Volvo Sweden, USA, Scotland 1928-to date
The first commercial vehicle assembled by AB Volvo in Gothenburg was the 1 1/2 ton payload LV40 which used a variety of components taken from the company's passenger cars.
1932 Volvo with DAF trailer
This was followed by a 6 cyliner LV60 which was a 2 tonner with a 55bhp 3 litre side valve petrol engine and a 4 speed transmission.
1938 Volvo Tipper
By the early 30's the first 6x2 truck had appeared as the LV64LF,followed by the LV75 Bulldog which was a foward control model which also became popular as a bus chassis.
Volvo started fitting hydraulic brakes in 1933 and a Hesselmann type spark ignition oil engine capable of running on various types of fuel was also developed fir the heavier models.
A special version of an earlier goods vehicle chassis was adapted for passenger vehicle work and this resulted in the Volvo LV70B and during 1934 the lighter goods models LV76 and LV 78 came in to being.
At the heavier end of the market the LV93 4 tonner was produced in 1936 but was soon replaced by the 5 ton LV290 which also became available in 6 1/2 tonner form with 3 axles.
As World war 2 began and fuel shortages arose Volvo were very quick to start producing producer-gas engines with the producer unit carried on the front bumper. The war did not manage to stop Volvo producing the 5 tonner LV140 which was available in 1944 along with the B40 bus which used the same 5.7 litre overhead valve petrol engine.
Volvo´s first diesel was a 95bhp 6.1 litre 6 cylinder engine which was first used in the LV150 in 1946.
1940´s Volvo rigid
Volvo L395
1951 Volvo L340
1955 Volvo L385 6x2 Rigid
1955 Volvo Titan
1956 Volvo L375 Rigid
After the war Volvo´s export sales boomed and by 1951 the 8 1/2 ton L395 became available in either 4 or 6 wheeled configuration with a variety of modern specifications such as hydrovac or full air brakes, by 1954 a 6x6 military version was in production with a turbocharged diesel engine which had 195 bhp. At the same time passenger vehicles were also improving with the B658 which had a horizontal underfloor diesel engine along with 2 rear engined models the B635 & B727.
The heavy duty L495 saw the introduction of ZF power steering and at the same time a small 2 1/2 ton 4x4 high mobility vehicle was introduced called the Laplander with a powered axle trailer for the Swedish Army.
Towards the end of the 1950´s the steel cabbed forward control L420 & L430 models with respectively 3 & 5 ton payloads were introduced both of these models had 3.6 litre overhead valve V8 petrol engines using 4 speed synchromesh transmissions with 2 speed rear axles.
1963 Volvo L420
1964 Volvo Titan
1964 Volvo N88
During 1963 the 7 1/2 ton forward control L4751 with tilting cab was introduced using a 97bhp 4.7 litre diesel engine, 5 speed synchromesh transmission with hypoid rear axle, further options included a 2 speed axle, air & exhaust brakes and the turbocharged version produced up to 123 bhp. At this time the heaviest bonnetted model available was the L4951 tractor unit which was palted for 35 tons groos weight and passenger vehicles were now being produced with capacities for up to 51 passengers.
In 1965 Volvo introduced the now legendary F86 & F88 model ranges at this time the largest version was 6x4 rigid utilising a 9.6 litre diesel engine with an 8 speed twin ratio transmission and by 1969 16 speed splitter and torque-converter transmissions were available, the most powerful model available in 1970 was the 330 bhp F89.
Volvo F82
Volvo F86 8 Wheeler
Volvo F88 Tractor Unit
Volvo F88 8 Wheel Tipper
Volvo F89 6x2
Volvo F89
1971 saw the introduction of the chassiless B59 city bus using a horizontal rear mounted engine with semi or fully automatic transmission and self levelling suspension and Volvo took over Ailsa Trucks in Scotland who had been developing F86 models for the UK tipper market in both 8x4 and 8x2 configurations shortly after the takeover they went from importing the vehicles for conversion from Sweden and began their own manufacturing assembly lines. It was also during 1971 that Volvo decided to send 8 F86 trucks to North Amercia for testing and the result of these tests led to the F86 becoming available to Ameican customers by 1974.
A further significant development at around the same time was the setting up of the ¨Club of Four¨ which was a cooperation between Volvo, DAF, Magirus Deutz and Saviem to develop new models in the 6 to 13 ton gross weight class and the heaviest bonnetted models had by now been renamed as the N10 and N12 and were available in 4x4, 6x2 or 6x4 configurations. The Laplander was now known as the C30 and now had a 6 cyliner overhead valve Volvo petrol engine and 6 wheel drive version also became available.
During 1977 the last F88/89 models were replaced by the F10 & F12 series with independently sprung tilt cabs and optional air-conditioning, Volvo was now one of the few companies to replace a legendary range of commercial vehicles with another range that was also to become legendary in its own right. At the same time the first fruits of the Club of Four cooperation began to appear with the introduction of the F614 using a turbocharged 6 cylinder diesel engine and the new F4 for 6 1/2 to 7 tons gross weight was available for urban delivery requirements. Shortly after this the ageing F86 was replaced by the F7 series which also used the same cab that had been developed by the Club of Four cooperation that had been used on the F6 range.
It was during 1979 that responding to user demand Volvo launched a high cab version of the F10 and F12 models which soon became legendary in it´s own right the ¨Globetrotter¨ which gave the driver a vastly increased amount of living and storage space. The success of the F10 and F12 range can be seen in the longevity of the series which went from it´s introduction in 1977 right through until the 1990´s and during this time it was constantly one of the most poular vehicles on the European markets, during this time the cabin and bodywork were subjected to various face lifts as was the interior of the cab, these models also saw the first steps towars electronic motor mangement and the gradual development of automatic gearboxes.
Volvo F10 6x2 Tractor Unit
Volvo F12 Turbo 6
Volvo F12 Globetrotter
Volvo F7 8Wheel Rigid
Volvo N10 Roadtrain in New Zealand
During 1981 Volvo purchased a part share in the White Motor Corporation in America.
By 1985 a new range of vehicles was introduced in certain segments of the market and the FL7 and FL10 models became available which were designed to combine the light weight of the F7 model with the power of the F10 and had engine options up to 318bhp.
In 1987 Volvo introduced what was at the time the most powerful truck in Europe the F16 which during it´s life went from an at the time record breaking 470bhp to having more than 500 bhp by the time it was replaced in 1993. Also during the 1980´s Volvo introduced electronically assisted versions of proven gear boxes known as Geartronic as Geartronic interrupted traction during the gear change there was also an offroad version called Powertronic which avoided interrupting the power to the wheels during changes by using a specially designed transmission with a torque converter. During 1998 the F7 and FL10/12 models were also finally replaced with the introduction of the FM7/10/12 models which shared the same basic cab components as the FH12 and in several cases even had the same engine options when the range was revised in 1998 the FM7 ceased to exist as did the FM 10 both of which were replaced by the FM9 and the FM12 continued to be available.
During the 1980´s it became obvious that new models needed to be developed for both the European and American markets and the decision was made to design and develop a range of vehicles that would be suitable for both markets and in 1993 the FH12 range was introduced with a revolutionary new cab and engine design with the introduction of the D12 engine series where unit injectors superceded the more traditional mechanical and electronic diesel injection pumps and with options of 12 and 16 litre models ranging from 300 bhp to 700bhp coupled with a radically new concept of engine braking known as the Volvo Engine Brake in 1994 the Volvo FH series was awarded the Truck of the Year trophy and again in 2000 thus becoming the first model to ever have one the same award twice.
The year 200 saw the FL series updated using technology from the larger FM and FH series of vehicles by 2006 this range of vehicles had been revised once more with a completely new cab and the new D7 engine range which provided options of either 240 or 280bhp.
In 2001 the Geartronic was replaced by the more efficient I-Shift for long range transport operations while the Powertronic option remains for offroad operations. After 2 years without having a representative inb the 500bhp class Volvo introduced the FH16 with a 6 cylinder 16 litre diesel engine and by 2003 the FH16 was powered by the new D16 engine which by 2005 had reached an output of 660 bhp and by 2009 a 700 bhp version was available.
After a failed attempt to take fellow Swedish manufacturer Scania in 1999 in 2001 Volvo took over the French commercial vehicle manufacturer Renault and now several Renault models use Volvo components the purcahase of Renault also gave Volvo the Mack range of vehicles in North America, Volvo continued to be very agressive in the world markets and in 2007 they also acquired Nissan Trucks
Volvo FL10
Volvo FH12 Drawbar
Volvo FH16 Globetrotter with XXL cab
Volvo B10M Drawbar
Volvo FM12 Globetrotter
Volvo USA 1981 - to date
After sending 8 F86 vehicles for testing in America Volvo decided to make the model available to the North American market during 1974 this was follwed in 1976 by the introduction of the F613 to cover the medium weight bracket of the market.
By 1981 Volvo had purchased a share in the White Motor Corporation and sold vehicles under Volvo, White and Autocar brand names, in 1988 Volvo GM Heavy Truck was launched as a cooperative joint venture between Volvo and general Motors and vehicles were now also sold under the White/GMC name.
During 1993 the D12 series of engines that were being used in Europe in the FH models became available in the American market and this was shortly followed in 1996 by the launch of the Volvo VN. 1977 saw Volvo buy out GM´s interests and the name was changed to Volvo Trucks North America.
2000 saw the introduction of the Volvo VHD range of vehicles and by 2001 all Volvo´s makes in North America had been grouped together and were now all sold exclusively under the Volvo name except for Mack which had fallen in to Volvo´s hands by their purchase of Mack´s parent company Renault, 2002 saw the launch of a revised version of the Volvo VN and by 2005 The Volvo VT had become available as had the D16 series engines followed a year later by the availability of the I-shift transmissions in the North American market by this time Volvo had become the second largest manufacturer of heavy commercial vehicles in the world and the worlds largest producer of heavy duty diesel engines.
Volvo VN 780
2002 Volvo VHD
Volvo VT880
Volvo Scotland 1971 - to date
A Scottish haulier who had been introduced to Volvo trucks decided to set up Ailsa Trucks in Glasgow to adapt Volvo vehicles for the UK tipper market and they began with an 8 wheel rigid originally only available in 8x4 configuration but later also in 8x2. As time passed the company stopped importing complete vehicles from Sweden and began setting up their own operation to manufacture and assemble Volvo vehicles at Irvine in Ayrshire and soon became Volvo Trucks Great Britain.
Now nearly all Volvo multi-wheelers are manufactured in Scotland using British components and some 8 wheel models are even being exported to the parent company in Sweden.
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