DEJA VIEW
With greater emphasis on pedestrian and cyclist bind spot vision, over the last decade we have seen an ever-increasing number of mirrors begin to sprout forth from LGV cabs. These are now even being replaced by cameras, with the familiar brace of convex glasses giving way to crab-eyes which project an image onto two A4-sized screens on the windscreen A-pillars – fine until a fuse blows. Physical views are not forgotten however as the latest truck cabs now sport lower door windows, seen for many years on far-Eastern medium weight commercials due to Japanese legislation. However, the issue of forward blind spots masking pedestrians, particularly children, in urban situations and the issue of the driver’s door having to be opened out into traffic, was addressed a long time ago. Revolutionary at the time, the clever British design, was spread across a whole family of light and medium commercials and it could yet make a comeback. As electric LCVs gather pace, the design issues involved in housing the combustion engine and transmission, will recede, leaving clean-sheet cab design to repeat history.
The FG series light commercial with its futuristic cab design was introduced in October 1959, although not immediately using the FG nomenclature however, it was in 1962 that the now familiar FG designation was introduced. This was followed by either a K or M suffix to indicate the place of manufacture, with M vehicles being built at Adderley Park prior to the factory fire in 1962, and K
