Seddon Atkinson Strato: the British truck with a Pegaso cab

The Seddon Atkinson Strato was launched in 1988 as the replacement for the 401, combining Seddon Atkinson’s own chassis with the more modern Pegaso cab of its Spanish parent company Enasa. The Strato 2 that followed under Iveco used the Eurotech cabin, and the model remained in the catalogue until the brand was wound up in the second half of the 2000s.

Seddon Atkinson Strato at a glance

There is no dedicated Wikipedia article on the Strato; this page is based on the Seddon Atkinson articles in English and German Wikipedia, where the model is described in the company history.

History of the Seddon Atkinson Strato

The Strato arrived at a difficult moment for Seddon Atkinson. International Harvester had sold the company to Enasa of Spain in 1984, sales were dwindling through the 1980s, and the previous 400 and 401 series had drawn heavy complaints over insufficient rust protection on the cabin. In 1985 Seddon Atkinson held about five per cent of the British truck market. In the summer of 1986 the lighter end of the range was overhauled first, with the 201 becoming the 2–11, joined by the 3-11 in October 1986 and a short-lived 4–11.

The Strato followed in 1988 and replaced the 401 at the top of the range. Its recipe was a hybrid: the chassis was Seddon Atkinson’s own, while the cab came from parent company Enasa’s Pegaso division, which had itself based it on the DAF 95. It was a way of giving a small British assembler a modern, high-volume cab without the cost of designing one.

In 1991 Iveco took over Enasa and with it Seddon Atkinson. The Strato 2 subsequently used the Iveco Eurotech cabin, and from 1993 engines and cabs were drawn from the mainstream Iveco programme, though Cummins engines were also used. Iveco kept the marque for specialised vehicles in the United Kingdom, and the Atkinson identity stayed visible: the large letter ‘A’ in a circle on the grille dated from 1937, supplemented by the ‘Knight Of The Road’ badge between the early 1950s and the late 1970s.

Production of Seddon Atkinsons was moved to Iveco’s Spanish facilities in 2005, but sales were low, with only 284 units sold in the UK that year. The range was handled by a network of 13 distributors, a mix of dedicated Seddon Atkinson dealers and dealers who also sold Iveco models. In late 2006 it was announced that production of the niche Seddon Atkinsons had stopped, the Oldham offices closed at the end of that year, and in December 2009 Iveco announced that the brand would be withdrawn.

Design and features

• Pegaso cab: a modern Spanish cab, itself derived from the DAF 95, on a British chassis.
• Own chassis: the Strato kept Seddon Atkinson’s chassis rather than adopting a complete Pegaso.
• Strato 2: after the Iveco takeover the cab changed to the Iveco Eurotech cabin.
• Iveco-era engineering: from 1993 engines and cabs came from the mainstream Iveco programme, with Cummins engines also offered.
• Atkinson identity: the chrome letter ‘A’ in a circle on the grille marked it out from other Iveco products.

Seddon Atkinson Strato versions

• Strato (1988): the original range with the Pegaso cab.
• Strato 2: the later version with the Iveco Eurotech cabin.
• Strato 325: a badge seen on a working example photographed in Harare, Zimbabwe.
• Strato 380: a higher-rated badge recorded on an example working in Devon and Cornwall.

The Strato replaced the Seddon Atkinson 400 and 401 and shared the Iveco-era spotlight with the Pacer refuse range. More British lorries are in the Seddon Atkinson collection.

Video: Retro-Truck Seddon Atkinson Strato

Video on YouTube.

Sources

• Seddon Atkinson, English Wikipedia: launch in 1988, Pegaso cab, Strato 2, sales in 2005, end of production
• Seddon Atkinson, German Wikipedia: Iveco engines and cabs from 1993, end of UK production