Scammell Scammell Lorries Limited was a British manufacturer of trucks , particularly specialist and military off - highway vehicles , from 1921 to 1988 . History . Scammell started as a late - Victorian period wheelwright and coach - building business , G Scammell & Nephew Ltd in Spitalfields , London . George Scammell , the founder was joined by his nephew Richard and Richard ' s sons , Alfred and James . By the early 1900s , the firm had become financially stable , providing maintenance to customers of Foden steam wagons . One such customer , Edward Rudd , had imported a Knox Automobile tractor from the United States , and impressed with its low weight / high hauling power had asked Scammell if they could make a similar model of their own . However , the outbreak of war in 1914 stopped the project and presented itself as a turning point in road transport history . Mechanical transport was seen to work , proving its vast potential beyond doubt to forward - thinking companies such as Scammell . George Scammell ' s great nephew , Lt Col Alfred Scammell , was injured and invalided out of the army , and he was able to apply the practical experience he had gained during the war and began developing the articulated six wheeler . Percy G Hugh , chief designer , conceived the idea and at the 1920 Commercial Motor Show 50 orders were taken for the new design . The vehicle ' s very low axle weight allowed it to carry payload legally at , rather than being limited to 5 mph . Scammell Lorries . Scammell started production of the 7 . 5ton articulated vehicle in 1920 . Needing to move to new premises , Scammell & Nephew floated a new company , Scammell Lorries Ltd in July 1922 , with Col Scammell as Managing Director . The new firm built a new factory at Tolpits Lane , Watford , next to Watford West railway station on the branch line from to . The original company remained in business in Fashion Street , Spitalfields refurbishing and bodybuilding until taken over in 1965 by York Trailer Co . In 1929 , Scammell designed and manufactured the " 100 Tonner " low loader . Only two were produced ; the first was delivered to Marston Road Services , Liverpool , for the transportation of steam engines to Liverpool docks . Scammell were also looking for new markets , and diversified into four - and six - wheel rigid ( nonarticulated ) designs . The ' Rigid Six - wheeler ' found some success and , with its balloon tyres , at last permitted sustained high - speed , long - distance road operation . In 1934 , Scammell produced the three - wheeled ' Mechanical Horse ' , designed by Oliver North to replace horses in rail , postal and other delivery applications . This featured automatic carriage coupling and the single front wheel could be steered through 360 degrees . It was sold in three - and six - ton versions . The three - tonner was powered by a 1 , 125 - cc side - valve petrol engine and the six - tonner by a 2 , 043 - cc engine . Karrier had introduced a similar vehicle , the ' Cob ' , four years earlier . From 1937 , a Citroën Traction Avant - powered version was made under licence in France , by Chenard - Walcker - FAR , known as the ' Pony Mécanique ' . This continued in production , in various versions , until 1970 . In the late 1940s , the ' Mechanical Horse ' was superseded by the Scammell Scarab , with similar features , but a much less angular cab and now with a 2 , 090 - cc , side - valve petrol engine in both models and a diesel version with a Perkins engine . The company mainly concentrated on articulated and rigid eight - wheeler lorries , from the 1920s . One vehicle not in those lines that became well - known was the six - wheeled Pioneer . This was an off - highway , heavy haulage tractor first produced in 1927 . It showed outstanding cross - country performance due to the design that included the patent beam bogie rear axle , with of vertical movement for each of the rear wheels . This design was the work of Oliver Danson North The Scammell Pioneer was popular in the oil field and forestry ( logging ) markets , and formed the basis of the British Army ' s World War II 30 - ton tank transporter . With the outbreak of war , development of new vehicles stopped and production concentrated on military Pioneers for use as artillery tractors , recovery and transporter vehicles . Leyland Group subsidiary . Post war , foreign competition and rationalisation of the UK manufacturers led to Scammell coming under Leyland Motors Ltd in 1955 . This provided access to ready - made components within the Leyland group , allowing the replacement of the " lightweight " range with the : Both the tractor units could be configured up to 50 tons ( 50 . 8 Tonnes or 55 short tons ) , and complemented by the full range of Scammell trailers made at the Moor Park works , allowed the company to continue production in specialist and military markets . In the 1960s , Scammell contracted Giovanni Michelotti to design its cabs , resulting in a series of Glass - reinforced plastic " spring " - like designs . The first to be redesigned was the Routeman , followed by the Handyman . In 1967 , the ' Scarab ' was replaced by the ' Townsman ' , which also had a GRP body . The factory also designed the 6x4 Contractor equipped with a Cummins 335 engine , Lipe clutch and Fuller semi - automiatic gearbox , that went into production in 1964 . Offered with a choice of Leyland 24 tonne or Scammell 30 and 40 tonne bogies , the Contractor was popular in the UK for 240 + ton GTW operation , overseas heavy haul , and with the military for tank - transport . In 1969 the 6x4 Crusader was introduced , designed as a high - speed , high - power tractor unit . Powered initially by a Rolls - Royce 305 engine , they were supplied to the MoD as plant tractors , enabled to do everything from recovery to tank transport . A commercial 4x2 version was developed , equipped with either Rolls - Royce 220 or 280 , that proved so popular that production was moved to Guy Motors in Wolverhampton . The 1970s started with a reorganisation of the Leyland Group , with heavy haul after the closure of the old Thorneycroft works in 1972 concentrated on the newly named Scammell Motors site at Watford . The Thorneycroft 6x4 ' Nubian ' heavy dumptruck was the first transfer inwards , regularly adapted for the military , followed by the lighter LD55 6x4 dumptruck . In the late 1970s , the Contractor Mk2 was developed , together with the Commander Tank Transporter for the British Army . Fitted with the Rolls Royce CV12TCE 26 litre , 48 valve dual - turbocharged 625 hp intercooled V12 diesel engine , semi - automatic gearbox and Scammell 40 ton bogie , it was plated at 100 ton + GTW . Designed as part of the strategy to defend the West German border against a tank attack from the USSR , it hence was specified to have the same acceleration and braking performance as a contemporary commercial 32 tractor . Both tractors were brought into production within the newly built " moving line " construction shop , which gave Scammell a modern state - of - the - art factory . The Commander fleet came into operation in 1983 . In the late 1970s , Leyland Group decided to develop two new tractors : the overseas bonneted Landtrain ; the UK forward control Roadtrain . Scammell was contracted to develop the Landtrain , which used the same cab and bonnet as the Commander replacement , the S24 . Equipped with Cummins NT 350 or 400 engine , the S24 could be specified from 40 tonnes GVW to more than 200 tonnes GTW . Scammell also gained the contract to develop and build the eight - wheeled version of the Roadtrain , the ' Constructor8 ' . This also allowed Scammell to develop and produce the complementary S26 range of heavy - haul 4x2 , 6x2 and 6x4 tractors , which was a parts - bin build from the Roadtrain and 24 components . Closure . In 1986 , Scammell tendered for the British Army hooklift DROPS tender , using the newly developed 8x6 variant of the S24 . This was equipped with a Rolls - Royce 350 engine , ZF automatic gearbox and Kirkstall axles . However , shortly after winning the contract to supply 1522 such vehicles , Leyland group was bought by DAF of the Netherlands . DAF elected to build the S26 DROPS at the Leyland plant in Lancashire , and close the Watford factory . DAF closed the plant in July 1988 . It sold the site for redevelopment , and further sold the rights to manufacture ( but no rights to the name or the premises ) of the S24 , Nubian , Crusader and Commander to Alvis Unipower who opened a new plant in West Watford , offering ongoing support and spare parts for Scammell vehicles . Today the Tolpits Lane site is fully redeveloped as a combined housing estate , the Vale industrial estate , and a business park . Tenants include Camelot Group , the company that delivers the UK National Lottery . In popular culture . An S24 Tank Transporter is Jill ' s vehicle in the Terry Gilliam film " Brazil " . Products . Rigid 8 . The Rigid 8 was produced from 1937 to 1958 . Showtrac . The Showtrac was a short - wheelbase 4x2 ballast tractor , one of the few vehicles ever designed specifically for fairground use . It could be supplied with a rear body ( with half - height roller shutter access doors ) , winch , and dynamo with the ballast block underneath . Eighteen were built , to varying specifications ( not all had the body fitted , for example ) , between December 1945 and September 1948 . Seventeen have been preserved . There are many look - alike Scammell tractors , but genuine Showtracs had a special " Showtrac " badge on the radiator , and a full - width cab . Handyman . The Handyman initially used a glass fibre cab designed by Scammell - for the Mark 2 and 3 versions a new Michellotti - designed " cheesegrater " fibreglass cab as used on the 2nd and 3rd versions of the Routeman Rigid was fitted . Early versions were equipped with Scammell ' s own " gate - change " gearbox but subsequent versions were fitted with AEC and David Brown gearboxes . Engines fitted included the Leyland 680 , Gardner 150 and Rolls Royce 220 . Trunker . The Trunker was a three - axle version of the Handyman , equipped with a lifting mid - axle . Contractor . The Contractor was a 6x4 tractor used by various operators including the Australian Army as a tank transporter or as heavy haulage , usually engineering plant for the Royal Australian Engineers . The Australian military units were configured with 250HP Cummins diesel engines and pneumocyclic gearboxes . While one of the trials vehicles which served in the Vietnam War was branded with the Scammell name , most of the remaining units were branded Leyland . Two trailer specifications were used , a 24 wheel float with 16 wheel dolly trailer for transporting the Australian Centurion tank or US Patton tank in Vietnam . The other trailer was a 40 Ton 8 wheel Steco drop deck trailer for the engineering plant . Crusader . The Crusader was a 4×2 or 6×4 tractor that used a Motor Panels - supplied steel cab , available in sleeper - or day - cab forms . It had the option of Detroit Diesel , Cummins , Rolls Royce or Leyland engines . The Crusader was used by the British Army as a 6×4 tow - truck ( with EKA underlift equipment ) and as a 6x4 tractor unit normally used for towing 35 tonne plant trailers or 30 tonne tank bridge transport trailers . A recovery variant was also in use . The British Army replaced the Crusader in the late 1990s by a Seddon Atkinson tractor unit with a 40 tonne plant trailer and a specialist tank bridge transporter . Many have seen use in the heavy haulage industry due to their incredibly strong chassis . The military specification vehicles were usually equipped with 15 - speed Fuller gearboxes and an 8 tonne capstan winch . Commander Tank Transporter . The Commander was introduced as a tank transporter in 1978 . Designed in the late 1970s , they replaced the Thornycroft Antar s in the British Army beginning in 1983 with delivery of total of 125 units . The 6×4 units could carry a load of 65 tonnes and were used to transport Challenger II tanks . Used during the Gulf War , they were retired in 2002 and replaced by the Oshkosh M1070F HET . The Commander is powered by the 26 . 7L Rolls - Royce / Perkins CV12 TCE twin turbocharged diesel engine that produces approximately and is coupled to an Allison automatic transmission . The Scammell Commander CV12 engine is very similar to the ones used in the Challenger 1 and 2 main battle tanks but with an increased power output of around 1 , 200 bhp 895 kW . Designed to tow loads up to 65 tonnes , the Commander tows a special semi - trailer onto which tanks can be tail - loaded using a hydraulic 20 tonne capacity winch . A prominent bonnet houses the vehicle ' s Perkins ( Rolls - Royce ) CV 12 TCE V12 and although the Commander is powered by the Perkins / Rolls - Royce engine , other types were also proposed - one of the prototypes used a Cummins KTA 600 diesel . The cab has provision for up to three or four passengers and there is space for two bunks behind the front seats . Due to the front axle lock angle , the Commander is highly maneuverable and can negotiate a ' T ' intersection with only 9 . 15 meters between the walls . In 1988 the Scammell company went bankrupt , and the rights to the Commander were bought by Unipower Ltd , who opened a new plant in West Watford . In 1990 during the operation Desert Storm 70 Scammell Commander heavy tank transporters were used to transport 40 types of various military cargo . Each of the vehicles was on the road 17 hours a day during a 4 - month period and on average each vehicle traveled 270 km a day on the desert roads . Most of the 125 British Army Commanders were based in Belgium and Germany with only a few located in the United Kingdom .