An early example of one of the Scanias on which the company established its reputation in Australia has been restored to its former glory.
A 1976 L111 bonneted Scania 4×2 has been brought back to life thanks to some dedicated effort by Scania’s parts team and local truck restorers.
The truck has been repainted in its original colour scheme, as specified by its first owner, Bill Larsen, who used it for logging in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, around Mount Bogong and Lightning Creek in the state of Victoria.
Bill says Scanias were an unusual sight in the logging industry back in the 1970s.
“The Scania was good to drive, much better than American trucks. They had a better steering lock as well, and they were much quieter in the cab.
Bill says the Scania L111 was painted in Hamersley Brown and Caterpillar Yellow and it had my name on the doors. But after he traded it in, he lost track of its whereabouts.
“I recall someone saying it was painted red and blue,” he says.
Bill was right. The truck was indeed painted in these colours when Scania acquired it in Western Australia a few years ago.
The vehicle has been restored to a very high standard thanks to the care and devotion of Russell Lawrie, Scania Used Parts Manager at Campbellfield.
While the body needed some significant repair work and a full respray, the interior had survived in good condition, and was largely retained, cleaned and tidied up.
Now that the vehicle has been restored, Scania plans to exhibit it at a number of shows and field days throughout the year.
To read more on the restored 1976 L111 Scania, see the May 2014 edition of Owner//Driver.
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