The Last Act
Truck & Driver|December 2020
Merc’s V8 swansong, the 16-litre OM502 powered Actros is now incredibly rare, but we found one in Northern Ireland and what a beauty it is
Dougie Rankine
The Last Act

At a glance

Make & Model: Mercedes-Benz Actros 2554LS Megaspace Engine: OM502 LA 16-litre V8, Euro 3 Power: 540hp Torque: 2500nm Gearbox: Telligent II electronic manual Operator: Armco Civils UK

Mercedes-Benz had a long history of V8 engines, with the last ones produced in the MP3 Actros up to Euro 5 in 2013. With a huge cab, plenty of power and comfort, the top power Mercs were more than a match for rivals of the time.

During this period, curiously you could have either a V6 or a V8 engine in the Actros, while the fleet-spec Axor used a straight six engine. Most of the Actros models sold here were V6s, which were mostly 440/460/480hp and more than enough for general haulage. The V8 was available at Euro 3, 4 and 5. When Euro 6 arrived, there was a completely new range of engines introduced, all in-line sixes.

The V8s were fairly rare when new, but like all Mercs, they were in big demand for export. The Far East and Africa love them so many models aren’t around for long. Today, there’s a huge market for MP4 models, some have even been converted to left-hand drive – showing just how much customers want them.

MP3s of any type are now a rare sight in the UK and we knew we had to find a V8 model for this special issue of T&D. So we were delighted to spot this awesome example at the Causeway Coast Truck show in 2019. We’ve since also found a couple more, so look out for those in T&D next year.

Denne historien er fra December 2020-utgaven av Truck & Driver.

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Denne historien er fra December 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.

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