Scammell started as a late-
Victorian period
wheelwright and
coach-building business, G Scammell & Nephew Ltd in
Spitalfields,
London. George Scammell, the founder, was joined by his nephew Richard and Richard's sons Alfred and James. By the early 1900s, the firm had become financially stable, providing maintenance to customers of
Foden steam wagons. One such customer, Edward Rudd, had imported a
Knox Automobile tractor from the United States, and impressed with its low weight/high hauling power had asked Scammell if they could make a similar model of their own. However, the outbreak of
World War I in 1914 stopped the project and presented itself as a turning point in road transport history. Mechanical transport was seen to work, proving its vast potential beyond doubt to forward-thinking companies such as Scammell. George Scammell's great nephew, Lt. Col. Alfred Scammell, was injured and invalided out of the army, and he was able to apply the practical experience he had gained during the war and began developing the articulated six wheeler. Percy G Hugh, chief designer, conceived the idea and at the 1920 Commercial Motor Show, 50 orders were taken for the new design. The vehicle's very low axle weight allowed it to carry payload legally at , rather than being limited to 5 mph.
Scammell Lorries ,
Swindon Scammell started production of the 7.5-ton articulated vehicle in 1920. Needing to move to new premises, Scammell & Nephew floated a new company, Scammell Lorries Ltd in July 1922, with Lt. Col. Scammell as managing director. The new firm built a new factory at Tolpits Lane,
Watford, next to
Watford West railway station on the branch line from to . The original company remained in business in Fashion Street,
Spitalfields refurbishing and bodybuilding until taken over in 1965 by York Trailer Co. In 1929, Scammell designed and manufactured the "100 Tonner" low loader. Only two were produced; the first was delivered to Marston Road Services,
Liverpool, for the transportation of steam engines to
Liverpool docks. Scammell were also looking for new markets, and diversified into four- and six-wheel rigid (nonarticulated) designs. The 'Rigid Six-wheeler' found some success and, with its balloon tyres, at last permitted sustained high-speed, long-distance road operation. In 1934, Scammell produced the three-wheeled
Mechanical Horse, designed by
Oliver North to replace horses in rail, postal and other delivery applications. This featured automatic carriage coupling and the single front wheel could be steered through 360 degrees. It was sold in three- and six-ton versions. The three-tonner was powered by a 1,125-cc
side-valve petrol engine and the six-tonner by a 2,043-cc engine.
Karrier had introduced a similar vehicle, the Cob, four years earlier. From 1937, a
Citroën Traction Avant powered version was made under licence in France, by
Chenard-Walcker-FAR, known as the Pony Mécanique. This continued in production, in various versions, until 1970. In the late 1940s, the Mechanical Horse was superseded by the
Scammell Scarab, with similar features, but a much less angular cab and now with a 2,090-cc, side-valve petrol engine in both models and a
diesel version with a
Perkins engine. The company mainly concentrated on articulated and rigid eight-wheeler lorries, from the 1920s. One vehicle not in those lines that became well-known was the
6×4 Pioneer. This was an off-highway, heavy haulage tractor, first produced in 1927. It showed outstanding cross-country performance due to the design that included the patent beam bogie
rear axle, with of vertical movement for each of the rear wheels. This design was the work of
Oliver Danson North. The Pioneer proved popular in the
oil field and
forestry (
logging) markets, and formed the basis of the
British Army's
World War II R100 30-ton
tank transporter. With the outbreak of war, development of new vehicles stopped and production concentrated on military Pioneers for use as
artillery tractors, recovery and transporter vehicles. In 2024, British-based
On Scene magazine featured an interview with Dave Crouch of UK firm Crouch Recovery, who, despite the advances elsewhere, still highly praises anything which carries a Scammell badge. So much so that they have amassed a large collection of older recovery vehicles and later model classics that are restored for posterity, and in many cases could still go to work if required.
Leyland Group subsidiary 8x4 tipper with
Michelotti-designed
GRP cab tractor unloads in the
Persian Gulf during
Operation Desert Shield Post war, foreign competition and rationalisation of the UK manufacturers led to Scammell coming under
Leyland Motors in 1955. This provided access to ready-made components within the Leyland group, allowing the replacement of the "lightweight" range with the: • Highwayman: bonneted 4x2 •
Routeman: forward control 8-wheeler • Handyman: forward control 4x2 Both the tractor units could be configured up to 50 tons (50.8 Tonnes or 55
short tons), and complemented by the full range of Scammell trailers made at the Moor Park works, allowed the company to continue production in specialist and military markets. In the 1960s, Scammell contracted
Giovanni Michelotti to design its cabs, resulting in a series of
glass-reinforced plastic "spring"-like designs. The first to be redesigned was the Routeman, followed by the Handyman. In 1967, the 'Scarab' was replaced by the 'Townsman', which also had a GRP body. The factory also designed the 6x4 Contractor equipped with a
Cummins 335 engine, Lipe clutch and Fuller semi-automatic gearbox, that went into production in 1964. Offered with a choice of Leyland 24 tonne or Scammell 30 and 40 tonne bogies, the Contractor was popular in the UK for 240+ ton GTW operation, overseas heavy haul, and with the military for tank transport. The 1970s started with a reorganisation of the Leyland Group, with heavy haul after the closure of the old
Thornycroft works in 1972 concentrated on the newly named Scammell Motors site at Watford. The Thornycroft 6x4 Nubian heavy dumptruck was the first transfer inwards, regularly adapted for the military, followed by the lighter LD55 6x4 dumptruck. Equipped with Cummins NT 350 or 400 engine, the S24 could be specified from 40 tonnes
GVW to more than 200 tonnes GTW. Scammell also gained the contract to develop and build the eight-wheeled version of the Roadtrain called the Constructor 8 model. This also allowed Scammell to develop and produce the complementary S26 range of heavy-haul 4x2, 6x2 and 6x4 tractors, which was a parts-bin build from the Roadtrain and 24 components. It sold the site for redevelopment, and further sold the rights to manufacture (but not the rights to the name nor the premises) of the S24, Nubian, Crusader, and Commander to
Alvis Unipower. They opened a new plant in West Watford, offering ongoing support and spare parts for Scammell vehicles. The Tolpits Lane site was redeveloped into a housing estate, the Vale Industrial Estate, and a business park. Tenants include the
Camelot Group. ==In popular culture==