Bespoke 120-tonne Renault hits the road for Sparrow Recovery

Sparrow Recovery has added one of the largest, most highly specified Renault Trucks recovery vehicles in the UK to its modernised frontline fleet - and it's the second vehicle of this type to hit the road for the operator. The new 120-tonne Renault Trucks C P8X4 13-litre Euro 6 chassis delivers 520 bhp and 2550 Nm of torque, and has been purpose-built through a close partnership with Thompson Commercials in Hull. "These are the biggest Renault Trucks recovery vehicles in the country with our exact specification," said James Sparrow, co-owner of Sparrow Recovery. "We're quite pedantic with our orders because we know exactly what we want.

One of the best things about ordering from Renault Trucks is the flexibility - you can move components around the chassis to suit your needs. "It means we get a truly custom-built truck, and it saves the body builders a lot of time because everything's already where it needs to be." Featuring axle load indicators, rear air suspension with eight bellows, a maxi space rear cab locker and Bridgestone 13R22.5 tyres, the truck's two 16.5-tonne rear axles ensure high load capacity.

It can recover vehicles ranging from sprinter vans to fully loaded articulated lorries and 100-tonne cranes. Sparrow Recovery operates a 45-vehicle fleet across three depots, specialising in truck, van, bus and coach recovery throughout the UK and Europe. "When our trucks go out in the morning, we never know what they'll face or where they'll travel to - it could be a double-decker bus broken down in Scarborough, a loaded eight-wheeler in Leeds or a 26-tonne artic in Spain that needs recovering," said James. "That's why we've had this truck specified and kitted out for every possible circumstance."

Safety is a priority. "You can put a new driver in these big Renaults and they're safe," James added. The vehicle also features a Falkom recovery body, luxury sleeper cab and modern amenities, ensuring reliability and driver comfort. Despite its size, Sparrow reckons the new truck "returns 11 to 12 mpg on some runs".