Robur LO 1800A Army Signals Truck and Trailer

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Intended as a replacement for the Robur Garant 30K for both civil and military use, the East German Robur LO 1800A truck entered production in 1961.

Based on the Robur LO 2500, this modern ‘cab-over-engine’ truck had the air-cooled 3-litre carburettor engine of its predecessor, with an increased output of 70hp and a payload of 2.5 tons. The Robur LO 1800A was the four-wheel drive variant with a 1.8 ton payload. Later Robur trucks were fitted with diesel engines.

The all-steel cab had an observation hatch and the rear tarpaulin-covered cargo area was equipped with a drop-down tailgate. In this configuration, one of the many uses that the military found for the Robur LO 1800A was as a communications vehicle with the associated ‘comms’ trailer attached. Other variants included an ambulance, a fire truck and a missile launcher.

From 1968 the LO 2501 and LO 1801A models were available with a slightly bigger 75bhp engine, giving an off-road cargo capability of 2.5 tons. Countries employing these trucks in service included East Germany, Hungary and Poland. The type designation ‘LO’ (Luftgekühlter Ottomotor) is the German for ‘air-cooled petrol engine’ and the ‘A’ is for ‘Allrad’, 'all-wheel drive', the ‘LO’ designation leading to the nickname 'Ello' which became the popular tag for all these trucks.

On display at the Stondon Museum for many years, this Robur signals truck and trailer is thought to date from around 1965 and to have a 3-litre engine but has no paperwork to confirm this.

This lot will be available to view at Stondon Museum (SG16 6JN) on Friday 5th June. Although this vehicle will be offered for sale at Brightwells (HR6 0DE) it will need to be collected from Stondon.

Due to where the vehicle is currently stored, collection may not be possible for up to 4 weeks after the auction.