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A Brief History of the marque.
Conrad Dietrich Magirus was born on 26th September 1824, in the city of Ulm in the Baden-Wurttemberg district of West Germany.
Ulm would appear to be an advantageous area in which to be born if you were destined to create a lasting effect on the world.
Other people born in the area include :-
Albert Einstein, Theoretical Physicist
Robert Bosch, electronics engineer
Karl Kassbohrer, Bus Manufacturer
Other engineering companies with a strong presence in this area are;-
Liebherr, Meiller, ZF, Lamberet and Georg Gross.
1848 - CD Magirus went on to become the Fire Chief of the Ulm Fire Department, a position he held until 1880.
1864 - He established “Magirus Feuerwehr Requisiten Fabrik” and started to build Fire-Fighting vehicles and equipment. He was responsible for the development of the turntable ladder, known as Magirus Leiter.
1865 - Magirus continued to expand their range of Fire Fighting equipment , won many awards, and supplied their products worldwide. The business was prospering right up to the death of Conrad Dietrich, on 26th June 1895.
1916 - The company continued to develop and started production of trucks built to the standards he had laid down. This resulted in the M40 Petrol-Engined 3 ton truck in 1917, amongst others.
1918 - As Truck supply to the civilian market developed, Magirus were asked to submit vehicles to the German Army proving ground.
1920’s - Fully enclosed cabs. Pneumatic tyres and a New 4.7 litre petrol engine were introduced, as part of a development program.
1930’s - Further engine changes included the addition of 6 Cylinder 7.5 litre diesel which powered a range of Military models in 1933.
1936 - The M65, Forward Control 6.5 tonne truck with a 150 HP , 12 cylinder diesel boxer engine was introduced.
1938 - Magirus were acquired by Klöckner Humboldt Deutz, KHD, and went onto produce the L265 which was one of the first models to display the New Magirus badge combined with the stylised M , three spired, logo. The logo depicted the spires of Ulm Munster Cathedral which still has the tallest church steeple in the world at 161.53 metres.
1942 - The first Deutz air-cooled diesel engines of the 514 series . were introduced to the Magirus Range .
1943 - For the first time, Deutz Air-Cooled engines started to overtake the Magirus engines in popularity.
1945 – The Ulm factory was extensively damaged during WW2 air-raids and production halted.
1946 – The factory re-started production, and a new model was introduced. The S3500, was powered by a Deutz F4L514 Air-Cooled engine and had a payload of 3.5 tonnes .
1951 – April of this year marked the launch of the New Mercury,5.0 tonne payload, and Jupiter, 8.0 tonne payload models. Mercury was powered by a 5.3L, 4 cylinder, 85 BHP, or 7.9L, 6 cylinder, 125BHP engine. Jupiter opted for a 10.6L, 8 cylinder 175BHP power unit.
All were Air-Cooled Deutz engines of course.
This year also marked the launch of the S6500 model.
To be honest I am a bit confused by Mercury, S3500, Jupiter, S6500, model designations. Can anyone help me, if so, please email me with any more information ?
1955 – Special Heavy Duty modified models were made for military use. The 6x6 Uranus was ideal for Tank Transporter work. The 6x4 Uranus was used for Off Road Trucks and Armoured vehicles. The use of Planets as Model Names, was due to the extensive use of Planetary Hub Reduction units, in Magirus drivelines. These are extremely reliable units which work on the simple theory that the maximum drive torque is actually produced in the wheel hub. Planetary hub Reduction gearing makes it possible to reduce the physical dimensions of the drivetrain, between the gearbox and wheel, which allows for increased ground clearance below the differential. Driveline weight is also concentrated on the driving wheels giving a traction advantage.
1957 – The first range specifically designed for forward control, was introduced, The Mercury F, powered by 90 and 125 BHP engines to operate with payloads of 4.5 – 6.5 tonnes.
1959 - The Saturn, forward-control cab model was introduced, in 2 and 3 axle format.
1960 - Jupiter is the latest model, with a forward-control cab, for long distance use. There were 3 axle, 6x2 and 6x6 versions available, each with Deutz F8L614 engines giving 145-195 BHP. It was around this time that the long running modified forward control cab was starting to be used, and was in production, with a few changes up to 1979.
1961 - The Saturn 200 variant was introduced, as a 3 axle 6x4 tractor unit.
1962 - The Uranus 170A with a 170BHP ,F8L714 engine was developed for use by the German Army as a 7 Tonne vehicle. The Normal control "Eckhauber "is now being made with engines as large as V12 250BHP. The "Eckhauber-Square Nose", eventually replaced the "Rundhauber-Round Nose" It was this type of vehicle which began to be known as "Die Bullen", building site bulls, and became popular on the worlds construction sites.
1963 - This was the last year of production for Jupiter models. During this year sleeper cab versions, of long distance trucks were introduced.
1970 - Larger capacity engines became available, up to 17 Litre, V12 340BHP, in some applications.
1971 - The Club of Four, Magirus Deutz, Volvo, Saviem and DAF co-operated to design a middle- size truck range, wth a common cab design, for use by all members of the Club.
1972 - A New Purpose-Built premises in Winsford Cheshire is built, and becomes the administrative headquarters of Magirus Deutz (Great Britain) Ltd. Consignments of Vehicles and Parts were received from Germany and Italy, and distributed through a network of Sales and Service dealers all over the UK
1975 - The Industrial Vehicle Corporation, IVECO, was formed by the Union of Magirus Deutz, Unic, Fiat Trucks,OM and Lancia Special Vehicles. The manufacturers worked together in the fields of Research and Design, and they started to share production facilities.
1976 - The First of the IVECO projects appeared, in the form of the Light truck range by Magirus Deutz. Designated as 90D5.7 and 7.5 and Driven by Deutz F4L913 engines. There were Chassis Cab, Double and Triple Cab, SWB tipper and Integral Van variants. They were all produced in the FIAT factory in Brescia, alongside similar models which used FIAT engines. These became a common sight on UK roads as most of them could be driven without an HGV licence.
1980's - IVECO were intending to become a truck manufacturer in their own right. This became very apparent when they started badging vehicles as IVECO Magirus, and the Spire logo was removed from the grille.
It was in 1983 that the last Magirus Deutz, left the Ulm production line.
The IVECO Turbostar of 1984 was a decisive move which was followed in 1986 by the merger of IVECO and Ford Trucks UK.
It is not a heavily publicised fact that the Ulm factory now produces the IVECO Stralis and that some of the current workforce used to build Magirus Deutz.
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This picture from a 1984 IVECO brochure exemplifies the way that the company appears to have forgotten that without Magirus Deutz, they simply would not exist in the form they do today.
Click on the picture to enlarge and see the worst bit of photo-editing I have ever seen !
Pictures can be modified, but this does not alter history.
It IS a Magirus Deutz throughout, NOT an 'IVECO'. Need I say more ? |
The name Magirus prospers, and will continue, in the world of Firefighting,where it all started.
The name Deutz is also very evident as a manufacturer of supreme quality engines, used all
over the world.
I find it unfortunate that they no longer produce a joint product.
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