*Continuing the weekly historical feature on the International Truck of the Year awards winners over the past half century.
The Volvo F86 was a very tough act to follow, but the F7 stepped up to the mark admirably and completed the renewal of the entire Volvo truck range which had started five years earlier with the N Series.
For 1979’s award jurors were recruited from Belgium, Norway and Sweden to increase the national representation to seven north-western European countries. The assessment criteria spanned design, engineering, styling, serviceability, repair costs, operating cost, service support and work capacity, and the Volvo F7 emerged as the clear winner. The 18-month qualifying period also meant that 1977’s F10 was still eligible, and that truck took second place, having being pipped at the post in 1978 by MAN.
The F7 was the first Truck of the Year to win with an entire range of vehicles, rather than a distinct model or designation, and despite the range covering 2-, 3- and 4-axle rigids and 2-axle tractors over the 16- to 36-ton weight segments, there were only two engine, cab and gearbox options specified – typical of the production programmes of the day.
The F7 was a masterclass in component development with its driveline, chassis and cab all being adaptations of earlier, proven parts. The TD 70 6.7-litre engine retained the bore and stroke measurements of the F86’s TD 70E, but gained oil-cooled pistons, a higher capacity oil pump and an improved head design to become the 202hp-rated TD 70G. The TD 70F employed air-to-air charge cooling to develop 224hp.
Transmission was provided by the R52 8-speed range-change synchromesh gearbox which made greater use of roller-bearings for long-life in preference to the ball-bearings used in the F86’s R51, with the larger R62 gearbox being standard in the double-drive 8-wheeler, supplemented with the option of a 16-speed splitter. The rear axles were also developments of earlier designs, and shared with the F10.
The F7’s cab was a development of the “Club of Four” model, sharing rear and side panels with Renault’s enlarged Club design, and was very well-appointed in traditional Volvo fashion with a stylish brown carpet and cloth interior. Offered as a short day-cab, or a longer “rest cab” the vehicle was regarded as quite spacious within its limited dimensions.
Interestingly, the F7 appealed to the judges across a range of European segments, as a high-powered distribution truck in Scandinavia to a longer-haul 36-tonner in the Netherlands. Britain’s preference for 6×4 tippers and 8-wheelers led to the development of these models at Irvine as part of the Volvo programme, rather than as an adjunct to it.
The F7 proved to be hugely successful in Britain and even appeared as a 38-tonner with the 243hp TD 70FS engine in 1983. At the time of its replacement with the new FL range in 1985, the F7 was still contributing over a third of Volvo’s British sales without any significant revisions or even a major facelift.
Credits: Richard Stanier & ITOY