Seddon Atkinson at Work: 400, 401 and 4-11

When, in 1970, the Oldham company Seddon took over Atkinson, based in Preston, it merged two of the greatest names in British truck manufacturing. Later, International Harvester brought its substantial backing in the mutually beneficial takeover of 1974. Patrick Dyer looks at Seddon Atkinson's premium range for the period 1975 - 88. Launched as the 400, the new range was designed to meet the European invasion, led by Volvo and Scania, head on. Equipped with a luxurious tilt cab made of steel and strong drivelines comprised of proven proprietary components, it was an immediate hit and soon took the top spot for heavy-weight trucks in the UK. An evolution process followed with the superb 401, introduced in 1981, and then the 4-11 which saw production through to its end in 1988. The book charts the development of the 400, 401 and 4-11 over the thirteen years of production, supported, as usual, by a fine selection of photographs, a quarter of which were sourced from the Seddon Atkinson Historic Archive.