‘Legendary’ Volvo Truck wins top award

The Volvo F88, a truck that was first launched in right-hand drive form the UK in 1968, has topped a nationwide reader’s poll in ‘Commercial Motor’ magazine to win the unprecedented award of the Greatest Truck Ever.

Polling 25.1% of all the votes cast, the F88 gained twice as many votes as the runner-up and beat a long list of household names from the world of transport to take the prestigious title. Described by Commercial Motor as ‘the nation’s favourite commercial vehicle from the past 100 years’, the F88 was recognised in its own lifetime to be many years ahead of the trucks available in Britain during the late 60’s and even throughout most of the 70’s.

The F88 featured a powerful 9.6 litre 260 bhp engine coupled to an easy to use synchromesh gearbox when most vehicles could only boast 180 bhp and a constant mesh transmission. It also featured a crash-tested steel cab which tilted for ease of maintenance – one of the first trucks to do so. Testimony to the F88’s longevity and the esteem that it is held in by hauliers today is that there are still a number of 30 year-old examples in daily use even now.

Recently described by well-known transport author Patrick Dyer as ‘legendary’, the F88 made a dramatic impact on the Britsh road haulage industry with its superior ergonomics, high standards of driver comfort and safety which was matched by its reliability and rugged construction. Testament to this is that the F88 was a favourite truck for hauliers moving freight from the UK on the demanding Middle East route.

Truly a driver’s dream machine of its time and, to quote Commercial Motor, ‘synonymous with long-haul transport’ – thanks to the magazine reader’s votes, the F88 has taken its place at the top table in the transport industry’s Hall of Fame.