Hello John, do you know when your photo was taken? The only info I have on this machine is that it attended the Teesside rally in 1982.
Added by Chris Wood on 02 June 2007.
This was not an "all Dennis" job as was the norm with the F8, since Pyrene built this one.
Added by Ian on 03 June 2007.
Hi Chris, Sorry about the delay in responding. I have found a program for the 1991 Preston Hall Rally which lists this appliance. Said toi be owned by R Preston, Prestons of Potto
Thanks for that John, you have brought it's history a bit more up to date. It may not be the prettiest F8, but perhaps that makes it more worthy of preservation - I'm sure someone out there knows if it still survives!
Added by Chris Wood on 13 June 2007.
This F8 is still around, it is owned by R Preston, of Prestons of Potto the haulage firm. I saw her last year 07 standing outside, she was for sale, open to offers was the phrase used. She needs preserving.
Thanks for taking the time to update us Gordon, much appreciated.
Added by Chris Wood on 02 March 2008.
I am having difficulty understanding why Pyrene had to improvise this really weird bodywork, instead of modifying a standard F8, which already came with such advanced features as a set of doors!
Really! I could not imagine Dennis building anything like this. What a hacksaw job....
It looks like it was designed and built by an international band of blind monkeys who did not speak any language in common.
Among MANY other questions, how do you open the lockers? I can understand not having handles on the cab doors, because there aren't any cab doors, but not having any handles on the side lockers seems rather odd.
Ronald422, what was it’s original body? I have a photo of this appliance when in service, not mine so cannot upload on this site, and other than a door being fitted on the nearside behind the crew it looks much the same as in photo 3174. A check on the DVLA web site still records this appliance, but untaxed since 1985, so must be still be around somewhere, anyone know of f it’s location?
Added by PaulH on 06 January 2018.
Over on the CCMV Classic Commercial Motor Vehicle site there is a picture of TPY656 in ICI Wilton service in this skeletal form apparently with a foam tank trailer. ICI Wilton is massive covering quite a few square miles, the size of a medium town. So why no doors or roof?
Back in the day, didn’t ICI Wilton also have a Dennis F7 Pump Escape (HPY190)? Possibly the last F7 ever built? Somehow it got moved from ICI and went to the then North Riding of Yorkshire Fire Brigade and ended up in Scarborough?
Added by Chris Wood on 02 June 2007.