IToY turns 50: 1987 to 1991’s winners

May 21, 2026

The International Truck of the Year (IToY) is 50 years old! In celebration of this, RICHARD STANIER is paying tribute to all the winners over the years.

We kicked off the tribute in FOCUS March 2026, with the first five winners (1977 to 1981), then covered the next five, from 1982 to 1986, in our April issue. Here are the next five winners, from 1987 to 1991.

1987: MAN F90

In 1987, MAN secured a third win with the F90, putting it hot on Volvo’s heels in terms of overall victories. MAN had last been awarded the Truck of the Year in 1980 with the 19.321, and the intervening years had proven to be quite a rough ride for the Bavarian manufacturer. Adversely affected by the downturn in the European heavy truck market in the early 1980s, MAN had walked away from a potential deal with General Motors and had sold its interest in the MTU engine business to Daimler-Benz to offset losses. The F90 was introduced in the Summer of 1986, with MAN having shed 6,000 jobs across its factories.

Compared with other recent winners, the F90’s launch was relatively cautious. The drive axles and engines were modified versions of existing components matched to a brand-new chassis and conservatively-styled cab, while the vehicle was initially introduced with just two models – the 19.332 and 19.362 – both in 4×2 configuration.

The 13-nation judge panel was won over by the “brilliantly-engineered” MAN, which achieved a clear margin over the Mercedes-Benz Powerliner and the third-placed contender, the “Middle Class” Steyr. The Mercedes lost out due to questions over the necessity of a 450-hp (336-kW) engine and its no-options electronic gearbox, whereas the Steyr’s availability only in selected European markets limited its appeal.

The MAN F90 was introduced with the latest version of the D2866 12-litre engine, which had been improved 18 months beforehand, now featuring increased turbo output at low revs and redesigned piston crowns. With either 332hp (248kW) or 362hp (270kW) ratings, the six-cylinder engine was offered in either vertical or horizontal forms. The chassis was of an entirely new modular design, developed with the aid of computers to achieve maximum strength at low weight, while the component groups and air suspension could be incorporated into any production frame without the need for modification. The truck was also an early design to use a smaller propshaft flange with serrated faces and four bolts, and steering was from the new ZF Servocom design.

A new front axle of 7.5-tonne capacity was introduced, but initially the old 13-tonne hub-reduction drive-axle was retained with bigger brakes, before the introduction of a single-reduction design, jointly developed with Eaton. Transmissions originally comprised the 16-speed ZF Ecosplit or the 13-speed Fuller Roadranger, with Eaton’s Twin Spitter and semi-automatic SAMT joining in due course.

Most attention was paid to the cab, which was a robust and impressively finished and appointed 2.44-m wide sleeper with electric windows as standard. Narrower and day versions of the cab were introduced across the MAN range over the following three years. While some commentators questioned the new cab’s lack of radical styling, many preferred to see a natural evolution from its predecessor. MAN claimed the similarity in styles helped fleets retain a unified identity as newer trucks were introduced. In line with this claim, the cab design was retained with the introduction of the F2000 in 1994, eventually being replaced by the TGA models from 2000.

1988: DAF 95

DAF’s first Truck of the Year success came in fine style with the 95 Series in 1988. The ageing F241 cab had hindered DAF in preceding years despite some important engine improvements, but the 95 impressed judges with its versatility, modernity and technological developments, giving it a 22-point win over Iveco’s Turbostar 360 and the Pegaso Troner. Of course, the Pegaso shared the Cabtec cab with the new DAF, but the limited availability of the Spanish entry across Europe restricted its appeal to a nonetheless respectable third place.

The 95 Series project was conceived as early as late 1979. When it was launched in August 1987, DAF could boast a brand-new cab, chassis, rear axle and electronic system matched to a reworked and proven 11.6-litre engine. Designated “WS”, the new engines retained the existing ATi combustion technology, but incorporated crossflow cylinder heads. The Bosch in-line pump gained its own gear in a new timing case, instead of being driven from the rear of the compressor. These improvements (amongst other measures) were aimed at engine functionality and serviceability. At the launch, the engines were rated at 310hp (231kW), 350hp (261kW) or 380hp (283kW).

Transmission duties were handled by the ZF Ecosplit 16-speed gearbox in direct-drive or overdrive forms, but DAF replaced the usual double-H shift pattern with a single H and collar-activated range-change operation. DAF’s long-serving hub-reduction axle was retired for general haulage in favour of a new single-reduction design, designated 1346. Initially, the 95 was a 4×2 or 6×2 rigid or tractor unit, with a brand new high-tensile steel chassis developed for rigidity, stability and weight saving. “Harmonic damping” was employed, whereby the engine mass was used to offset vibrations through the front axle via long parabolic front springs.

In product planning, DAF’s engineers had sought to enhance their brand image of dependable workhorses into a more prestigious bracket. They also anticipated the expansion of international pan-European haulage under what became the Maastricht Treaty five years later. To this end, a host of electronic systems were introduced into the vehicle. The 95 featured an Intelligent Warning System with yellow or red notifications, a Central Timing Unit for general functions like wiper speeds and the E-GAS electronic throttle control with optional features including ABS, Integrated Temperature Control and Electronically Controlled Air Suspension.

The new cab was the result of extensive driver research and pooled with insight collected from the co-designers at Pegaso. Introduced with day, sleeper, space or short top-sleeper variants, the design featured three levels of suspension: coil spring and damper for fleet vehicles, electronically controlled air suspension for the top of the market and rubber for the construction market.

Despite its worthy win, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the 95; in 1990 the F241-cabbed 3200 was introduced for more conservative and cautious operators, while the 95’s engine range was revamped with 330hp (246kW), 365hp (272kW) and 400hp (298kW) ratings.

1989: Scania 3-series

Having been a runner-up on no fewer than three occasions with various 2-series models, Scania prevailed in 1989 with the 3-series. The 1989 competition was regarded as somewhat of a two-horse race by the 13 European judges, with the new Scanias and the Mercedes-Benz SK fighting it out for first place. The competing engineering philosophies – Scania’s evolutionary approach against Daimler-Benz’s more revolutionary design – eventually saw the Mercedes succumb to reservations about the unfamiliar technology at a time when few of the SKs had entered service.

The new Scanias were a model of evolutionary development: all the major component groups received some engineering refinement to produce a range of vehicles that, while basically familiar to judges and operators, were advanced to a new level of detail.

Following the designations of the 2-series, Scania’s 3-series models retained the G, P, R cab designs across a range that started at 16 tonnes and ended with a 6×4 heavy haulage model of 150 tonnes. The cabs themselves enjoyed a host of improvements, including new seating and trim and an all-new wraparound dashboard designed by Open Design in Italy (featuring revised switchgear and instrumentation). For long-distance operators, the new R cab received an optional 220mm-higher roofline to become the “Topline”. The relatively modest increase was apparently a compromise between interior space and aerodynamics. It also permitted clearance beneath a fridge unit on a rigid chassis.

The Topline cab featured an aerodynamic sun visor with marker lights as standard. The whole cab range benefited from streamlined mirrors, improved dirt deflectors and electric windows on both sides. The R cab also became the only cab option for the highest-rated 11-litre model – the 360.

Power across the range came via eight engine options, with the 210hp (157kW), 230hp (171kW), 250hp (186kW) and 280hp (209kW) models using the 9.5-litre engines, and the 310hp (231kW), 320hp (239kW), 340hp (254kW) and 360hp (268kW) versions with the 11-litre. The V8 had one rating – 450hp (336kW) – but Scania was offering the 470hp (350kW) model with Electronic Diesel Control to operators in Scandinavia before the Europe-wide roll-out during 1989. All the engine ratings were quoted at ISO 1585 standards, with the nett installed horsepower typically rounded up to the next 10.

All the engines received modified fuel-injection equipment and an increased compression ratio of 16:1 for the 11- and 14-litre units, with the large V8 also receiving new piston crowns. The extra torque and power of the V8 led to the introduction of the new GR880 10-speed synchromesh gearbox operated by a pull-type clutch.

Work on the 3-series had begun in earnest five years before it entered full production in February 1988, and was completed with more-responsive steering, lighter road springs and higher capacity front axles to make the new Scanias the best trucks it was possible to buy in 1989.

1990: Mercedes-Benz SK

In July 1988, Daimler-Benz unveiled its new heavy truck range and won a second IToY title in 1990, having lost out to the Scania 3-series in 1989. The 18-month qualification period brought the Mercedes-Benz Schwere Klasse (Heavy Class) back into contention in 1990, with the German manufacturer prevailing over the unlucky Italians, who took both second and third spots with the Iveco TurboDaily and TurboStar 480 respectively.

The SK range was a substantially new design, with new engines, gearboxes and frames being matched to a revamped version of the previous generation’s NG cab. The redesigned chassis was a high-tensile steel design with central lubrication, which remained without flitching except when offered for off-highway applications. The cab bore a close resemblance to its predecessor, but was immediately identifiable by the sloping window line of the doors and the greater use of plastic in the enlarged grille, corner shrouds, stepwells and wings. The cabs employed galvanised steel sections and were available in five formats: day, short sleeper, full sleeper, and “Grossraum”, and a short cab with top sleeper not previously offered by Mercedes.

The SK range spanned the 260hp (194kW) to 480hp (358kW) range and five variations of the new “440 Series” Vee engines were employed across the various models. Surprisingly for the time, the 260hp (194kW) and 290hp (216kW) trucks were powered by the naturally aspirated OM 442 in 15-litre V8 form, while the turbocharged 14.6-litre V8, designated the OM 442 LA, provided 354hp (264kW) or 480hp (358kW) in intercooled form. In the middle of the range sat the OM 441 LA, an 11-litre, intercooled V6 engine rated at 330hp (246kW), which really caught the judges’ attention. In fact, the judges’ commendation specifically referred to this model.

The new V6 engine retained the 90-degree cylinder block arrangement but featured a new crankshaft design with crankpins offset by 30 degrees so that the better-spaced firing order would give a much more smooth-running engine than the earlier Mercedes V6 units. With a revised cylinder head design and injection system, the OM 441 LA was a very compact engine in the 300hp-plus class and promised improved fuel consumption to give Mercedes a strong competitor for the likes of the Volvo FL10 and Cummins L10-powered trucks.

All SK on-highway models of 290hp-plus featured Mercedes’ own nine- or 16-speed transmissions, which incorporated the pneumatic selector controls for the Electronic Power Shift; optional anti-wheelspin and ABS completed the package.

The Mercedes also scored highly on the 45,000-km chassis service intervals – courtesy of the central lubrication system – and the build quality and fit of detailed items such as electrical installations and piping, which the judges pointed out were responsible for more breakdowns than major component failures, making them of prime importance to reliability.

1991: Renault AE

Eight years after Renault’s triumph with the steady G 260, the French manufacturer was back in 1991 to claim the top honours for a second time with the ground-breaking AE. If ever there was a truck guaranteed to catch the attention of the 13 European judges, it was the Renault AE. The genesis of the truck can be traced back to the Virages VE 10 concept truck unveiled in November 1985; as early as August 1987, the press was spotting prototypes out on the road.

At the AE’s launch in May 1990, there were essentially two principal models: the AE 380 and AE 500. However, these were configured into a useful range of 4×2, 6×2 and 6×4 tractors and rigids for drawbar operation. The 380 featured Renault’s 12-litre, straight-six, intercooled engine with a rating of 374hp (279kW), whilst its more powerful stablemate took the 16.4-litre, 503-hp (375-kW) V8 from Mack, Renault’s US subsidiary. Behind the engine lay a familiar driveline from the well-established R-series, comprising the 18-speed B18 gearbox and P1345 hub-reduction axle on single-drive models, with the R-Series’ disc brakes employed on the front axle.

Now universally referred to as the Magnum, that name was originally reserved for the higher of two cab trim levels (the other being the standard De Luxe), while the truck itself was referred to as the Maxicode. However, by early 1992 Renault had adopted the Magnum name across the board for general promotional purposes.

The cab was naturally the focus of attention, with the design arising from the Renault engineers’ intention to produce “something really different, focused on the idea of living in the truck”. A flat floor was integral to that philosophy and the 1.87m of headroom was sufficient to allow most drivers to walk around the cab with ease.

Mounted on active, four-point air suspension that cleared the engine, the steel cab frame made extensive use of plastic mouldings for exterior panels, providing protection from corrosion and reducing the weight penalty of the large cab. The AE was a remarkably tall truck in its day, standing at 3.77m unladen – about 30cm higher than a Volvo Globetrotter.

Inside the cab, drivers were treated to 8.9m³ of space, with two full-length aircraft-style lockers, shelving above the windscreen with provision for fitting a TV and two built-in wardrobes with built-in shoe lockers. Fans of both budget hotels and Renault cars may have found themselves at home in the truck, as the designers incorporated some car influences for the dash.

Getting into the cab was also a novel experience, with the set-forward front axle necessitating the use of three rear-positioned steps and two long grab-handles to reach the appropriate height before a shuffle over the wheelarch to the seat. The door handle concealed under the edge of the door was another unique design feature cementing the judge’s opinion that “there has never been a truck quite like it”. The second-placed VW Transporter never stood a chance.

The original version of this article was published in Commercial Motor Hence, it contains several references to the British market. We have not removed these references because we believe our South African readers will find them interesting. We will continue this series in the next issue.