CC reader Abdulla Gülabi, a young Turk living in Nigeria, sent me a couple of shots of this Nissan pickup crabbing down the highway at a rakish angle. Rear axle a bit out of alignment? Frame bent? And check out the handsome Mack R Series on the other side of the highway. Here’s a couple more:
For a second, I thought that yellow wagon might be a Renault 21/Medallion, but it’s a Mitsubishi Lancer, natch. Maybe the guy in the back steers the rear axle like on the back of a hook-and-ladder fire truck?
A trash truck crossing the median in order to affect a pickup. Tire air pressure a bit low?
I love exotic street scene shots like these, so I’ve encouraged Abdulla to keep them coming. And that applies to any of you in distant locales; seeing old and different cars and trucks still working hard is our schtick. So post them at the Cohort or send them to me via the Contact form.
When I used to walk to school as a high school freshman in the 70s, there was a kid who drove past me almost every day in a strippo model 63 Ford sedan that tracked down the road just like this Nissan.
Ahhh… that’s how my mom’s disco Nova used to look going down the road. Well, maybe not that extreme – but close enough that people would often honk and tell her that her car was driving sideways.
Some pretty serious crabbing. I assumed it was merging into the left lane!
I don’t think I have ever seen a car “crabbing” in person.
Looks more like a cab-over truck, from the wheel arch line immediately ahead of the tray, perhaps a version of the Nissan Cabstar. The front-right corner looks to be low in addition to the rear wheel on the same side being very close to the frame rail like the locating pin broke, perhaps it hit something.
The garbage truck (last picture) seems to be a French Berliet TR with a self steering second axle.
Spring centre bolt has likely broken on that Nissan dropsider Used Jappas are fairly common in Africa my sister tells of 5 rental Toyota Prados being offered to them in Lagos before a driveable one turned up last week.
I always enjoy everyday street scenes from other parts of the world
The Mack R Model being rugged and simple to work on was a huge export success. There is just about no place on earth where you can’t find one still working. Along with the Corolla its one of the few vehicles that can blend in to traffic anywhere.
Refuse apparatus is always doing goofy stuff in traffic, its just the nature of the beast.
The Mack R model, one of those old soldiers who’ll never die.
As my dad’s co-“driver” in the seventies we came across them regularly in the Netherlands and Belgium. Although the F700, being a COE, was more popular. In those days Mack trucks were still officially imported.
Now I’m glad to see the Mack Superliner here now and then, isn’t its cab the same as the R model’s ? Here’s a beautiful work- and showhorse Superliner, owned by logger J.J. Lamme. (Photo: Dennis Evertse)
Have you seen my homage to the R? https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/quarryside-classics-mack-r-series-rock-solid-since-1966/
I sure have now, thanks.
The Mack R and F700 were durable, powerful and heavy-duty (“overbuilt”). That’s why the 6×4 trucks and tractors were very popular here among trucking companies specialized in heavy-haulage, earth moving and brick hauling. Let’s say anything that was (very) heavy with some off-roading involved now and then.
Another big plus was Mack’s own production of the complete powertrain.
That’s the way we like it here. The Dutch Mack importer, Floor, also had a Mack assembly plant about 10 miles from where I live. In the late sixties Floor started its own truck brand, FTF trucks. At first they used a lot of Mack components. Later on Detroit Diesels, and the rest of the powertrain always was “Made in the USA” too.
Here’s a great overview of Mack R models in Northwestern Europe (most of them) http://buzzybeeforum.nl/viewtopic.php?f=423&t=21222