Time waits for no man, woman or vehicle though and the last models are now approaching 14 years old. This means a number of Alphas have already made it to preservation. Nice ones are sought after. One of the nicest restored Alphas is this one, which is owned by Dan Mountain. Dan carried out all the mechanical work on the truck himself, and the end result is, we’re sure you’ll agree, stunning.
Excellent truck
As it turned out, Foden’s swansong was an excellent truck; superior to the similar huge-selling Daf CF in many ways. With the truck bowing out at Euro 3, the Alpha was never associated with the emissions-control problems that beset newer trucks. It went out on a high, right at the end of the era of trucks that made noise and smoke and didn’t whimper and go into limp mode at the first sign of sensor trouble.
So on the one hand we have a touch of rose-tinted nostalgia for simpler times, before digital tachos, the Driver CPC, credit crunches, referendums and orange presidents. On the other, we have a truck that is still a viable proposition today.
The design may date back to 2001, but the Alpha still looks modern; it has aged well. The Daf CF can still be specced with an identical roof pod to the Alpha XL and, with a set of private plates on the latter, you could easily convince Joe Public that this is a truck much younger than it actually is.
In-cab holidays
Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Truck & Driver.
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Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Truck & Driver.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Well forked Daf
Remember, we like to cover all sorts of different trucks here at T&D – like this impressive new CF rigid complete with Moffett Mounty forklift
King of the hill
Moving heavy equipment off road calls for a truck with plenty of power and traction, which is why M&J Plant chose a mighty 6x4 FH16 750
Time Machine 2015-2019
It’s the final part of our series on the history of UK haulage. Let’s look back at those innocent times before that pesky virus turned up
Original and best
There are few trucks which have been customised to the level of the Scania 143, but let’s not forget that the standard product was pretty awesome just as it left the factory, like this rare 420
GOING ALL THE WAY
Simon Rogers got behind the wheel as soon as he was able to, and nearly 30 years later, his company is going from strength to strength, with a striking all-black, top-spec Iveco S-Way 570 the latest addition to the fleet
Abnormal loads
In the distant past, when dinosaurs roamed the planet, truck drivers were a very different breed, made from sterner stuff than us mere mortals
Range change
After a gap of 13 years, Renault trucks have reappeared in the unique colours of MacRitchie Highland Distribution. T&D takes the high road to Inverness to meet owners, Donald and Catriona MacRitchie
Cutting a dash
Freshly showered and munching a healthy egg and cress sarnie in Gloucester North services, Chris has a Foden update
Air we go!
On Saturday 29 May at 6pm, 240 drivers gathered with their trucks at South Mimms Services for a parade to raise vital money for Essex & Hertfordshire Air Ambulance
A Cutt Above
From coal to turf to fencing and loads more, there’s not much the Calcutt fleet hasn’t transported over the years