Recently we have talked about a lot of British models, but when it comes to British cars, there is definitely no way to avoid it, that is, Leyland Motors Ltd. Today we are talking about one of the last generation of Leland Trucks, which belongs to the 1984 T45 series of roadwalker flathead trucks. In fact, the original translation of the name of this model should be Roadrunner, but the name is a bit awkward, so I personally prefer to call it a road runner.
Like many British brands, the brilliant Leland Trucks were first spun off and then partially acquired by daf in the Netherlands in 1987. Let's look back at the brilliant Leland Motors, which was once one of the largest car manufacturers in the UK, accounting for more than 40% of the UK market. Beginning in 1951, Leland took advantage of the policy to acquire Albion, Standard-Triumph, AEC, Scammell, Rover, Jaguar and many other brands, becoming the world's fourth-largest automobile manufacturer at the time. Speaking of our protagonist, the Leiland Roadwalker flathead truck, it is also the predecessor of the later Duff Roadwalker, and later the Duff 45 model.
In fact, there are not many British personality designs on the Roadwalker model introduced in 1984, the most obvious of which is the low front window under the front windshield. You can see if this cab is somewhat similar to the Japanese cars of the 1980s, except that the Japanese cars have a small window (OK window) mounted on the door. The wide curved front windshield provides a wider field of view, with a double wiper on the bottom of the side. This right-hand drive car has a low front window on the left side of the front face, and below it is a black decorative strip that runs through the front face. The middle of the decorative strip is a horizontal grille, flanked by rectangular headlights, turn signals at the corners of the two sides of the headlights, and wide anti-collision beams below.
Cab with low front window slots
From the side, the cab is not well coordinated with the wheels, and the wheels appear to be somewhat small. The door switch handle was changed to side-out, with only the first-level board in front of the fenders. Door-mounted rearview mirrors with larger, more stable U-arms. The windows are divided into two parts, the front window can be opened outwards, and the rear can be hand-cranked and lifted.
Leland introduced the front-flipped cab T45 series in 1980
Enter the cab and find some personality designs with British style, the most prominent of which is the center console. The center console in front of the two-spoke steering wheel is rectangular in shape, with separate functional areas on each side. The center console is a large circular watch in the middle of the main part, and the two sides of the large table are prompt lights, and the upper part is a prominent air conditioning outlet. There are two square gauges on each side of the body, and the function keys are located below the square gauge on the right. The Roader is one of Leland's T45 models introduced in 1980 and features the same front-flip cab. The adjustable seats are mounted directly above the engine in a 1+1 layout with a grunge-type gear that leads directly into the engine compartment between the two seats.
Close-up of the center console
The passenger seat backrest is slightly lower than the main seat backrest
1986 left-hand drive version of the Leland Roadwalker 10.12 truck
The vehicle is powered by a Leland 6.98NV diesel engine with a maximum power of 120 hp and a Turner synchronous transmission, with a vehicle load capacity of 6.2 tons, 7.5 tons and 10 tons. But by the mid-1980s, the engine was underpowered, so it could be equipped with a 6-liter Cummins B series light diesel engine with a power output of 120-145 horsepower.
Behind the cab is two split rear windshields, with a classic side-beam frame that is held in the middle by a slotted beam. The front wheels are single-tire and the rear wheels are twins, and the front and rear are all leaf spring suspension.
After the Leland Trucks division was acquired by DUF in 1987, the car continued to be sold under the Leland-DUF brand, see the sign at the bottom of the door pictured above. Roadwalkers are light trucks specifically designed for Europe, with many of the innovative features that were very advanced at the time, mainly for small businesses. What do you want to say after watching this car? Please leave a message to let me know.