Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2020 i Classic & Vintage Commercials

CLOSE-UP on Classics LEYLAND T45 Peter Davies continues the story with a look at some of the multi-wheel heavyweights and other 1980s developments. In Part 1 we looked at the Roadtrain which was the first model to be announced in Leyland’s T45 range. Hot on the heels of the Roadtrain came the Constructor rigid multi-wheelers. There were two distinct breeds of Constructor – the eight-wheelers were inspired by Scammell’s highly successful Routeman III and were essentially a Scammell product designed and built at Watford; conversely the six-wheelers had more of a Leyland-Albion pedigree and were seen as replacements for the Reiver and Super Mastiff. Historically all Leyland eight-wheelers had been badged ‘Octopus’ but since Scammell played the leading role in developing the new T45 version it was decided to use…

In the spotlight 1978 Volvo F88 by David Reed Owner: R Taylor & Sons Seen on: Bill Reid Memorial Ayrshire Run One of the stand-out vehicles on this year’s ‘modified’ Bill Reid Memorial Ayrshire Run was VVV 779S, a superb 1978 Volvo F88 owned by R Taylor & Sons of Douglas near Lanark in south-west Scotland. The F88 has been restored since 2016 and has taken part on road runs since. It was also seen at the Biggar event in 2019 along with some other Scottish shows and has been much admired wherever it has been shown. It worked in the Worcester and Cheltenham areas for Waldron’s Transport before being bought by Peter Hardiman. At some time during its working life it was converted into a six-wheeler with a tag…

PLASTICS TRANSPORT Some photos sent by a reader prompted a bit of research by the CVC team, but we’d still like to know more… Classic & Vintage Commercials reader F.R.D Scott of Watford kindly set us the enclosed selection of official Vauxhall-Bedford photographs which, apparently, were “going to be thrown out in the late 1960s” by St Albans Vauxhall/Bedford dealership Marlboro Motors. Mr Scott worked for Marlboro Motors “on Sales” and suspects that the vehicles in question were supplied by them to Cole Plastics; JH was a Hertfordshire registration. Thanks to research, coupled to a bit of ‘local knowledge’ by both Peter Davies and our Editor, we now know a little more, though as always, additional information would be very welcome… Cole Plastics Ltd were based at Batford Mill in…

JUNE 21 The Midland Event Club and Coppice Steam Father’s Day road run One of the first road runs to take place after the Covid-19 restrictions were eased took place on June 21. This ‘Father’s Day’ event around Derbyshire was organised by Dave Hoyles with the run starting and finishing near Ilkeston and taking in Cromford, Ashbourne and Belper and a couple of social-distancing compliant stops along the way. Around 25 vehicles took part.…

Next month Coming up in the November 2020 issue of Classic & Vintage Commercials OUT Friday October 30 Goods Inward Only! CVC is given rare access to view and photograph a large and rather special South Wales collection that’s been built up over many decades and which is still growing! Seddon Atkinson 401 David Reed tells the story of another new restoration. Albion Chieftain Preserved in Scotland – of course! Volvo F88 Nick Larkin looks at another ‘semi-preserved’ pet from the Statham’s Recovery fleet. Suntor Camper Mike Neale spots a good one Plus; Ford ET6 model review, some rather fine dustcart archive photos, Pt3 of Peter Davies’ Leyland T45 profile, Kevin Dennis Auction review, all our other usual features and a few surprises! BUY DIRECT! While things are now returning…

Back where it belongs Fifty three years after it started working for a mid-Wales haulage contractor, this 1967 Foden S21 has returned home and been restored, over lockdown, by the son of its original owner. Peter Simpson tells the story… In early 1967, Alun Davies, who was the ‘son’ in D Davies & Son, a small family-run haulage business in the heart of rural Carmarthenshire bought, via dealership Praills of Hereford, a new Foden S21 eight-wheeler double-drive chassis-cab unit with Gardner 150 6LX engine and twelve-speed gearbox. Total cost was £4949. A few extras were specified including power steering (£133 extra), a heater and “mates seat” in the cab and, for an extra £5, an air pressure warning buzzer. Choosing a 6LX engine over the ‘standard’ 6LW added a further…

KEVIN DENNIS SALE GOING AHEAD… …BUT NO SLIDESHOW The Kevin Dennis clearance auction in Wainfleet on October 3 is going ahead, despite the government’s new rule of six making gatherings of more than six people illegal in England. This is because, apparently, the sale is not considered to be a social gathering, and as such it is exempt from the new rules. We should, however, make clear that while this is understood to be the position at the time of going to press, things might change before the sale, and we strongly recommend checking with Cheffins by phone or website before making a long journey. Unfortunately however this commercial exemption does not include the ‘bring your own chair’ slideshow that was being planned for the evening but has now had…

THAMES WITH A SECRET This slightly tatty but loveable 1956 Thames E83 Utilicon is still hiding its secret past – and has enjoyed the most unlikely film role! NICK LARKIN reports. This vehicle would never be a show prizewinner. The paintwork doesn’t gleam, there’s general unevenness on the panels and even, shock horror, visible brush strokes. Be all this as it may, place RGC 996 at a show and any automotive exotica would be ignored while people clamour over the old Thames. This vehicle has obviously been used – it has seen things and it has lived. The vehicle is a crafty old thing however, still hiding an important part of its history, and confused two owners 40 years apart by revealing just a little! WHAT WE KNOW This Thames…

MAKING LORRIES Pt3: Nick Baldwin continues his personal look at how techniques and factories worldwide changed over the years including the sometimes slow adoption of mass-production. Last time we saw how Kahn’s Model Daylight Factories revolutionised the way in which lorries were built. Continuing this theme, we have Mack commissioning a Kahn factory in Long Island, NY in 1925 for expansion beyond its Plainfield plant (originally home to American Saurer) and Allentown, Pennsylvania where Mack had originated. At the same time, it bought its own centres in numerous American states to handle sales and service. Paying rates in all these areas was said to bring it closer to local officialdom which benefitted sales of municipal vehicles, fire trucks and buses. Amongst numerous other expanding US truck firms was Republic, which…

TRANSPORT BOOKSHOP CLOSING Sad news; the Ian Allan Book & Model Shop at Waterloo, which we think is the last remaining specialist transport bookshop in central London, is being reported as closing. A final date has yet to be announced, but we understand it will have gone “before Christmas.” Covid 19 is being cited as the official reason for closure, though many have actually been expecting this for some time, as the cost of running a shop of this kind in such a prestigious location must have been enormous. The Ian Allan shop in Birmingham closed this time last year, with similar shops in Cardiff and Manchester having shut in 2015/16. The Ian Allan business has also changed direction somewhat in recent years. Ian Allan died in 2015, and while…

DIAMOND T DIAMOND T FOR TWO! A major family-owned recovery firm has restored a 1943 Diamond T into an exact replica of an example bought in the 1950s, and it’s ready for use! NICK LARKIN reports. It might look immaculate in the vivid red and yellow livery of owners Statham’s Recovery, and would probably deserve a prize at any show, but this 1943 Diamond T 969 wrecker is rather more than it seems. Apart from being an exact replica of a long-lost vehicle, the 6x6 Diamond T is ready for use in the fleet of its Dunstable, Bedfordshire-based owners. “It is excellent for many duties, especially getting stranded artics off the road,” said Statham’s managing director John Statham. “People are surprised when the Diamond rolls up but most of them…

Carrying on We welcome photos of older lorries that are still in service for publication in this section. We can accept contributions by email – cvc.ed@kelsey.co.uk, or by post to The Editor, Classic & Vintage Commercials, Kelsey Media, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding ME18 6AL. Please provide as much (or as little) information about a vehicle as you are able and, before entering or taking photos on private property, please ensure that you have all the permissions that you need to be there, and to be taking photographs. Bob Dickson Bob Dickson Robbie Plant Bob Dickson John Podgorski Chris Newton Mike Sowinski Mike Sowinski Stephen Symons.…

Handy HILLMAN A Minx pick-up?! Surely it should be a Commer? Not necessarily, as Mike Neale explains as he looks around a 1956 Hillman Minx MkVIII Light Pickup which is now lovingly preserved in Austria. Photos by Josef Copi (www.auto-focus.at) The first of the Raymond Loewy studio design-influenced Hillman Minx saloons, the Mark III, was launched in September 1948, with a new full-width body. Mechanically it retained the fourcylinder 1185cc sidevalve engine as used in the previous Phase I & II Minxes and their predecessors dating back to 1931. The Mark III had a simple horizontal bar grille and little in the way of exterior trim. In addition to the saloon, convertible and estate, an 8cwt van was available, initially still known as the Commer Supervan, like its predecessor. The…