The unique sound of the MAN underfloor
Once dreams get up a head of steam, it’s hard to put the brakes on them. It was no different for Eric Krüger. The technical manager of a Hamburg-based haulage company dreamed of owning an MAN underfloor when he was young.
While he was searching for the MAN underfloor vehicle that met his needs, he had a telephone conversation with a friend that finally put him on the right track. Eric’s friend drew his attention to a vehicle that was listed on eBay classified ads. One test drive in this truck and the sound of its unmistakable MAN underfloor engine then ensured that his lifelong dream could finally become a reality.
But first of all, let’s look back to the time when Eric Krüger’s passion for vehicles with an underfloor engine really took off. As a 20-year-old, he was friends with the current owner of the “Heinrich Soltau” haulage company, Lars Soltau, and his brother Gunnar. “I spent quite a lot of time there and always admired the two MAN F90 underfloor vehicles with their 3-axle refrigerated trailers,” recalls Eric Krüger. “Later, when Soltau got their two-axle F 2000 afterbodies, my father bought a refrigerated body and three-axle refrigerated trailer from Soltau.” He didn’t take their MAN chassis, however. A great disappointment at the time for the young underfloor fan and the root of his desire to own such a vehicle himself one day.
This dream finally came true in October 2019. A week after taking a look at the vehicle for the first time in Gevelsberg, Eric Krüger drove his MAN underfloor back home to Dithmarschen – a 500-kilometre journey that he and the classic MAN manage without any issues. “From then on, the vehicle was my pride and joy,” says the underfloor vehicle enthusiast.
His first trip out in his MAN took him past the Soltau haulage depot. “Lars and Gunnar heard the unique sound of an MAN underfloor passing by and waved.” During a trip out in the vehicle together, they got to talking and Gunnar Soltau, by then a foreman at Schmidt Kraftfahrzeuge GmbH & Co.KG, decided to run the rule over the vehicle by giving it a thorough inspection. He suggested that his childhood friend get the truck ready for its MOT at Schmidt Kraftfahrzeuge and make a few minor cosmetic repairs.
No half measures
“The vehicle came to us in a roadworthy condition, but a condition that reflected its age,” says Jan Philipp Schmidt of Schmidt Kraftfahrzeuge GmbH & Co. KG, recalling his first encounter with the classic MAN vehicle. After the initial inspection, it quickly became clear to everyone involved that the project they had on their hands was a substantial one.
Some of the corrosion on the vehicle was very severe. “We removed the tarpaulin body first, then stripped the vehicle and removed the corrosion from the chassis and the cab,” says Schmidt, describing the initial work. Next, an auxiliary frame was designed and built, and a walkway was constructed and adapted to the cab. The undercarriage was then loaded and taken to the paint shop. Some painting work was also carried out on visible surfaces near the seat brackets in the cab.
At the same time, Gunnar Soltau managed to source a well-preserved refrigerated body from a friend in the haulage business. The refrigerated body was repainted at Schmidt Kraftfahrzeuge and then mounted on the vehicle. “By chance, we managed to get hold of the number plate from back then,” says managing director Birger Schmidt. This put the finishing touch on the project.
“This project was something very special for our whole team, because Mr Krüger’s heartfelt approach to things got us all into an underfloor frenzy. The old fellows were happy to see this kind of vehicle get a new lease of life. And among the younger employees, this piece of history has piqued their interest.”
And what about Eric Krüger? He is thrilled at the way the conversion work on his classic vehicle has panned out and is well aware of the huge dedication and attention to detail that have gone into creating such a special vehicle: “If you hire the foreman of an MAN service partner and his outstanding team of experts to rebuild a refrigerated truck his father used to drive when he was a child and teenager, then the result will be a magnificent piece of work.”
He is hoping to take his MAN underfloor to as many underfloor and classic vehicle rallies as possible very soon. Until then, however, the technical manager of Spedition Ferdinand Heinrich in Hamburg and fleet manager at Salzbrenner KG is happy spending his weekends and days off on nostalgic tours in his favourite MAN truck from his childhood days.