FODEN’S LAST STAND

British truck maker Foden had been a common sight on our roads for nearly a century when it got into financial difficulties in 1980 in the height of a UK recession. That could have easily killed off the well-known company, but instead it was bought as a going concern by American giant Paccar, which owned two of America’s greatest and most revered brands; Peterbilt and Kenworth.

Once the takeover was completed, Foden carried on pretty much as before, with new models launched in 1983, albeit with a heavy American influence, such as double drive rear bogies and big exhaust stacks. By then, however, sadly, like all