Original page created on 11/03/2015.
Brand - Reference
Brekina 85501
Type
Unic Izoard ZU 122 of 1959
Comments
Two mirrors are provided, to mount, as well as a rear hitch hook. No rear licence plate holder.
This lorry disassembles very easily, nothing is glued, a good point if you want to change or repaint something. There are two locations to assemble the chassis and the cab, which suggests that longer or shorter chassis versions are to come.
Here is the picture of the disassembled vehicle.
If you know German, or with the use (at your own risk!) of the Google translation, you can read the article of m087.de, which is rather critical on this model.
Modifications
Burrs above the windscreen removed. Steering wheel changed (thinner, black). Strip over headlights silvered.
History
Quotation of roadmaster-087 (broken link).
Introduced in 1956, the Izoard will know several versions, ZU 120, ZU 121, ZU 122, ZU 123 with powers of 150, 160, 180 hp, and even the ZU 221 in 1964 which will receive a V8 225 hp engine in a first time before going to 270 hp in 1966 and be mounted on cab-over.
In-line 6 cylinder engine, 9840 cm³, 160 hp (possible 195 hp with turbocharger). Top speed: 75 km/h. Tyres 12.00-20 X or 6.20.
On the “primeur” (vegetable transport), the “capucine” (part of van above the cab) was used to store the empty crates for the return, leaving room for loading on the bed.
Translation trial of the Brekina box leaflet.
UNIC ZU 122 Izoard
UNIC was one of the major international players in commercial vehicles before the French brand was merged in 1976 into the Iveco group.
Our model dates back to the year 1954, when the newly developed UNIC ZU series lorry was introduced with a modern bonnet cab. The distinctive shape of this vehicle is due to the designer Philippe Charbonneaux. UNIC describes the line as “semi cab-over”. In fact, the cab was located — for a very unusual bonnet — almost on the front axle. There were two bonnet lengths depending on the length of the 4 and 6-cylinder engines. Our model is the long version with a six-cylinder engine of 9.8 litres, the most powerful version, designed for a total weight of 19 t. It features fashionable double headlamps, introduced in 1957 on the ZU 121. With this cab come the names of French landscapes, mountain passes and mountains. The heavy cab has since received the series name Izoard, after the Col de l’Izoard, located in the Southern French Alps at an altitude of 2361 m. In 1959, a new revision takes place, the high-end model “lzoard” is now 160 hp and is named ZU 122. After a deep facelift in 1962 and a technical revision with new diesel V8 engines, the series lasted until the end of UNIC production in 1976.
Documents:
- Wikipedia article.
- Many documents and photos on unic-center.ch.
- Photos on baumaschinenbilder.de.
- Photos on
magnum31gb.skyrock.com(broken link). - Photos on the fierdetreroutier.com website.
- Photos on the fondationberliet.org website.
Anonymous photo on magnum31gb.skyrock.com (broken link).
| Dimension | Actual | 1:87 | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chassis length | 7 590 1 8 590 2 9 670 3 |
87.2 98.7 111.2 |
95.4 |
| Cab length | 3 305 4 | 38.0 | 38.5 |
| Cab width | 2 400 | 27.6 | 27.7 |
| Cab height | 2 635 | 30.3 | 30.0 |
| Side beam height | 1 095 | 12.6 | 11.8 |
| Wheelbase | 5 100 | 58.6 | 57.8 |
| Front track | 1 996 | 22.9 | 23.0 |
| Rear track | 1 865 | 21.4 | 23.0 |
| Wheel diameter | 1 110 5 | 12.7 | 12.6 |
| Tyre width | 300 | 3.4 | 3.2 |
Source :
unic-center.ch.
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What strikes first is the bending of the chassis behind the cab. It turns out that it is the box wedging that produces this, because the chassis beams are very weak. Once the lorry is out of the box, the chassis will roughly return to its proper shape
At first glance, the whole thing is OK except the very bright tarpaulin and unpainted wheels. But there are big plastic burrs at the top of the windscreen, and the steering wheel is way too thick.
Moreover, this windscreen should be in two parts, even if the central upright is very discreet. The bottom of the headlights is not silver, which makes them very dark, as it is almost always the case. The cab is unpainted except for the wings and bonnet front. It lacks chrome on the strip above the headlights.