Flatbed road train (Hanomag Henschel) "Friderici"

Flatbed road train (Hanomag Henschel) "Friderici".

Swiss forwarder Friderici used to swear by Henschel.

Those digging into the history of the Swiss forwarding company Friderici will find a long chapter on the loyalty the company used to show towards the lorry makers of Henschel in Kassel. Back in the sixties and seventies, the company used to trust their long distance operations almost exclusively to bonnet trucks and cabovers bearing the Henschel star and, later, to Hanomag Henschel as well. And the latter is exactly the prototype that WIKING has now miniaturised with the flat-bed road train. As a matter of fact, Hanomag Henschel was a prototype brand that WIKING depended on for a large variety of combinations in their portfolio. The spectre of the market concentration that was to become a detriment to the lorry business of Herschel was looming large as early as 1969 when Rheinstahl - on April 1, 1969 - spun off their commercial vehicle division from the two companies Hanomag and Henschel and merged them in the newly founded Hanomag-Henschel-Fahrzeugwerke GmbH with head offices in Hanover. From that point on, the strategic interest of Daimler-Benz was obvious, as they acquired a majority of 51% in the tradition-rich vehicle manufacturer. Still produced in volume and without modification, all subsequent vehicles bore the new company lettering “Hanomag Henschel”. The history of Friderici is just as long as that of the lorry brands. After World War II Friderici took charge of transporting shipments for the Red Cross in France. This was the beginning of the international operation that came to establish the company’s stellar reputation all across Europe and into the Middle East. In 1961, Friderici purchased the first crane and started making their mark with activities in the areas of lifting and moving loads and conveyance of passengers. Henschel and Hanomag-Henschel remained in the company’s fleet until the nineteen seventies.

1969-70.

Cult forwarder from Switzerland.

Driver's cab dust grey, interior tent grey. Chassis with cardan shaft as well as double fenders and aluminium flatbed dust grey. Flatbed insert silver. Tarp grey-white, wheel rims silver. Silver model designation printed on the side with Hanomag-Henschel lettering and ornamental strips. Driver's cab doors with Friderici logo and door handles painted silver. Fender edges imprinted black, indicators yellow orange. Tail lights imprinted carmine red. Fender edges imprinted black, aluminium boards in silver. Black Friderici lettering on the sides of the tarp. Trailer with dust grey chassis, fenders, swing axle as well as draw-bar and flatbed. Flatbed insert silver. Wheel rims in silver. Folding top grey-white. Side fender imprinted back, tail lights carmine red. Side of the tarps with black Friderici lettering.