who continues to make most generous contributions both to this thread and to Book 3. As always I venture to share as much as I can with this thread in the spirit of research via Trucknet. Firstly, here is a better scan of the NGC test in Beroepsvervoer 1975. Robert
The Dutch transport press seem to go into far greater detail than the British comics. If only they were to publish an English language version.
And in the meantime, while you are looking for that advert I mentioned earlier in Auto en Transportwereld, Hans (what a star!) has provided me with a similar one from Beroepsvervoer 17/09/75. Thank goodness we still have some good researchers on the Continent! This kind of material is absolutely vital to our understanding of the nuts and bolts of ERF history in Europe. Robert
[zb]
anorak:
The Dutch transport press seem to go into far greater detail than the British comics. If only they were to publish an English language version.
Yes indeed, they seemed to be much richer on technical detail and less romantic in rhetoric - I’m not sure whether the French descriptions might be very different though! Robert
Some good stuff there Robert ! Nice to see some new stuff in the foreign magazines. That makes 3 different roadtests we know about so far then ! Difficult trying to find those mags looks like Hans has kept his collection from the 1970s. Hopefully he may find other stuff.
The one shown in the Best trucks advert was an early one with no roof vent or pop up hatch under the
windscreen.
DEANB:
Some good stuff there Robert ! Nice to see some new stuff in the foreign magazines. That makes 3 different roadtests we know about so far then ! Difficult trying to find those mags looks like Hans has kept his collection from the 1970s. Hopefully he may find other stuff.The one shown in the Best trucks advert was an early one with no roof vent or pop up hatch under the
windscreen.
I think that’s the prototype, Dean. ERF seems to have used a handful of pics taken of one vehicle in Sandbach for just about all their promo material at home and abroad in the early days. Robert
By the way, it occurred to me that the little army of NGC researchers out there might benefit from a running list I maintain to keep tabs on references to ERF NGCs in publications; so here is my updated list:
ERF NGCs IN PUBLICATIONS
TRUCK magazine May 1975 (NGC advert)
TRUCK magazine June 1975 (Euro Test)
TRUCK magazine July 1975 (letter from Peter Foden)
TRUCK magazine January 1976 (looking back over year including the Euro Test)
TRUCK magazine July 1977 (Euro Test mentions NGC)
TRUCK magazine August 1977 (Euro Test mentions NGC)
TRUCK magazine July 1978 (ref to NGC in F12 Euro Test)
TRUCK magazine April 1981 (Vick / Bandag advert)
TRUCK magazine December 1992 (Euro Test comparison – Kennett)
TRUCK magazine July 1996 (piece includes NGCs)
TRUCKING International magazine December 1986 (The Dutch Connection: article by Niels Jansen)
TRUCKING International magazine February 1998 (Peter Davies A-series incl. NGCs)
TRUCKING magazine 376 May 2015 (advert Lorries of Arabia)
TRUCKING magazine 378 July 2015 (book review, Lorries of Arabia)
TRUCKING magazine 379 Summer (July) 2015 (book review and article, Lorries of Arabia)
TRUCKING magazine 390 June 2016 (book review, Lorries of Arabia 2)
TRUCK & DRIVER magazine July 1988 (Albert Dale LDD)
TRUCK & DRIVER magazine June 2015 (book review, Lorries of Arabia)
TRUCK & DRIVER magazine June 2016 (book review and advert, Lorries of Arabia 2)
REVS magazine issue 11 (John Simmons on GEH 523N Middle-East)
REVS magazine issue 16 (Wobbe Reitsma on European NGCs)
REVS magazine issue 32 (sale of GEH 513N)
REVS magazine issue 68 (Flemish ERFs: article by Wobbe Reitsma
REVS magazine issue 78 (Arabian Knights: article by Jerry Cooke)
REVS magazine issue 87 (Hefty European: article by Wobbe Reitsma)
REVS magazine issue 104 (European Flyers: article by Wobbe Reitsma)
(REVS magazine issue 106 (reference to Pountain’s unit)
REVS magazine issue 134 (Jona, HNV 59N)
REVS magazine issue 151 (breakdown wagon)
REVS magazine issue 156 (Richard Read)
REVS magazine issue 160 (Wobbe Reitsma)
REVS magazine issue 162 (ERF, Sand & Stars: Robert Hackford)
REVS magazine issue 164 (King of the Mountains: Robert Hackford; Eric Vick: Wobbe Reitsma)
REVS magazine issue 165 (two new pictures)
Classic Truck magazine November / December 2014 (Reitsma French NGC)
Classic Truck magazine May / June 2015 (advert, Lorries of Arabia)
Classic Truck magazine June 2016 (book review, Lorries of Arabia 1 & 2)
Chassis magazine issue 20, Spring ’74 (NGC feature)
Motor Transport 20th May 1977 (The Euro ERF: article by Phil Reed)
Motor Transport 7th July 1978 (CAMEL Jeddah NGCs: article by Alan Bunting)
Commercial Motor magazine 12th January 1973 (motor show NGC)
Commercial Motor magazine 20th September 1974 (Motor Show)
Commercial Motor magazine September 1974 (Motor Show Catalogue)
Commercial Motor magazine 25th April 1975 (whole page NGC advert)
Commercial Motor magazine 9th May 1975 (table of British tractive units)
Commercial Motor magazine 26th September 1975 (small note about NGC)
Commercial Motor magazine 31st October 1975 (Vijore report and picture)
Commercial Motor magazine 12th January 1980 (small ad, an NGC for sale)
Commercial Motor magazine 12th May 1984 (ERF exports interview)
Commercial Motor magazine 28th May 2015 (book preview Lorries of Arabia, full article)
Commercial Vehicle Driver magazine April 2016 (book review, Lorries of Arabia 2)
Heritage Commercials magazine 256 April 2011 (Jerry Cooke and Trans Arabia)
Heritage Commercials magazine 311 November 2015 (book review, Lorries of Arabia)
Heritage Commercials magazine July 2016 (NGC article / book reviews, both Lorries of Arabia)
Heritage Commercials magazine December 2016 (NGC letter by DA Oulton)
Heritage Commercials magazine December 2016 (NGC letter by RD Hackford)
Classic & Vintage Commercials magazine June 2015 (advert for Lorries of Arabia)
Classic & Vintage Commercials magazine September 2015 (KCH at Kelsall)
Truckstop News magazine April 2016 (book review, Lorries of Arabia 2)
Klassiska Lastbilar magazine no. 3 2015 (book review, Lorries of Arabia)
ERF – World Trucks No. 1, by Pat Kennett; Patrick Stevens Ltd 1978
ERF, the Inside Story, by Dai Davies; Titan Publications 2009
60 Years On – the story of ERF, a British Commercial Vehicle Manufacturer, by Alan Littlemore & Alan Millar; published by ERF Trucks 1993
The World’s Best Oil Engined Lorry: ERF Sixty Years of Truck Building, by Peter Davies; Roundoak Publishing 1994
Road Transport and the Read Family, by Paul Heaton; Heaton Publishing 2005
Transportnostalgie uit Belgie – Transportboek, by Mario Maes (Steenbergen NGCs) (Belgian)
Lorries of Arabia: ERF NGC, by Robert Hackford; Old Pond Publishing 2015
Lorries of Arabia Part 2: ERF NGC, by Robert Hackford; Old Pond Publishing 2016
The Observer’s Book of Commercial Vehicles, compiled by Nick Baldwin, Warne 1974
Staffordshire Hauliers Two, compiled by Ros Unwin, Churnet Valley Books 2013 (Trans Arabia / Vince Cooke / Jerry Cooke)
Those were the days…British and European Trucks of the 1970s, by Colin Peck, Veloce Publishing 2012
80 Years of ERF, by Mike Forbes, Key Publishing 2013
Truck Recognition, by Alan Millar, Ian Allan 1986
Manuel de conducteur, ERF 1974 (NGC driver’s handbook in French)
The ERF Story, Brian Weatherley, Reed Business Publishing (undated)
Graphite Garage, France Routes (one drawing of NGC) (French, undated)
Tussen de Ritten Door! 1873-1998 – 125 Years history of Van Steenbergen Transport Arendonk (Belgian)
Beroepsvervoer magazine 17th September 1975 issue (NGC advert) (Dutch)
Beroepsvervoer magazine December 1978 issue (Dutch)
Auto-en-Transportwereld magazine 18th October 1974 issue (full review of NGC) (Dutch)
Auto-en-Transportwereld magazine 1st November 1974 issue (NGC advert) (Dutch)
Auto-en-Transportwereld magazine 5th March 1976 issue (NGC advert) (Dutch)
Illustrated Parts Catalogue ERF
Two axle tractor and truck range ERF sales brochures in various 1970s editions in English, Dutch, Flemish or French.
Transmobiel magazine No. 118 vol. 5 Dec 2004 / Jan 2005 (Dutch)
Trucks in the 1980s by Nick Ireland, Old Pond Publishing 2005 (book advert only)
Beyond the Bosphorus by David Bowers, Old Pond Publishing 2015
Vintage Roadscene magazine, September 2015 (book review)
Vintage Roadscene magazine, May 2016 (book review, Lorries of Arabia)
Charge Utile magazine, No. 206 Feb 2010 (French)
Transport News magazine, September 2015 (book review, Lorries of Arabia)
Transport News magazine, August 2016 (book review, Lorries of Arabia 2)
Where’s Sharawrah? Gordon Pearce, Old Pond Publishing 2015 (book advert only)
ERF B, C, CP & E-series by Patrick W Dyer, Old Pond Publishing 2015
Road Haulage Archives – Issue 9: The Rare Ones, December 2016 (‘The ERF Story’ chapter), Kelsey Publishing Group
Le Poids Lourd magazine, No. 711 Sept 1974 (French – Paris motor show coverage)
Bedrijfstransport magazine, Dec 1974 (NGC test)
Robert 
DEANB:
Some good stuff there Robert ! Nice to see some new stuff in the foreign magazines. That makes 3 different roadtests we know about so far then ! Difficult trying to find those mags looks like Hans has kept his collection from the 1970s. Hopefully he may find other stuff.
.
I agree: it’s vital that we factor any Continental perceptions of the NGC into our ‘whole’ picture of the model.
You mention 3 road tests, but I can only account for two: the one in Bedrijftransport magazine Dec '74; and the one in Truck magazine June '75. The item I posted yesterday from Auto-en Transportwereld Oct '74 appears only to be a detailed appraisal, rather than a road test. The one in Beroepsvervoer Dec '78 was a Euro Test with a B-series in it (plus a single picture of an NGC to remind us of its pedigree!).
Cheers, Robert.
EDIT. It seems that they did a short drive with it, but not a road test as such - more of an in-depth tyre-kicking exercise then!
I received more intelligence from Rene in Switzerland today regarding the Knopfli NGC. Apparently, this outfit was awarded the blue NGC (pictures of which I posted earlier) by the courts in lieu of unpaid invoices from a haulier called Ohnemus. As I mentioned earlier, this unit eventually passed to a collector who subsequently died. Mr Knopfli rather suspects that the vehicle could exist somewhere in the area of Kloten. This possibility, however remote, gives us hope!
Rene also gave me an update on his superb 1:50 model, pictures of which I showed further up the page. He has made considerable progress with it and is now planning a Richard Read livery for it and is preparing a Middle-East spec trailer. Here’s a couple of pics - I’ll post some more later. I think this one’s going to be a stunner! 
Robert
Given that at least four ERF NGCs were operated by Swiss hauliers; and given that Friderici was so keen on trucks with American drive-lines, it is surprising that that company didn’t try ERFs - or perhaps they did. An NGC would certainly have looked splendid in their livery!
DEANB:
A new pic of Gruwez.
This picture blow, which also appears in Lorries of Arabia book 2, shows the signwriting more clearly. The driver’s name is given in the book as Marino Moerman.
I have been in further communication with Hans Witte and have some interesting stuff to post very soon. This is one of his models, by the way!
Here is a Euro Test printed in Beroepsvervoer magazine on 7th April 1976. You’ll see that it doesn’t include and ERF NGC, but it makes a few references to them. Thanks to Hans for these. robert
Hans has also taken the trouble to translate for us that article in the 18/10/74 issue of Auto en-Transportbedrijf. Not only that, he has provided much clearer scans of the original. Both are reproduced below, with thanks to Hans for his work. Robert
English translation of article about the ERF NGC ‘European’ in
Auto- en Transportwereld October 18, 1974
Front page at the picture
Since recently ERF trucks are imported in our country. In this issue you will find an article about this new-comer at the Dutch market.
Page 9
British trucks for Europe
ERF also at Dutch market
First tractors already delivered
In a short message in one of our earlier issues we already mentioned that Best Truck Import Ltd. from Oud-Beijerland is appointed as the ERF importer in the Netherlands. A comment to this item could be that, as seen the economic circumstances, the haulage business is not waiting for a new player at the market.
On the face of it, such a reaction is explicable, but because it is ERF we think that there are enough reasons for a positive approach. This is a truck chassis that is built as a proven concept and from which we can expect a high building and performance quality.
Factory
Almost a year ago we paid a visit to the ERF factory in Sandbach (middle England) and during this visit we were very impressed how this relatively small and self-supporting company has grown in such a short time.
This was proved by all the products we have seen and how they were assembled. But also because of the good financial position. Since the last ten years, the turnover went from 3 to 27 million Pounds per year, and this can only be achieved through high technical qualities. ERF has reached this fast growth in the first place because they use proven basic components from other, well known and specialised companies.
Proven concept
When such a concept is handled accordingly, the outcome has to be a high quality end product.
And this is exactly the case at ERF. The engine come from ■■■■■■■ (and for the English market alternatives from Rolls-Royce and Gardner), the gear box is Fuller, the rear axle Kirkstall and the steering comes from ZF. And many more other smaller parts are used from other well-known sources. With this choice from different brands it is possible to combine them to the best possible assemblies.
ERF is a relatively young truck brand. The first lorry was assembled in 1933; from the start they only built chassis with diesel engines. In this article we don’t go further in the history of ERF, but we will publish more about ERF in the near future. One thing is clear: ERF is the leader at the English market class above 26 tons and thus is a very important player in the British haulage industry.
Europe truck
Since England is a member of the EEC, it is much easier for ERF to start activities at the European mainland. But to achieve a successful European entrance in the first place, the offered product should be developed to European demands. And thus has ERF developed a special ‘Europe chassis’ which is now, after France and Belgium, offered in the Netherlands. The first chassis (tractors) are already delivered and with one of these trucks we could make a short ride. Together with the presentation from Best Trucks, we were impressed and got a very positive impression of the truck. Best Trucks can also deliver the longer truck chassis.
In Holland the tractor is offered with the ■■■■■■■ 6 cylinder NTC335 engine, which delivers 335 SAE HP. Alternatives are 250 or 290 HP engines. In one of the coming issues we will publish a special article about this engine, because it has some special technical features which ask for your attention.
Engine
Bore and stroke are 139,7 and 152,4 mm’s respectively, which makes it a 14 litre engine. It has direct fuel injection, the compression rate is 14,1 : 1. Maximum horsepower is 335 SAE (328 DIN) at 2100 Rpm, maximum torque is 129 mkg at 1500 Rpm. This reads that the engine has a lot of pulling power.
Electrics are 24 Volts, with a 792 Watt generator.
Page 11
Batteries are 181 Ah.
A double disc clutch assembly forms the connection between the engine and the gearbox. The Fuller 9 speed box is standard, highest gear is price direct. A 13 speed Fuller ‘box is optional.
Axles
The front axle has a capacity of 6500 kg’s. The rear axle has hub reduction and can be specified as 11,5 or 13 tons. Front and rear axles have half-elliptic leaf springs and shock absorbers.
The air brake system has different circuits, total brake surface is 5700 cm2.
The parking brake is activated through spring-loaded brake chambers at both axles and is de-activated by air pressure. Our demo truck also had a Jacobs engine brake, which saves brake shoe wear and improves safety. This is not an exhaust brake, but an electric device which controls the valves of the engine.
Steering is hydraulic assisted from ZF. The separated steer rod has two u-joints.
Tyres are 12.00 x 20 (13 tons rear axle), option 11.00 x 20 (11 tons axle).
Chassis
The very sturdy constructed chassis is made from special steel, the U-form main rails are bolted to the cross members. In the front bumper is a tow hook. The fuel tank is mounted on the left and has a capacity of 365 litres. For many years, a good and striking cab design was not a very strong point for the British truck industry. However, since the last years this has improved a lot, also under pressure of the imported trucks. ERF had the cab constructed with a specialist cab builder, the result is indeed a modern looking and efficient cab. It has a good finish and is well equipped, roomy and enough glass surface all round. The cab can be tilted hydraulic to 68 degrees. Two quality seats improve the comfort in the cab for the driver and co-driver. The view is very good and there is enough leg room. The cab has one bed, a second can be ordered. Heating and ventilation are on a high level. The only drawback might be the somewhat tricky step-in and out procedure.
High level
At this moment it is just a very big guess if the ERF will be accepted by the Dutch customers.
Fact is, that the comfort, the ride and handling and the performance of the torquey engine are all at a high level. At the start, Best Truck Import has no high expectations for big selling figures and this is a very realistic approach. The main goal is, to expand the number of clients step by step, with the main selling point focussed on personal relations and high service. There is a big stock of parts and components ready available and with regular services an unexpected standstill should be avoided. The service organisation will guaranty dedicated repair service wherever the truck should be.
The entrance from ERF at the Dutch market will not lead to a big change in quantities. But it is a brand which should be judged to deliver a high quality product. So be prepared to follow the results from this newcomer at the Dutch market with interest and attention.
Translation by Hans Witte, April 2017
