Renault 18 GTX II

Monday 10 May 2021   

The Renault 18 is a large family car produced by French manufacturer Renault between 1978 and 1989, with South American production continuing until 1994. It formed the basis for the closely related Renault Fuego Coupé, with which it shared its floorpan and drivetrain, but with the Fuego initially using the negative offset type front suspension from the larger Renault 20/30, which became standardized across the 18 range from the 1983 model year onwards.

The Renault 18 was intended as a replacement for the Renault 12, which, having been in production since 1969, was beginning to show its age by the late 1970s, though the 12 was kept in production alongside the 18 until 1980. Unlike the earlier car, the 18 was designed quickly; the time between its initial conception and its actual launch date was only eighteen months, primarily due to the fact that the 18 was based upon the 12's underpinnings. Production peaked early: 1979 was the R18's biggest year, after which sales began a gradual decline. Originally, the 1.4 was the most popular model, but this soon changed to the 1.6. By 1986 the largest, 2-liter engine represented the biggest portion of production.

Although Renault made numerous forays into international markets in countries such as Argentina with the 12, their first true "world car" was their 18, hence the slogan Meeting International Requirements, which (as well as in France) would later be produced in ten other countries and four continents around the world. In 1981, the Renault 18 was selected by India's massive public sector car manufacturing project Maruti Udyog to be built there at a rate of 100,000 cars per year - including a pickup truck version meant to compete with small Japanese trucks. However, after closer review and at the direction of Rajiv Gandhi (who had always wanted to build a small people's car) it was determined that the economics did not make sense and that a smaller, cheaper car would be the better option. Maruti instead linked up with Japanese Suzuki to build the subcompact Alto under license.

The Renault 18 went into production at Renault's Flins factory in France in December 1977. It was presented at the Geneva Salon in March 1978, with marketing and sales starting the following month.

nitially, the R18 was only available as a four-door saloon, in TL, GTL, TS and GTS trim variations. The TL and GTL were powered by the 1397 cc Renault Cléon petrol engine (which was developed from the 1289 cc engine from the Renault 12), which produced 64 PS (47 kW; 63 hp). Both models had a four-speed gearbox. The TS and GTS were powered by the 1647 cc A-Type engine (which was the same as used in the Renault 17 TS) but without the fuel injection, which lowered the output to 79 PS (58 kW; 78 hp). The TS had a four-speed manual gearbox, while the GTS had a 5-speed manual gearbox, with optional 3-speed electronic automatic transmission available for both models. The automatic versions of the TS and GTS models were called the TS Automatic and GTS Automatic to distinguish them from their manual transmission counterparts. Assembly of the Dacia 18 began in Romania in 1978, but in a very small number (less than 100 ), mainly for the state. It was intended as a replacement for DACIA 1300, a model derived and based on Renault 12, but the licence and production between Dacia and Renault ended in 1979, so it was dropped. It was also presented at TIB'78, TIB meaning "Târgul Internațional București" (International Bucharest Fair).

The 18 was Renault's first car to use the 1.4 L Cléon engine in the medium-size car sector. The Renault 18 also used three-stud wheels (similar to those of the Citroën 2CV), rather than the four- or five-stud wheels common on most of its contemporaries. In 1980 Turbo and Diesel R18 models came fitted with four-stud wheels (necessitated by using suspension parts and wheels from the larger R20 and Fuego), with all versions using four-stud wheels from the 1983 facelift onwards.

Technical data:
- engine: S4
- capacity: 2000 cc
- horsepower: 104 HP
- gearbox: 4+1
- top speed: 150 km/h

ZIL 130 MMZ

Saturday 8 May 2021

ZiŁ-130 was a Soviet / Russian truck designed and manufactured by the company ZiŁ based in Moscow.

The model was introduced as a replacement for the manufactured ZIL 164. The first prototypes were made in 1958. Mass production started in 1962, mass production started in 1964. It is one of the most popular trucks in the former USSR, and by 1994, around 3,380,000 of the 130 model had been built in various versions. In 1992, the production of this model was also started at the Uralskij Avtamotornyj Zawod (UAMZ) plant (the car was named UAMZ-43140).

The ZiŁ-130 is the first ZiŁ truck painted blue and white. Earlier ZiŁ trucks were painted in dark green (similar to military cars).

Throughout the production period, the ZiŁ-130 underwent two more serious modifications; in 1966 and 1977. After the second modernization, the radiator grille was changed. The biggest disadvantage of ZIL trucks was a very high fuel consumption (even 55 liters / 100 km, and in the case of a tractor unit, sometimes even more), caused by the use of a gasoline engine. On the other hand, it has some advantages over the diesel engine, especially in the climatic conditions of Russia (very cold winters), because gasoline does not freeze anywhere in the world.

Technical data:
- engine: V8
- capacity: 6000 cc
- horsepower: 178 HP
- gearbox: 4+1
- top speed: 80 km/h

Żubr A80

Saturday 8 May 2021

Żubr A80 - Polish truck produced in Jelczańskie Zakłady Samochodowe in Jelcz-Laskowice in the years 1960-1968. It was the first truck produced by this manufacturer.

In the first post-war years, in order to meet the country's transport needs, the Central Design Office of the Automotive Industry was established. This office dealt with the creation of vehicle plans, which were then implemented in factories throughout the country.

The first car factory in post-war Poland was the Truck Factory in Starachowice, opened in 1949. The first prototypes of the Old 20 were completed on December 15, 1948. These plants were established on the basis of the former steelworks and armaments plants. This manufacturer produced small and medium-sized trucks and chassis for specialized cars and buses. At the beginning of the 1950s, the Fabryka Samochodow Osobowych in Warsaw was put into operation. At that time, plants producing components for various manufacturers, located in different parts of the country, developed as well.

Post-war road transport in Poland was based on low-capacity trucks (2-4 tons). The fleets of carriers were dominated by Lublin 51, vehicles of Soviet production (ZIS, ZIŁ and GAZ), Czechoslovakia (Skoda, Tatra) and surplus vehicles, mainly pre-war.

Jelczańskie Zakłady Samochodowe started its activity in 1952. Initially, they dealt with the repair of trucks and the construction of bodies on cars of various manufacturers. An additional activity was the production of tools and workshop equipment.

Also in 1952 in Warsaw, in the Design Office of the Automotive Industry, the concept of building a truck with a carrying capacity of 8 tons was created. The chassis design work, led by Witold Kończykowski, engineer, was completed in October 1952. At the end of 1952, the office and employees were moved to Jelcz.

After moving the office to Jelcz, the design team of Eng. Kończykowski developed the assumptions of derivative cars. At that time, 3 concepts were created: A-01 - load capacity of 7 tons and 4x4 drive, A-02 - load capacity of 7 tons and drive 4x2 and a bus chassis with a lowered frame and an enlarged wheelbase.

At the same time, in the team led by Eng. Edward Loth, the design of the S56 engine was created. It was approved in April 1953, tests of the finished prototype on the dynamometer were completed at the turn of 1954 and 1955.

The entire project was approved in January 1954. In summer 1955, road tests of the complete prototype began. The vehicle was made with a tipper body with a capacity of 7.5 tons (in the 1950s, cars of this type produced in Poland had a load capacity of up to 3.5 tons).

In 1960, Żubr C-90 was created, which was a tractor unit that could tow trailers weighing up to 16 tons.

At that time, there was a division of production between Jelcz, which was to produce large trucks, and Stare, which dealt with medium-sized trucks and off-road trucks.

Serial production of the Żubr A80 began in 1960. It turned out, however, that the new vehicle is very emergency. Users mainly complained about the engine and the rear axle. Designers developed a new S-560 engine. The cooling system, gearbox and rear axle were changed. The most visible change was the replacement of the 22-inch wheels with the 20-inch ones. As a result of the troubles of Zakłady Mechaniczne in Łabędy, Hungarian Raba driving bridges were used. Despite this fact, the Żubr A80 was still a very emergency vehicle.

In 1961, the cabin was also modernized, which was much more modern than the original one. In 1962, the production of chassis for bodies and tractors was started in small series. In the same year, work began on the successor of Żubr - Żubr II.

Serial production ended in 1968, when the assembly of the Jelcz 315 began. In total, less than 7,000 units were produced.

Technical data:
- engine: S6
- capacity: 9935 cc
- horsepower: 170 HP
- gearbox: 5+1
- top speed: 75 km/h

Star 25

Saturday 8 May 2021

Star 25 was a Polish medium-duty truck produced in 1960-1971 by Fabryka Samochodowych Star in Starachowice.

In 1956, a prototype of the Star 25 truck was presented, which was the result of many years of construction work carried out at the Automotive Industry Design Bureau in Warsaw, aimed at developing a successor to the Star 20 model produced since 1948. Compared to the standard N20 and N23 cabins, the new type was characterized by better acoustic and thermal insulation, more efficient heating and better visibility from the driver's seat. The vehicle was powered by a prototype S470 inline 6-cylinder gasoline engine with a capacity of 4196 cm³ and a maximum power of 69.8 kW (95 HP). The drive unit was locked with a 5-speed manual, unsynchronized gearbox. The load capacity of the prototype Star 25 was increased to 4,000 kg, thanks to the strengthening of the spring mounting and the use of two arm shock absorbers in the front suspension.

The lack of technical and financial possibilities, as well as the need to quickly replace the Star 20, led to the start of serial production of the Star 21 car in July 1957, in which only some of the modernized elements from the prototype developed in 1956 were used.

Serial production of Star 25 started in 1960. The vehicle body is mounted on a longitudinal welded frame made of pressed sheet metal. The chassis uses a rigid front axle suspended on semi-elliptical leaf springs and two hydraulic arm shock absorbers. At the rear, there is a drive axle suspended on semi-elliptical leaf springs, additionally supported by auxiliary leaf springs. A new pump with increased efficiency was used in the brake system. The drive of the Star 25 is powered by a Polish, 6-cylinder, inline S472 gasoline engine with a capacity of 4196 cm³ and a maximum power of 69.8 kW (95 HP). The drive unit was locked with a 5-speed manual, unsynchronized gearbox.

Star 25 was equipped with the N20 wagon cabin produced by the SHL plant in Kielce, or a simpler, cheaper and less comfortable N23 cabin, produced by FSC. These cabins have undergone minor changes involving the use of light indicators in place of the arm and central wiper motors. Due to financial and technical reasons, it was not decided to use the K26 type cabins constructed in 1956.

Along with the standard version of the Star 25 model, the production of the Star C25 truck tractor was started, adapted to work in a set with a single-axle box semi-trailer type D60 or a box semi-trailer type D40, which were produced by Zakłady Budowy Nadwozi Samochodowych in Kożuchów. The next production version was the Star W25 rear discharge car. The production of this model was carried out with the participation of ZNTK in Oława, which was the manufacturer of the unloading box and the hydraulic chute mechanism. The design of the C25 and W25 models was based on a shortened box chassis, in relation to which the wheelbase was reduced by 50 cm. In order to ensure the possibility of transporting large-size loads, the Star 25L model was introduced to the offer. This vehicle had an elongated frame, thanks to which the wheelbase was increased to 3850 mm. The extended undercarriage was also used in the Star A25P model, intended for firefighting bodies.

Technical data:
- engine: S6
- capacity: 4196 cc
- horsepower: 95 HP
- gearbox: 5+1
- top speed: 80 km/h

Porsche 911 Targa 1973

Wednesday 5 May 2021

The original Porsche 911 (pronounced nine eleven, German: Neunelfer) is a luxury sports car made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. A prototype of the famous, distinctive, and durable design was shown to the public in autumn 1963. Production began in September 1964 and continued through 1989. It was succeeded by a modified version, internally referred to as Porsche 964 but still sold as Porsche 911, as are current models.

Mechanically, the 911 was notable for being rear engined and air-cooled. From its inception, the 911 was modified both by private teams and the factory itself for racing, rallying and other types of automotive competition. The original 911 series is often cited as the most successful competition car ever, especially when its variations are included, mainly the powerful 911-derived 935 which won 24 Hours of Le Mans and other major sports cars races outright against prototypes.

The Porsche 911 was developed as a much more powerful, larger, more comfortable replacement for the Porsche 356. The new car made its public debut at the 1963 Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung, better known to English speakers as the Frankfurt Motor Show.

It was initially designated as the "Porsche 901", after its internal project number. However, Peugeot protested on the grounds that in France it had exclusive rights to car names formed by three numbers with a zero in the middle. So, instead of selling the new model with another name in France, Porsche changed the name to 911. It went on sale in 1964.

The 1972–1973 model years consisted of the same models of 911— the entry level T, the midrange E and the top of the line S. However, all models got a new, larger 2,341 cc (2.341 L; 142.9 cu in) engine. This is universally known as the "2.4L" engine, despite its displacement being closer to 2.3 litres— perhaps to emphasize the increase over the 2.2 L. The new power ratings for the T were 130 hp (97 kW), or 140 hp (104 kW) in the U.S., 165 hp (123 kW) for the E and 190 hp (142 kW) for the S.

The 911E and 911S used mechanical fuel injection (MFI) in all markets. The 911T was carbureted, except in the United States where it also used MFI, which accounts for the 7 kW (9 hp) power difference between the two. In January 1973, U.S. 911Ts were transferred to the new K-Jetronic CIS (Continuous Fuel Injection) system from Bosch. These CIS-powered cars are usually referred to as "1973.5" models by enthusiasts.

With the power and torque increases, the 2.4 L cars also got a newer, stronger transmission, identified by its Porsche type number 915. Derived from the transmission in the Porsche 908 race car, the 915 did away with the 901/911 transmission's "dog-leg" style first gear arrangement, opting for a traditional H pattern with first gear up to the left, second gear underneath first, etc. Some say this was because the dog-leg shift to second gear was inconvenient for city driving, other say it was due to Porsche's desire to put 5th gear outside the main transmission housing where it could easily be changed for different races. The Sportomatic transmission was still available but only as a special order.

In 1972 a tremendous effort was made to improve the handling of the 911. Due to the 911's unusual engine placement (rear-mounted, with most of the vehicle's weight concentrated over the rear axle), early 911's were prone to oversteer when driven at the limit, and could easily spin in the hands of an inexperienced driver. In an attempt to remedy this, Porsche relocated the oil tank from its position behind the right rear wheel to in front of it. This had the effect of moving the weight of almost 8.5 L (9 US quarts) of oil from outside the wheelbase to inside, improving weight distribution and thus, handling. To facilitate filling of the oil tank, Porsche installed an oil filler door (much like the fuel filler door on the left front fender) on the right rear quarter panel. Unfortunately, this unique design was scrapped after only one year, some say because inattentive gas station attendants were putting gas in the oil tank. The oil tank was subsequently relocated to its original position for model year 1973, and remained there until it was relocated within the wheelbase for the 964 models.

911S models also gained a discreet spoiler under the front bumper to improve high-speed stability. With a weight of only 1,050 kg (2,310 lb), these models are often regarded as the best classic mainstream 911s. For racing at this time, the 911 ST was produced in limited numbers (the production run for the ST only lasted from 1970 to 1971.) The cars were available with a choice of either 2,466 cc or 2,492 cc engines, producing 270 PS (266 hp; 199 kW) at 8,000 rpm. Weight was down to 960 kg (2,120 lb). The cars had success at the Daytona 6 Hours, the Sebring 12 Hours, the 1000 km Nürburgring and the Targa Florio. 

Technical data:
- engine: F4
- capacity: 2466 cc
- horsepower: 266 HP
- gearbox: 4+1
- top speed: 230 km/h

Plymouth Fury

Wednesday 5 Ma 2021

The Plymouth Fury is a model of automobile which was produced by Plymouth from 1955 to 1989. It was introduced for the 1956 model year as a sub-series of the Plymouth Belvedere, becoming a separate series one level above the contemporary Belvedere for 1959. The Fury was a full-size car from 1959 to 1961, then a mid-size car from 1962 to 1964, again a full-size car from 1965 to 1974, and again a mid-size car from 1975 to 1978. From 1975 to 1977 the Fury was sold alongside the full-size Plymouth Gran Fury. In 1978, the B-body Fury was the largest Plymouth, and by 1979, there was no large Plymouth. This was rectified in 1980 with the R-body Gran Fury, followed by the M-body Fury in 1982. Production of the last V8, RWD Plymouth Fury ended at Kenosha, WI, on December 23, 1988. Unlike its sibling brand, Dodge, Plymouth would not live to see the resurgence of the large, V8/RWD sedan. The last Plymouth rolled off the Belvedere assembly line in 2001.

For the 1975 model year, Chrysler moved the Fury name, which had been part of the full-size C-body Plymouth model line up during the previous ten model years, over to the restyled mid-size B-body line, which had been marketed as the Satellite previously. The "Road Runner" was offered as the top-of-the-line model of the redesigned Plymouth Fury 2-door line up, then it was moved over to the Plymouth Volare line up during the following model year (1976). The full-size Plymouth, now known as the Plymouth Gran Fury, lasted through 1977. The entire mid-size Plymouth Fury line up was discontinued at the end of the 1978 model year, replaced in Canada by the rebadged Dodge Diplomat model called the Plymouth Caravelle (not to be confused with the E-body Plymouth Caravelle from 1983 to 1988 and the 1985 to 1988 Plymouth Caravelle for the American car market). During the entire 1979 model year, there were no Fury offerings from Plymouth at all.

Only minor styling changes occurred from the 1975 to the 1978 model years, most notably, during the 1977 model year when quad stacked square headlights (see photo) replaced the previous round dual beam headlights, the front turn signals, previously on the outboard edges of the grille, were moved over to the cutouts in the front bumper. Tail lights received amber turn signal lenses in place of the previous red turn signal lenses. Various 2-door models had no centerposts and some of them were true hardtops with roll-down rear windows. Other two-door models had fixed rear windows even though they had no centerposts. For the most part, the Plymouth Fury two-door models, during the 1975 and the 1978 model years, were labeled as "hardtops".

The Plymouth Fury, 1975-1978, shared its B-body and unibody structure with the Dodge Coronet (1975-1976), Dodge Monaco (1977-1978) and the corporation's new personal-luxury coupe models, Chrysler Cordoba (1975-1979) and Dodge Charger SE (1975-1978). All the four-door models, wagons and sedans alike, continued with the basic body shells, which date back to the start of the 1971 model year, rode on a 118 in (2,997 mm) wheelbase, while the various two-door models—which were restyled with new and more formal sheetmetal and rooflines—rode on the 115 in (2,921 mm) wheelbase.

Before 1975, the Plymouth Satellite had a 117 in (2,972 mm) wheelbase, while the Dodge Coronet had a 118 in (2,997 mm) wheelbase. For 1975, the mid-size Plymouth Fury had a 117.5 in (2,984 mm) wheelbase and the 1975 Dodge Coronet had the same wheelbase.

Before 1974, the Plymouth Fury had a 120 in (3,048 mm) wheelbase, while the Dodge Monaco/Polara had a 122 in (3,099 mm) wheelbase. For 1974, the Plymouth Gran Fury and Dodge Monaco had the same 121.5 in (3,086 mm) wheelbase.

Fury was offered in three basic subseries for 1975 in sedans and coupes and two for the station wagon. The sedan was offered in base, custom and salon models, with interior and exterior trim ranging from austere to luxurious. The salon featured plush velour bench seats with recliners and folding armrests and carpeted trunks, along with a spring-loaded hood ornament with the Plymouth logo. In addition to the Road Runner, the Fury coupes were offered in base, Custom and Sport models. The "sport" was the top-line coupe featuring body pinstriping on the upper door and front and rear fenders, interiors with all-vinyl bucket seats and center cushion and armrest, or optional center console; or split bench seats with armrest, along with plusher shag carpeting on floor and door panels plus lower door carpeting. The wagons were available as either the Fury Suburban or Fury Custom Suburban.

Engine offerings included the 225 cu in (3.69 L) slant-six that was standard on all models except Fury Sport, Road Runner, and station wagons, which came with the 318 cu in (5.21 L) V8 as the base engine which was optional on other models. Optional engines on all models included 360 cu in (5.9 L) and 400 cu in (6.6 L) V8s with two- or four-barrel carburetor, and the 440 cu in (7.2 L) four-barrel was only as a "police" option on four-door sedans. A three-speed manual transmission was standard with the automatic TorqueFlite optional.

The 1976 model year mid-size B-body 1976 Plymouth Fury saw very few appearance changes from the previous year other than the availability of a dual opera window roof on Sport Fury two-door models. Engine and transmission offerings were also unchanged except that the 360 two-barrel V8 was now the standard engine on station wagons along with the TorqueFlite automatic transmission, both items of which were optional on other models.

The 1977 model year mid-size B-body 1977 Plymouth Fury received a new front end with a chrome vertical bar grille and outline along with stacked rectangular headlights. Model and drivetrain offerings were unchanged from 1976 except that the Slant Six now had two-barrel carburetion replacing the one-barrel pot of previous years and was now standard on the Sport Fury two-door models. Optional V8 engines included the 318 two-barrel, 360 two- or four-barrel and 400 two- or four-barrel. The 440 four-barrel V8 was only offered in four-door models as part of the police package.

The 1978 model year was technically a mid-size B-body car, but the 1978 Plymouth Fury was Plymouth's largest car with the discontinuation of the full-size C-body Plymouth Gran Fury after 1977. TorqueFlite automatic transmission and power steering were now standard on all Fury models and the same selection of V8 engines was still available. Few appearance changes were made from the previous model year. The 1978 was the last model year for the Plymouth Fury and its Dodge Monaco counterpart, which was renamed as such during the start of the previous model year (1977), which, in turn, was called the "Dodge Coronet" (from 1965, 1966 to 1967, 1968 to 1970, 1971 to 1974 and from 1975 on through to 1976), while the former full-size C-body Dodge was renamed the "Dodge Royal Monaco" during the start of the previous model year (1977) up until it was discontinued after just one model year. The personal-luxury coupes, which were based on the mid-size B-body platform, including the Chrysler Cordoba and Dodge Magnum (renamed from Charger in 1978) would soldier on for one more year until they were downsized (and renamed Mirada for the Dodge version) in 1980 to the M-body platform used for the Dodge Diplomat and Chrysler LeBaron.

Technical data:
- engine: V8
- capacity: 5900 cc
- horsepower: 200 HP
- gearbox: 4+1
- top speed: 170 km/h

Hanomag F25 Camping

Friday 30 April 2021

The Hanomag F-series is a series of medium-duty trucks built by Hanomag, then Hanomag-Henschel after a 1969 merger with the Henschel company, in their Bremen Seebaldsbrück plant from 1967 until 1973. It was replaced in favor of the more conservative Mercedes-Benz T2 after that company took over Hanomag-Henschel. The F-series badge was also used on the smaller "Harburger Transporter" as well as on some rebadged Mercedes-Benz T2 models.

Rheinstahl-Hanomag AG developed an entirely new range to replace the heavier models in the Hanomag Kurier/Garant/Markant range, and to fill the gap between the old Tempo products and the heavier Hanomag trucks. It was a simple ladder frame design. The designer, Frenchman Louis Lucien Lepoix, was also responsible for a number of designs for Magirus-Deutz and Büssing. The F-series was available in several weight capacities ranging from the 4.5-tonne (9,900 lb) F45 to the 7.5-tonne (17,000 lb) F76. The numbers ending in a "5" received four-cylinder engines; those ending in a "6" a six-cylinder. The engines were all inline diesels from the all-new D-100 range which was simultaneously introduced in Hanomag's tractor lineup. The F66 and F76's 4,253 cc (259.5 cu in) straight-six unit produces 100 PS (74 kW) at 3400 rpm. The smallest F45 has 65 PS (48 kW). In addition to trucks, the F76 was also available as a tractor unit. In 1969 the air-sprung F76 LL was introduced, and the name was changed to Hanomag-Henschel subsequent to the amalgamation of the two branches. There was also a heavier yet F86 introduced later, with a 115 PS (85 kW).

Rheinstahl, the owners of both Hanomag and Henschel, merged the companies in 1969 and sold a controlling interest in the resulting Hanomag-Henschel company to Mercedes-Benz. Rheinstahl suffered further financial setbacks and sold the remainder of the company to Mercedes-Benz at the end of 1970. Mercedes-Benz kept building certain parts of the Hanomag-Henschel lineup, in areas where Mercedes-Benz themselves were weak, but the F-series was thus discontinued in 1973, after only six years on the market. The Bremen factory had begun producing the smaller "Harburger Transporter" (F20-F35) alongside the F-series trucks in 1969 and continued to do so after the larger trucks were discontinued. The plant went on to build Mercedes-Benz' "Bremer Transporter".

While the original F-series was only offered as a truck, panel van and minibus versions of the Mercedes-Benz T2 (built in Düsseldorf) were also sold with Hanomag-Henschel F-series badging, beginning in 1970. These used the headlights from the F and a Hanomag-Henschel grille. This badge-engineered version continued to be available into the latter half of the 1970s. The smaller "Harburger Transporter", thus called because it was built in Harburg, Hamburg, was also sold with Hanomag (and Hanomag-Henschel) F-series badging, F20, F25, or F35 depending on the weight rating. Based on an older design by Tempo, it was built as a Hanomag-Henschel until 1975 and as a Mercedes-Benz until 1977.

Technical data:
- engine: S4
- capacity: 1797 cc
- horsepower: 50 HP
- gearbox: 4+1
- top speed: 90 km/h

Peterbilt 359 1980

Thursday 29 April 2021

The 359 Peterbilt truck, is one of THE most popular models of all big rig trucks, originally built for the discriminating owner operator who needed a truck that could stand up to the challenges of long haul trucking.

The 359 Pete was Peterbilt’s top of the line conventional highway truck. In it’s day, it was THE hottest rig to own.

Peterbilt has made some great trucks, but this model, truly helped to make the Peterbilt company what it is today.

At the time the 359 was first introduced to the market, if a trucker wanted a long hood rig, the choice was the Peterbilt 359 or the Kenworth W900A truck. The Pete 359’s had a large engine compartment. Almost any engine and transmission combination, could be spec’ed for an order. This was a huge advantage as they could be designed for logging, produce work and any kind of specialized trucking. 

At the time, the 3408 Cat engine was popular and it would fit under the hood of a 359….a popular choice. 

Virtually any tranny could be placed in the 359 model, even the Spicer 604, the transmission of choice at the time.

Another added perk to the aluminum composition, was that it didn’t suffer from corrosion, so the bodies of this model, would, and have lasted a long time. aluminum body also made for a light weight truck.

If a trucker was looking for the lightest unit possible, this truck could be ordered with an all aluminum cab and bunk, and even the frame could be ordered in aluminum.

It was ‘full size’, and didn’t weigh very much…. a factor that was especially important to truckers hauling extra heavy freight, like produce haulers.

Technical data:
- engine: V8
- capacity: 18000 cc
- horsepower: 425 HP
- gearbox: 15+1
- top speed: 100 km/h