
The Swansong of Izabella: Ireland’s Biggest Pantechnicon | Season 5 – Episode 10
Wheels Feb 04, 2025
In the late 1960s, CIÉ (Córas Iompair Éireann) monopolised Ireland’s household and commercial removal services for distances over 30 miles. Successive governments maintained this monopoly by restricting long-distance removal licenses to companies established before 1922, the year the Free State was founded.
As Patrick Oman’s Dublin-based removals business grew, he needed a larger van to stay competitive. Patrick noted, “I couldn’t buy or import one because the government banned vehicles competing with CIÉ. But you could import a bus.”
MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
In 1968, B&I Line’s MV Munster ferry began service between Dublin and Liverpool, carrying 1,000 passengers and 220 cars. Patrick launched a new service targeting international relocations by loading his removal van anywhere in Ireland, boarding the ferry and bypassing CIÉ’s 30-mile limit. Though securing a large van remained his challenge.
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DONOR VOLVO
From his Crown Alley office in Dublin, Patrick chose the Volvo B58 bus chassis to meet his large van needs. Produced in Sweden (1966–1982), the B58 was Volvo’s first mid-engine luxury dual-purpose chassis, suitable for midi-coaches and double-deck buses, featuring an Alexander Y body, K19 gearbox and 49 seats.
IDEAS INTO REALITY
Patrick ordered the chassis from Dennison via their Northern Ireland Volvo agency, Irish Commercials. The chassis was delivered to Patrick’s office in Dublin. Equipped with warm clothing, a crash helmet and plywood for wind protection, Patrick drove the chassis onto the ferry to Liverpool and then to Marsden Coachbuilders in Warrington.
Within weeks, Marsden delivered a custom pantechnicon, named “Izabella.” In 1969, the Volvo chassis cost about £10,000, with Marsden’s bodywork adding another £10,000.
IZABELLA THE PANTECHNICON
“Pantechnicon” comes from Greek pan (“all”) and techne (“art”), originally a large London establishment from 1831, their horse-drawn delivery vans were called ‘Pantechnicon’s’.
The Oman Pantechnicon was an 11-metre air-ride removals van holding up to 60m³ of cargo—“the biggest amount of goods anybody could take,” according to Patrick. It featured five full-length side loading doors, allowing easy access to 10-20m³ shipments for journeys through England and across Europe.
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There is only one existing drawing of Izabella, Ireland’s first and largest Pantechnicon moving van, and no known photographs. If anyone has a photo of this historic van, we would love to see it! Please share your images with us.
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BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF REMOVERS
Izabella’s construction stirred controversy within the British Association of Removers (B.A.R.) when she appeared on the cover of Removals & Storage as the “biggest and best Pantechnicon ever built” and was described a “TIR-plated pre-EU pirate ship.” The cover caused an uproar because Patrick Oman was not a B.A.R. member. This was later rectified, and Patrick went on to become President of the Overseas Moving Network International (OMNI) and the European Relocation Association (EuRA).
OMAN PANTECHNICON REMEMBERED
Paul Fox, Managing Director at Fox Moving and Storage, Wales, reminisced about unloading the Oman Pantechnicon as a teenager in the late ‘70s:
“Patrick knew my father Roy, the owner of FOX Moving & Storage in Cwmbran, Wales. It was common to provide unloading labour to traveling companies. I was sent with Patrick to unload this Volvo—a very large load I still remember. The walk-through cab and high-spec vehicle were impressive compared to our basic Bedford TK pantechnicons.”
THE BEST CUSTOMER
Oman Removals frequently secured international and European relocation contracts from the Department of Foreign Affairs. One such contract marked Izabella’s swansong. What appeared to be a straightforward household move from Rathgar in south Dublin to the Irish embassy at Villa Spada al Gianicolo in Rome for the man who would become the First Secretary at the embassy.
Izabella was scheduled to carry only the diplomat’s household goods for a direct trip to Rome. Patrick recalls that the driver departed Dublin but couldn’t complete the journey after navigating the 1,370-metre Brenner Pass between Austria and Italy. During the descent into Italy, Izabella’s 9.6-litre Volvo engine packed in.
SAVED BY A FIASCO
Unable to afford the exorbitant repair quote from the Italian garage, Patrick focused on fulfilling his contract to deliver the First Secretary’s household goods. After informing the Irish embassy in Rome of his predicament, Patrick reached out to Fiasco & Quondamcarlo, a local company handling the embassy’s moving services. Patrick found the company’s name particularly apt for the situation he found himself in!
Fiasco & Quondamcarlo responded promptly, dispatching several trucks from Rome to retrieve Izabella’s load and her driver. They offloaded the household goods, returned to Rome, and successfully installed them First Secretary’s house – honouring the contract.
IZABELLA IS SOLD
Izabella languished in the Italian alpine garage for a long time until Patrick, as a member of the British Association of Removers (B.A.R.), attended their annual international conference in York, two men—Mr. Daly from Ireland and his partner from Brighton—approached him about Izabella. They offered to purchase the Pantechnicon to tow it back to England for their own use, emphasising their capability as skilled mechanics who handled their own maintenance.
Seeking a favourable deal, Patrick expressed reluctance to sell Izabella due to ‘sentimental attachment’, a strategy he found effective in increasing a price. Curious about their need for such a large van, he learned that besides their regular household removals, they were increasingly transporting charitable donations to Romania.
A CHARITABLE DEAL
In the early 1990s, numerous Irish and British charities organised aid convoys to support Romania. The two men had established warehousing facilities to receive donations and were driving vans to Romania at cost price, believing it was the right thing to do.
Impressed by their mission, Patrick wanted to support them. When asked whether he wanted to sell or donate Izabella, Patrick chose to sell her for £1. The agreement was swiftly completed, and the £1 was paid immediately across the hotel bar.
IZABELLA RESURRECTED
Mr. Daly and his colleague needed to retrieve the incapacitated Pantechnicon from Italy and tow it back to Brighton. They purchased a Bedford tractor unit, fitted a dolly to the rear, jacked up the Volvo, and hauled it back to England. On arrival in Brighton, they replaced the 9.6-litre B58 engine and repainted the bodywork.
Izabella, Ireland’s largest and first motorized Pantechnicon, dedicated the remainder of her operational life to running aid missions in Romania.
Explore Part 1 of the Izabella story: “A Van Built for Europe – Patrick Oman’s 1968 Pantechnicon Removals Van.” Learn how Ireland’s protectionist policies favoured CIÉ in the household removals market and how Patrick Oman navigated these restrictions by purchasing a bus chassis and creating Ireland’s largest motorised Pantechnicon moving van.
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If you have an idea for a story, please email Kevin Reid [email protected]
Sources of Information and Photo Credits:
An Roinn Gnóthaí Eachtracha (Department of Foreign Affairs)
British Association of Removers
Canvey Island Website
CIE
Coach & Bus Weekly – Richard Sharman
Coach Build Forum
Coupar Angus Electric Vehicles website
Dennison Trailers – George Dennison
Dublin Civic Trust
Fiasco & Quondamcarlo
Harrods delivery van – Paul Farmer
Irish Ships website
Pantechnicon: A History of Removals and Storage Through the Evolution of it’s Vehicles – British Association of Removers (B.A.R.)
Roberto Quondamcarlo website
RTE Archives
Wiki
Our thanks to Patrick Oman for his assistance with this story. Special thanks are also due to Dennison Trailers, Stephen Thorp, Paul Fox and the membership of the British Association of Removers for their invaluable assistance.
Tech Specs
- Patrick Oman Volvo B58 Pantechnicon Specifications:
- Make: Volvo
- Model: B58
- Year: 1969
- Engine: 9.6-litre horizontally mid-mounted I-6 Volvo HD100/ THD 100D
- Transmission: Wilson semi-automatic K19
- Suspension: air-ride
- Coachbuilder: Marsden/ Vanplan
- Length: 11m
- Load space: 60m3
- Width: 2.52m
- Height: 4.2m
- Crew: 1 – 5 & 2-fold down bunks