According to the Swedish Truck manufacturer, V8 engines have found a place in everything from Rolls-Royce cars to Scania trucks, boats, buses and even motorcycles.
To celebrate International V8 day on March 10 when the first production Ford V8 engine rolled off the line in 1932, Scania has profiled a loyal Italian customer of its V8 engines for nearly 30 years.
Italian transport company owner Orfeo Nogara says he fell in love with the Scania V8 engine the second he heard the rumble.
Nogara was 22 when he purchased his first Scania truck in 1987. Having decided he wanted to become a truck driver, Nogara and his father purchased a 450 hp V8 from a family friend who was a Scania dealer.
Since 1987, Nogara’s transport business known as Transporti International Nogara Orfeo has grown to include a fleet of 30 Scania trucks, all of them equipped with Euro 5 and Euro 6 V8 engines.
“I fell in love with Scania and its V8 engines from the moment I turned the key and heard the rumble of the engine in my first truck,” he says. “And in a career spanning almost 30 years, their performance and reliability have always helped me do my work well.”
Trasporti Internazionali Nogara Orfeo specialises in transporting flowers and food.
“Our primary business involves collecting fruit and vegetables from a big food depot in Verona and carrying the best Italian produce to northern France, the UK, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands,” says Nogara.
“Once the goods are delivered, we travel to Amsterdam to collect Dutch flowers to be transported quickly back to Italy.”
Using Scania’s V8 engines to carry fruit, vegetables and light and delicate loads of flowers may seem like overkill, but Nogara is quick to explain why these engines have always been his first choice.
“The V8 trucks are fast and very reliable,” says Nogara. “They allow my drivers – there are always two per truck – to travel non-stop from departure to arrival while maintaining high average speeds.”
“ As for mechanical problems stopping trucks on the road, I can only remember that happening twice in almost 30 years of working with the more than 100 Scania V8 trucks that have served my business,” he says.
Nogara says speed and reliability are fundamental to the company. “
Fruit and vegetables have to be delivered fresh to the various markets,” he says.
“Cutting transportation time and never having to stop along the way is essential to satisfying our customers.”
Nogara says he has remained loyal to Scania recognising the good work done by the company’s V8 engines and advice and support provided by the Scandipadova dealership in Padua, where he has purchased all his trucks.
“I feel at ease with Scania and my local dealer, and I don’t see why I should change a winning combination,” he says.
“Having bought so many Scania trucks, I feel like a small shareholder in this Swedish company.”
