Grandpa’s strongest truck.

The SK (“Schwere Klasse”, or Heavy Class) is the third, entirely revamped version of the NG (New Generation), which made its debut in 1973 and was renamed NG 80 after 1980. The series was launched in 1988 and succeeded by the Actros in 1996. In the narrow variant, the long driver’s cab, recognisable by its full (rather than half) rear window, was the most widely used long-distance cab. Mercedes did produce a wider and higher version, but that was reserved for only a few drivers, particularly those whose trucks had greater horsepower.

And yet the 1735 leaves nothing to be desired. The turbocharged V8 with a capacity of more than 14.5 litres of displacement and 260 kW (354 hp), first featured in the NG 80, made for a sporty ride. Power was transmitted by the electro-pneumatically operated EPS shift system: the gear was pre-selected by joystick and then engaged with the clutch pedal. This marked the birth of the automatic transmission.

Vent windows instead of air conditioning, an ample engine compartment and beige and blue seat covers in a brown plastic landscape prove quite clearly that this truck was a true baby of the Eighties.

Uwe Harms came across this truck in a haulier’s yard in Lensahn (Schleswig-Holstein). The company had used the truck to transport goods in factory traffic from Hamburg to Lübeck. It had mainly been driven on the autobahn and only had 680,000 kilometres on the clock. “I rescued the truck from being exported,” says Harms. “Another dealer had already shown a keen interest and wanted to sell the 1735 to the Far East.” Although Harms is delighted about the good state of the truck, he does grumble a bit about the insurance and motor vehicle tax. Both are quite costly, and registering it as a vintage truck is still a very distant prospect.

“This was the most modern series we had in my father’s business, and with its eight-cylinder, turbocharged engine it was by far the most powerful,” says Harms. As a youngster, he took care of the fleet in the workshop and got behind the wheel himself when they were a man short.