Was there a difference between American and British Cummins engines?

[Jamaican Bulldog]

I grew up around both American and European trucks that were from the 60s up to the 90s and I was very keen and fascinated by the powertrain of trucks. The British trucks in particular such as Leyland, Atkinson, Seddon Atkinson, and ERF when powered by Cummins wore a distinctive badge that said 'British Cummins' and came in either as the non turbo 250hp or the more common Turbo charged 290hp version. I don't remember any coming originally with higher out put Cummins than 290 hp but some were later upgraded with 350 Cummins engine sourced from the U.S. I hardly saw any non-British European Trucks till maybe late 90s. The few Scammells and Fodens  I saw had Gardner or Rolls Royce engines. 

The American trucks that were powered with Cummins that I came across hardly came with anything less than a 350hp but were just labeled 'Cummins'. Some later models had the L10 Cummins. I do not remember coming across  any American trucks with 290 Cummins but I know they were available in American Trucks.

I was always curious about the distinction of British Cummins badges on British Trucks and them having 290hp or less and wondered if they were any different from the Cummins in American trucks especially with similar power rating. Except for the L10, the engine blocks and valve covers looked the same to my juvenile eyes from 250 to 350hp no matter the county of origin if it was a Cummins. Even from I was a kid I was always peeking under the hood or fenders of a truck to figure out the engine, lol I still do.

 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2018 by Jamaican Bulldog

[kscarbel2]

The NTCxxxE and NTE engines were EEC certified (European Economic Commission).

[Jamaican Bulldog]

14 hours ago, kscarbel2 said:

The NTCxxxE and NTE engines were EEC certified (European Economic Commission).

What did that mean especially in an era of mechanical engines?

[41chevy]

Just that just meantall the Euro specs and requirements were met, kind of similar to being CARB certified.