(^64) August 2019 Truck & Driver
SCANIA V8 CALENDAR TRUCKS
ensure better average
speeds and acceleration.
At the time, for a Euro
haulier operating at 38 tonnes,
this would have equated to
needing 304 horses under the
bonnet. So it was hardly
surprising that Scania’s 350hp
V8 – representing more than
nine horsepower per tonne – was
always going to be a winner.
Going Dutch
So it’s true to say that Kevin
Mackin’s LB140 is very much a
transport icon of its era. And, well
aware of that heritage, Kevin has
left no stone unturned in restoring
NOA 570P to its former glory. In
truth, it’s probably better now than
the day it was built. That’s because
when it came to restoration, Kevin
turned to some of the industry’s
finest craftsmen, specifically a
gentleman based in the
Netherlands named Leo Bol.
“I had seen some of Leo’s
work and was really impressed,
so I contracted him in for the job,”
confirms Kevin. “It was a
root-and-branch restoration; the
vehicle was rebuilt from the
ground up, with every nut, bolt
and washer taken care of!”
When restoration began, Kevin
was in business himself, growing
his firm and understandably too
busy to attend to the renovation
in person. He had started his firm
in 2000, when he purchased his
first artic, assisted by his wife
Carol who runs the admin side of
the business. Today, the company
has built itself up into a major
transport force operating 30 trucks
and running into the Republic of
Ireland, England and Europe.
Is the LB140 his only V8? “Oh
no, I’ve got every one Scania
ever produced – 140, 141, 142,
143, 143 Centurion, 144, 164, a
T-cab and a Bluestream 730.”
Outstanding though this
collection is, for us it’s the LB140
that takes pride of place. A
glance around the vehicle shows
the attention to detail that has
been paid in every respect.
Interior to die for
From the delicate pinstriping,
including a battery box that has,
picked out in delicate white on
blue, ‘ULW 6t.4c.’ (which stands
for ‘unladen weight 6 tons 4
hundredweight’ for anyone
unfamiliar with old money) to an
interior to die for, this is a truck
that stands out from the crowd –
it’s simply on another level. Superb attention to detail on this outstanding LB140
romina
(Romina)
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