The Dodge 300 was a medium- to heavy-duty

cab over Cab-over, also known as cab over engine (COE), cab forward (U.S.), flat nose (Canada), or forward control (UK), is a body style of truck, bus, or van that has a vertical front, "flat face" or a semi-hood, with the cab of the truck sitting a ...

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

built by

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

's British arm at their

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...

plant from 1957 until the mid-sixties. It was replaced by the

Ghia Carrozzeria Ghia SpA (established 1916 in Turin) is an Italian automobile design and coachbuilding firm, established by Giacinto Ghia and Gariglio as "Carrozzeria Ghia & Gariglio". The headquarters are located at Corso Guglielmo Marconi, 4, Turin ...

-designed

Dodge 500 The Dodge 500 was a heavy duty truck introduced in 1964 and built in the United Kingdom by Dodge. It replaced Dodge UK's earlier 300 series cab over trucks. History and development Popular in Britain, and also used in some export markets, the ...

which appeared in late 1964. Following the retirement of the 300, Dodge's Kew plant was shuttered as production was moved to

Dunstable Dunstable ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, east of the Chiltern Hills, north of London. There are several steep chalk escarpments, most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the ...

Design

Truck and tractor models were available, as well as a four-wheel drive model for military use. The weight range offered was from , with the tractor models being rated for . Most Dodge 300s received diesel engines from

Perkins Perkins is a surname derived from the Anglo-Saxon corruption of the kin of Pierre (from Pierre kin to Pierrekin to Perkins), introduced into England by the Norman Conquest. It is found throughout mid- and southern England. Another derivation com ...

. The

Motor Panels Rubery Owen is a British engineering company which was founded in 1884 in Darlaston, West Midlands. History In 1884 the company was started by John Tunner Rubery (1849-1920) and his two brothers (Samuel 1844-1910 and Thomas William 1856-1925), as ...

cab design used was shared with Leyland and

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than 'Britain' today. The name for Scot ...

. It is therefore often referred to as the "LAD" cab (Leyland-Albion-Dodge).

Bus Models

A bus variant of the Dodge 300 was developed in the early 1960s, but only eight were built. A prototype model S306 with a Leyland engine and Weymann bus body was built in 1962 (registered 2498PK), followed by a model S307 with Perkins engine and Marshall bus body in 1964 (registered 3033PE). These were used as demonstrators by Dodge, but the only orders which resulted were for six S307 models with Strachans coach bodies which were delivered to Rickards of Brentford later in 1964 (registered AYV93B to AYV98B).

1972-1982 models

From 1972 on, a new Dodge 300 series of heavy lorries was sold in the UK. These were made in Spain by Chrysler Spanish subsidiary, and included a 38-tonne tractor and four, six and eighth-wheelers rigids. Sales took off well, and the model was not dropped until 1982, well after

Renault Véhicules Industriels Renault Trucks is a French commercial truck manufacturer with corporate headquarters at Saint-Priest near Lyon. Originally part of Renault, it has been a subsidiary of the Volvo Group since 2001. From its beginnings in 1978 to 2002, the comp ...

took control of

Chrysler Europe Chrysler Europe was the American automotive company Chrysler's operations in Europe from 1967 through 1978. It was formed from the merger of the French Simca, British Rootes and Spanish Barreiros companies. In 1978, Chrysler divested these ...

truck operations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dodge 300

300 __NOTOC__ Year 300 (Roman numerals, CCC) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Valerius (or, less frequently, ...

Dodge UK

Dodge 100 "Commando" The Dodge 100 "Commando" models also known as Dodge Commando 100 Series are trucks built by Dodge in England, primarily in the 1970s and 1980s. A previous Dodge 100, known informally as the "parrot-nose" or "Kew Dodge", was produced in the 1950s ...

Cab over vehicles Vehicles introduced in 1957