Hello Drivers!

There are titles that age faster than fresh rolls from the bakery at the station, and there are those that gain flavour with age. Euro Truck Simulator 2 undoubtedly belongs to the latter category. The game is over a decade old, yet it still attracts new drivers – those who dream of conquering Europe behind the wheel of a three-axle beast, and those who simply enjoy sitting in a virtual cab and listening to the diesel engine purr like a contented cat. But in this perfect world of asphalt, tachographs and lorry parks, there is one question that keeps coming back like a boomerang: when will we see classic tractor units?

Because while the Volvo FH and Scania R look like they came straight out of a dealer's catalogue in ETS2, lovers of classic cars have to resort to mods. After all, the history of European road transport is not just about the latest aerodynamic silhouettes with boomerang-shaped LEDs. It also includes the MAN F90, which was the king of the motorways in the 1990s. It includes the Renault AE Magnum, with a cab that looks like an apartment in a prefabricated concrete block of flats. It includes the iconic Mercedes SKs, whose paintwork wore off faster than the enthusiasm of young drivers for the night-time route from Warsaw to Cologne.

So why are they still not in ETS2?

Probably because the manufacturers of classic models are not always willing to grant licences. For them, old trucks are either a closed chapter or a marketing relic that will not bring profits. It's a shame, because if SCS Software introduced classic sets, the community would go wild with delight. Imagine this: you start the game and there, next to the latest Scania, is a majestically gleaming Mercedes NG, which remembers the days when German motorways were empty and road tolls did not bring tears to the eyes of accountants in transport companies.

The second problem is the issue of realism – and it's not about the driving model, but the fact that old lorries... well, they were old. Noisy, less economical, their cabins resembled tin cans more than mobile offices. Today, when players expect perfectly reproduced comfort, automatic air conditioning and a thousand details on the dashboard, the classics could come across as memories of the communist era: charming, but a little uncomfortable.

And yet – the longing remains.

Because classic tractor units have something that modern ones lack – soul. Character. The kind of austerity that only a real driver can relate to. So maybe that's why gamers' dreams of classics in ETS2 don't die. Because the game, although beautiful, is essentially an elegantly polished transport museum. And in a museum, sooner or later, history must be included.

So will we ever see classic trucks in official add-ons?

If you ask realism: probably not anytime soon. If you ask the fans: preferably tomorrow.

Let me put it this way: ETS2 without classic trucks is like Europe without the E40 motorway – you can live with it, but something is clearly missing. And until at least one MAN from thirty years ago is parked in this virtual Europe, we will feel that our garage is a little too modern.

But hope, as is often the case in transport, always comes next.

And when we talk about classics, we cannot overlook the trucks that for many drivers were what the latest Volvos or Actroses are today – the object of dreams and sighs.

Take the Volvo F16, for example. This model is an icon of Scandinavian motoring. Its legendary six-cylinder engine, with power that seemed almost superhuman at the time, still commands respect today. The sound of the F-sixteen was so distinctive that drivers could recognise it in a car park before the truck had even left the building. The cab – austere but elegant in its own way – had that simple Scandinavian practicality that made driving pleasantly predictable. Can you imagine a better machine for traversing the northern routes in ETS2? It's hard to.

The Scania Series 2, on the other hand, is a truck that for many is synonymous with ‘real’ transport. Its distinctive silhouette, slightly angular, full of straight lines, may seem old-school today, but that's where its charm lies. It was a Scania that didn't pretend to be anything it wasn't – it did its job, pulled loads without fuss and was more forgiving than many modern on-board computers. The smell of the interior, the sound of the mechanical gearbox and the feeling of sitting high above the roofs of passenger cars... These are emotions that are sorely lacking in ETS2.

And the old DAFs? Ah, that's a different story – more Dutch, more familiar. The 2800 and 3300 series models were like solid, rock-hard workhorses for European transport companies. Drivers valued them for their comfort, which was downright luxurious for its time. A high cab, wide windows, huge mirrors – the world simply looked different from a DAF. And although technologically they were not vehicles that could compete with the later giants, they had something that today could be called ‘road character’.

Imagine this in ETS2: a fleet of classic lorries, each with its own character, each with a different sound, a different driving style, different memories for those who had the opportunity to drive them in real life. It would be a tribute to an entire era of European transport. An era that, although gone, still lives on in the hearts of drivers and enthusiasts.

Will SCS Software ever decide to open the gates of a virtual museum and bring these legends into the game? We don't know. But if one day we see classic Volvos, Scanias or DAFs in the truck selection menu, the entire ETS2 community will celebrate as if they had just acquired a new DLC with a map.

Because classics never get old – they just wait for someone to give them a ride again.

See you on the road. Black.Knight