Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2021 i Classic & Vintage Commercials

PAT TREADAWAY We regret to report that well known home counties autojumble trader Pat Treadaway died on November 22 after a short illness. Pat, along with his red Bedford CA was a familiar sight at autojumbles in and around the Home Counties – indeed a photo of him and his autojumble at the Capel Manor Gardens Classic Car Show in September appeared on page 12 of our December issue. Pat lived in Leighton Buzzard and had been involved with classic commercials for over thirty years. His funeral took place at Bierton Crematorium near Aylesbury on December 12, with, entirely appropriately, his CA carrying the coffin. It was followed by a number of classic vehicles under the guise of Pat’s last run. The Order of Service, created by his son and…

BUXTON BOYS RUN August 16 2020 David Reed reports on a highly successful road run from a year when chances to get out at all were very limited… There was a good turnout for a run that started and finished in the Derbyshire town of Buxton in mid-August. Organised by Andy and Julie Dyson, the route took in the scenic delights of the A5012 Via Gellia Road from Cromford before heading to Asbourne and on to Leek and Macclesfield before heading back across the moors to Buxton on the A5004, otherwise known as The Long Hill. “We thought that only a handful of vehicles would turn up but have been amazed at the response,” Julie said. Around 30 vehicles started out from Buxton, and was an informal affair, with participants…

BOYHOOD PHOTO COLLECTION As a schoolboy in the early 1960s, Malcolm Ladd loved lorries, and wrote to several of the leading haulage companies of the late fifties asking if they would send him photos of their fleets. Several did just that… I am now 71 but as a boy in the fifties and sixties I travelled regularly during school holidays in the cab with my Uncle who drove for Guymers Transport of Aldridge near Walsall. I then had the idea of writing to transport firms to see if they had any photos I could have. I got a good response, and still have the 70-odd photos that were sent. Lorry driving was what I wanted to do, and eventually I was able to fufill that dream. First, though, I joined…

MODEL CORNER MINI VANS IN MINIATURE Mike Neale concludes his two-parter with a look at some post-1992 collectors models Last time, we looked at the numerous 1:43 (and 1:42) Mini Vans produced by the main UK diecast manufacturers. There was, however, quite a long period from the early 1970s when no mass-produced 1:43 Mini Van models were available, the original Corgi, Dinky and Spot On vans all having ceased production. Looking to rectify this deficiency, in 1992, Mini enthusiast Steve Traffic approached Brooklin Models of Bath, to commission a Mk3 Mini Van and pick-up. The first models appeared that December under the brand name British Motoring Classics (later BMC43). Later models were produced in-house. These heavy white-metal models captured the shape and feel of the real vehicle very well. Van liveries…

month Next Coming up in the March 2021 issue of Classic & Vintage Commercials OUT Friday February 26 Plus Bill Reid Memorial Run, Part two of Peter Davies’ in-depth analysis of the Ford Cargo, another selection of archive material from the recently-discovered Malcolm Ladd collection, all our regular features and a few surprises… DON’T FORGET: While high street opening remains uncertain, you can order three issues for just £9.99 by post – that’s nearly three for the price of two, PLUS free postage! For more details go to https://shop.kelsey.co.uk/promotion/cb20 These features are all planned at the time of going to press. We reserve the right to make changes and amendments if necessary.…

1953 BEDFORD OSB TIPPER YOU NEED FRIENDS Terry Jones had a lot of help from friends during the restoration of his 1953 Bedford, and the completed project has introduced him to more. Peter Simpson tells the story… Generally speaking, our main cover stories in Classic & Vintage Commercials are ‘recent restorations’ – in other words either lorries that are new to the preservation circuit or which have something else ‘new’ about them, such as a change of owner and a new look as a result. Terry Jones’ 1953 Bedford OSB tipper, however, is different; its threeyear restoration was completed almost a quarter-century ago. It is, though, a massive testimony to the quality of the work carried out then that the lorry still looks as superb as it does. Twenty five…

MANSEL DAVIES TO DISAPPEAR The Mansel Davies name – for many years part of the road haulage scenery in West Wales and further afield, is set to disappear over the next three years. This follows a decision by Traffic Commissioners to revoke the existing companies Operators Licence due to significant maintenance shortcomings. However, an application for a fresh licence in the name MDS Distribution has been accepted, meaning 300 jobs with company - one of the biggest employers in Pembrokeshire – are safe. However, the new licence is conditional on the Mansel Davies name being dropped. In February 2020, Mansel Davies were fined £38,000 and ordered to pay £12,000 costs at Swansea Crown Court costs following prosecution for falsifying maintenance records. A junior staff member, who had been instructed by…

CLOSE-UP on Classics FORD CARGO Peter Davies begins an in-depth analysis of the blue oval’s 1980s success-story… Ford and Bedford, the UK’s two American-led light- to mediumweight rivals, were always eyeing one another up in their determination to be one step ahead. In 1960 Bedford’s new TK range was streets ahead of Ford’s ageing Trader so Bedford sales were booming. However, in 1965, Ford got Bedford’s marketing department worried when the new Ford D-series broke cover. One thing the D-series boasted was a tilt cab. The UK industry was slow to accept tilt cabs but a small number of manufacturers, including Foden and Leyland, were beginning to offer them in the early 1960s. During its sixteen-year production run the D-series made quite an impact on TK sales and doubtless Bedford’s…

MIGHTY MANDATORS Bob Weir recently discovered two veterans living near Edinburgh, and explains a little of the story of AEC’s ill-fated V8. The two-axle Mandator was the product of Leyland’s takeover of AEC in 1962. Like other models in the AEC catalogue, the Mandator was equipped with Leyland’s Ergomatic cab. Later models were fitted with either a sixcylinder engine or a powerful V8. The Mandator name, however, first appeared much earlier, in 1931. The original Mandator was aimed at haulage firms looking for a low-height chassis vehicle to carrying machinery. Several removal companies also used them as furniture vans. By the 1960s the Mandator MkV (G4) was fitted with a Park Royal cab, and the twin axle tractor model sold in large numbers. This was replaced in 1966 by the…

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.…

NEWS TYRE AGE EXEMPTION CONFIRMED If you have a News story, e-mail cvc.ed@kelsey.co.uk or write to The Editor, Classic and Vintage Commercials, 5 Yalding Hill, Downs Court, Yalding ME18 6AL It’s been confirmed that the lorries over 40 years old which are no longer in commercial use will be exempt from the new tyre safety rules being enacted from the end of January. These rules, as regular readers know, will outlaw on safety grounds the use, on front axles, of tyres over 40 years old or any tyre not bearing a recognised dating code. This will be good news for most enthusiasts, especially those with collections of unusual vehicles for which new tyres can cost upwards of £300 apiece. Those who have already bought new tyres in anticipation of this…

TK STILL WORKING Unlike most classic hospitality units which are conversions, this one was built like it by a South Coast Fire Brigade. Douglas MacDonald tells the story… Photo: Alan House/Hampshire Fire & Rescue Past Members Association Photo: Alan House/HFR Past Members Association Based on a TK Chassis, NHO554L was something of a unique vehicle, both in its original funding and construction. The story starts when Hampshire Fire Service was awarded salvage money, following a fire involving two ships which collided in the Solent in the Autumn of 1970. Each member who was active in this operation received cash, and in a magnanimous gesture, it was agreed that a canteen van was a good way in which everyone could benefit. At this point in its history, HFS was unique in…

AUSTIN A35 PICK-UP AUSTIN ANOMOLY Even the owner of this beautifully restored 1956 Austin A35 pick-up can’t help but wonder why the model was ever built. NICK LARKIN tells the story. Photos: Matt Richardson If ever there was an award for the world’s cutest classic pick-up, Harry Douglas would surely and without question be taking home the prize cup for his deeply rare A35. The curvy, tiny and chubby body, immaculate in its historically accurate Austin service livery would, wherever this machine was parked, guarantee a crowd of admirers making coo-ing noises. Even your average modern Dodge Ram or Mitsubishi Warrior would show this vehicle respect. The sight of this little Austin blasts us back to the days of proper local garages, when, following a stern ‘fill her up, please’…

MAKING LORRIES Pt5: Nick Baldwin concludes his personal look at manufacturing down the years. We have already looked at how the Chicago’s meat processing lines influenced American mass-production pioneers who reversed the process and built up rather than removed small chunks. Intricate parts had been mass-produced for the serial output of Colt revolvers in the 1850s. After the premises were burnt down in the Civil War, Samuel Colt opened a new factory at Hartford, Connecticut where he expanded the high precision process of identical components that were interchangeable in assembly and repair. He is said to have influenced Garrett whose Leiston, Suffolk steam factory we have previously looked at. He also influenced the Studebaker brothers who in 1872 called themselves “the largest vehicle manufacturer in the world” (referring to horse…