Elddis Transport Marks 50 Years In Business With 'Gold Star' Mercedes-Benz Actros Edition 2

---

Elddis Transport’s new Actros Edition 2 features several special touches to honor the haulage firm’s 50 years in operation, including a retro livery, traditional hand-painted signage, and an illuminated three-pointed gold star. (Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz.)

Adding a special-edition Mercedes-Benz truck to commemorate a milestone, charity effort, or customer association isn’t new for Elddis Transport, a family-owned haulier located in Consett, County Durham. But the new Actros Edition 2 the firm recently acquired is extra-special. Featuring a retro livery and illuminated three-pointed Mercedes-Benz star, the “gold star” Actros Edition 2 honors the firm’s 50 years of operation after launching in 1971 with just six trucks and 11 trailers. Today, its fleet numbers 150 trucks (the majority of which are Mercedes-Benz tractor units) and 300 trailers.

Welcome To The Fleet

Provided by Bell Truck and Van, Elddis Transport’s new Actros Edition 2 is a 476-horspower (350-kilowatt) 2548 with a BigSpace cab. It’s one of 11 total Benz trucks the company entered into service in September. Edition 2s are available as rigid or tractor units in 4x2, 6x2, or 6x4 configurations with BigSpace or GigaSpace cabs and either 15.6- or 12.8-litre in-line six-cylinder engines. Only 400 Actros Edition 2s are being produced, and only 12 will come to UK operators.

“All of our new Actros look smart, but the anniversary unit is amazing,” says Elddis Transport Managing Director Nigel Cook. “This special unit pays fitting tribute to the closeness and quality of our relationships with the manufacturer and its local representative, as well as to our own history and track record in the industry.”

A Transport Company Is Born

Elddis Transport’s lineage traces to the late 1800s when Cook’s great-grandfather, Thomas Cook, started a business with one horse and cart. In 1942, his son, Siddle C. Cook, assumed a majority stake of the company, and launched Siddle C Cook Limited. Siddle’s eldest son Geoffrey started Elddis Transport in 1971, initially to transport steel.

Elddis Transport’s Actros Edition 2 is one of four vehicles in its fleet bearing the name of Nigel Cook’s mother, Pamela, on the exterior. The new truck also features 1971 vintage colours and traditional hand-painted signwriting by Hogarth Coachworks. The vintage livery also appears on two bespoke curtainside trailers constructed by Lawrence David Limited.

---

Elddis Transport MD Nigel Cook sites in his firm’s special-edition Mercedes-Benz Actros Edition 2, purchased to commemorate the haulier’s 50th anniversary this year. (Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz.)

The Actros Edition 2

Other features of Elddis Transport’s new Edition 2 include a sun visor with four extra LED headlights, “EDITION 2” lettering, stainless-steel entrance steps, and a chassis frame cover. The interior boasts stitched black Nappa leather, a sliding and tilting sunroof, eight shades of ambient lighting, suspension seating, a 900-millimetre (35.4-inch) comfort mattress, and “One of 400” aluminum badge on the co-driver’s side.

On board also is Mercedes-Benz’s Multimedia Cockpit with 12-inch instrument panel, MirrorCam system replacing traditional side mirrors, latest Predictive Powertrain Control version, and Active Brake Assist 5 technology. Driving, Comfort, Media, Stowage, Safety, and Sight packages are also on tap.

Find Your Mercedes-Benz Truck

Truck Locator offers a huge selection of new and used Mercedes-Benz trucks for sale, including numerous Actros tractors and rigids.

Source: Mercedes-Benz