It has been a while since I wrote about commercial vehicles, and these days I have been paying attention to them more. There are a few gems that I have found which naturally most people would be hard-pressed to notice. I don't mean this in a negative way, just that these are vehicles that would be rarer than the exotic cars on the street. Since they are out there 'for the picking' and usually ignored, why not learn more about them? It was by accident that I discovered this 1990 Mitsubishi Fuso Fighter FM557F in a random corner, and it took quite a while to get more details due to the lack of identification marks...
The Fuso Fighter appeared in 1984, as the successor to the aging FK series of medium-sized trucks. Positioned between the small Canter and the large The Great, it adopted the same headlights, doors and rear panels of its bigger sibling. Some export markets featured 4 round headlights, although units in Singapore were fitted with square headlamps. In 1987, a panel moulding was attached to the top of the radiator grille, although it is noted that this feature was not necessarily applied to all units. Depending on the market, there were even variations in the logos: some units featured the word "Mitsubishi" on the grille, while other units had "Fuso". Japanese-market units had the words on the panel moulding mentioned previously, so the only way to get the actual age was to check the vehicle registry...
Compared to cars, there were a lot more truck body variations, each with its unique chassis identification. This unit is recorded as a FM557F, which could be deduced to represent a short wheelbase, and I believe the B10M label is not original. The Fighter was powered by a hefty 7545 cc Mitsubishi 6D16 inline-6 diesel engine, but as with all commercial vehicles here, its speed was capped to 60 km/h. It was 6,635 mm long and weighed 6,150 kg due to the towing apparatus, but its overall towing capacity could reach 16,000 kg.
Production of the 1st-generation Fighter continued until 1992, where it was replaced by the 2nd generation which is still in production today. A cursory look at the heavy vehicles plying the roads here would reveal a majority of Fuso Fighters: dump trucks, cement mixers and others. However, almost all of the 1st generation Fighters have disappeared here mainly due to age, emission controls and relative lack of comfort. This could very well be one of the last survivors, as I am only aware of just 1 other old Fighter that is under restricted use in construction! Even this unit is not often seen on the road...
Older tow trucks technically do not have a lifespan limit based on the registry: they are only hindered by the owner's willingness to extend its COE, or its right to be on the road. While it is natural that people tend to use these heavy vehicles for hard work and have less sentimental value towards them, I think it is still remarkable that this unit continues to defy the odds and continue to serve its purpose. It may still be second nature to brush off these old clunkers since they do not look glamorous, but just take a minute to appreciate this relic if you do see it!
