In the mid-1970s, Volvo got a foothold selling trucks in the UK, and its F86 and F88 models were widely regarded and sold well, so much so, they were eventually built in Scotland at the Irvine plant. It was one of the first European manufacturers to really get a loyal customer base in the UK and its trucks set new standards that many others simply had to follow or risk being left behind.
After the success of the F88, which used a cab dating from 1964, the company never stood still in terms of research and development and in 1977, it unveiled its superb F10/12 range to replace the popular – but by now rather dated F88/89 models. As was to be expected, the new trucks were an instant success with operators and rewrote the book on what operators and drivers expected from heavy, long-distance trucks and cemented Volvo’s position as one of the most sought after trucks in the UK.
The F10 featured a boxy cab with a distinctive brown trim, and soon proved it was head and shoulders better than anything else on the market at the time anywhere in the world. Even Scania’s 111/141 looked dated, and you could argue the F10/12 was a driver in its Swedish rival unveiling the GPR cab range in 1980.
But while the F10/12 – and the later higher powered F16 derivative – proved popular, by the start of the 1990s the cab was in need of replacement. Volvo never rested on its laurels and in 1993 the FH – Forward
