Regular BLB contributor Russell Hurley e-mails me to say: "Hi BLB. I was trawling around the internet looking at trucks (what else do you do with the wonders of modern technology?) when it hit me that the Daf XF is 20 (yes TWENTY) years old this year." Well naturally what Russell means is that it's 20 years since the original CabTec cube which, in its latest version, is still doing grand service on the XF105, first saw the light of day as a Pegaso Troner which was launched in 1987. And to prove it he's sent me this rather nice shot of King Juan Carlos officially launching it----at, if my memory serves me right, the old Barcelona Truck Show.
Then soon afterwards it appeared on the Daf 95 Series (which became the 95XF, then the XF95 before ultimately becoming the current XF105). It even wound up as the Seddon Atkinson 'Big A' Strato some time after the launch of the Troner and 95 Series. (At that time Pegaso owned Seddon Atkinson). And here is is pictured below...
Russell continues: "If I'm right about this (and I'm sure you or other eager BLB readers will be able to fill the gaps), then what we have is a Truck of the Year [i.e. the Daf XF105] which has a cab that's essentially two decades old. Long time coming as they say..." Yes I'd forgotten that Russ but it does go to show how well it's lasted and how strong the original design was--not least in inernal space. Meanwhile, try visiting Russ's picture website site
And of course the other 'old-stager' with a long-serving cab (17 years) is the Renault Magnum, pictured above at the original 1990 launch...and guess what I'll be sleeping in tonight as part of the latest T&D Cab Kit Test? Stay tuned to BLB!
The cabtec design is past its sell by date now and i think the magnum is getting a bit long in the tooth.It has not changed alot in seventeen years externally,and the volvo fh will be fifeteen years old next year.Time for some new cabs in the next couple of years.
The Cabtec cabs, was built in Pegaso Factory in Madrid, but when Iveco Buy Pegaso, the society Cabtec, between Pegaso and Daf was disolved, Daf buy and translate the machinery of Cabtec to Eindoven, and the Seddon Atkinson now is built with the Iveco Cab in the old Pegaso Factory in Madrid... I drive a Daf XF 95.480, and I miss a lot my old Pegaso Troner.....was a very good truck... better than Iveco.