Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2021 i Classic & Vintage Commercials

JOHNNY MURPHY’S TIPPERS PART 2: Following on from last month’s introduction, David Reed tells the story of Johnny’s newly-completed Fords D-Series restoration. Like the Albion we featured last month, OPH459R was new to RMC as a cement mixer. It was then bought by Wallman Haulage and used in ‘Pertwee’ contract livery for lime spreading duties. It was subsequently advertised for sale, still in Geoff Wallman’s ownership. “I went down to Ipswich to have a look at it,” Johnny said “But the cab was pretty shot, so I turned it down.” But another reason for Johnny’s reluctance to buy the D Series was that fact that he had just bought STK 473L, a 1972 D2014 dropside. “It had an excellent cab and was powered by a Ford 360 turbo engine,” he…

EXTINCT SPECIES We hear a lot about endangered species in the wild but little about the extinction of our once-thriving commercial vehicle industry. The demise of Seddon Atkinson at the hands of Iveco is a poignant reminder of our industry’s progressive collapse during the past 50 years. The late Seddon Atkinsons, like this 1999 T7 Stratocruiser of W Tabern & Sons, had the Iveco Group cab and were among the last to feature Cummins power, in this case the 11-litre M380E. Tabern’s of St Helens, whose main customer was Pilkington Insulation, closed down in June 2014 after 56 years in the business. Peter J Davies…

BEDFORD 90TH ANNIVERSARY ROAD RUN Report by Peter Davies The gloom of the Covid lockdown was briefly lifted on April 18 when around 25 classic Bedfords assembled at Northampton Services on the M1 to begin a 75-mile road run as part of the Bedford Enthusiasts’ Club 90th Birthday Celebrations. As many readers are aware, 2021 marks 90 years since the first Bedford truck was built and the BEC is staging a couple of events to mark the occasion. The first of these events, the road run, included a drive-by of the old Dunstable truck factory at Boscombe Road as well as a visit to the old Luton site at Kimpton Road. Sadly, there is now little left of these once huge factories following redevelopment. Having toured through the Luton and…

RARITY UNDER RESTORATION A rare Morris LD SWB pantechnicon has recently been discovered by an East Sussex removal specialist, and is undergoing an extensive restoration. It’s also spurred the owner to start a small collection of historic light removals vehicles. Peter Simpson tells the story. The distinctive purple and white livery of Mark Ratcliffe Moving is a common sight on the roads around their East Sussex base and, for that matter, throughout the South East and even further afield. The company specialise in high-quality removals at home and abroad along with storage, ‘man and van’ services and self-storage, and they have a large fleet of modern vehicles. However, proprietor Mark – who has been in the removals business for over 30 years and previously owned well-known Eastbourne-based international removals company…

ARRAN IN LOCKDOWN Nick Baldwin begins a two-part series on researching a little-known Hertfordshire lorry make, most of the work for which was carried out during lockdown. A make of lorry that has puzzled me for many years seemed like the ideal lockdown project. I have never met anyone who has seen, bought, driven or repaired one apart from Derek Hurlock who, at the time I met him, owned AC Cars at Thames Ditton. His involvement came near the end of this saga which ran between 1934 and 1938. Over the years I have jotted down a few Arran Dieselet references, starting with one concerning a Mr Crawford who seems to have been one of the founders and who claimed that, in its early days, Arran was buying as many…

BEDFORD O TYPE LWB REFURBISHED RESTORATION! Charles Pateman has chosen an unusual but entirely appropriate look for his latest project; he has restored his 1947 Bedford O as a refurbished lorry of the 1960s. Peter Simpson tells the story. South Lincolnshire based Charles Pateman is, it would be fair to say, something of a ‘serial restorer’ of classic commercial vehicles. He is also extremely well-known in local restoration circles, and has something of a taste for the unusual. His main interest is exmilitary vehicles, and the ‘permanent’ collection includes a Russian ZIL 131 and an Austin Champ. PAST PROJECTS He is also, however, someone who derives as much pleasure from the restoration process as owning and showing a completed vehicle. Consequently, a number of past projects are now with new…

Carrying on We welcome photos of older lorries (15 years and older) 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. John Podgorski Jim Williams Richard Johnston Ron Waghorne Chris Newsome Richard Johnston Jim Lennox Mike Sowinski Mike Sowinski David Arnold…

HARDWICK’S HISTORY Last month, we featured a pair of Fodens owned by Darren Clark, a descendant of the well-known Hardwick family, who were involved in pretty-much everything from crane hire to scrapping steam vehicles. Unsurprisingly, Darren has a few interesting photos to share.…

MODEL CORNER MORRIS J2 & AUSTIN This month Mike Neale looks at some miniature BMCs… BMC launched the J2 range of vans, minibuses and pickups in 1956, with both Morris and Austin badged versions available. The latter were initially called the Austin 152 Omnivan, Coach (minibus) or Truck (pickup), although later they were sold as the Austin J2 and most people tend to refer to all versions as J2s. Early Morris versions had a tall pear-shaped grille, whilst Austins had a shallower, more rectangular grille, which was also fitted to later Morris J2s from 1965. Initially 15cwt vehicles, this increased to 16/18cwt in 1960. The engine was a 1489cc B-Series petrol unit, with a 1489cc diesel option from 1961. From 1963, the 1622cc B-Series petrol engine was fitted. They were…

The restoration in photos…

SPRAT & WINKLE RUN 2021 IS ON! The Historic Commercial Vehicle Society has announced that the 2021 12th Sprat & Winkle Road Run, from Sevenoaks to Hastings, is to go ahead on Sunday October 10. The run takes in the quieter roads and byways of rural Kent and Sussex and once in Hastings, vehicles park up in the heart of the historic Old Town. The run also coincides with the start of Hastings Week – which centres on October 14, the anniversary of the famous Battle – and a number of other special events also take place. Entry forms are available on the HCVS website at www.hcvs.co.uk…

AUSTRALIAN A30 Mike Neale tells the story of a 1955 AV4 Austin A30 with a slightly surprising background. Under development since 1948, Austin launched its new baby, the A30 Seven, as it was initially known, in October 1951 at the Earls Court Motor Show, arguably stealing the show. You couldn’t rush out and buy one, however, as prototypes were still being tested. Production began in May 1952, initially just as a four-door saloon (model code AS3). Even then, as with most new cars, few were available on the home market, with the majority being exported. In October 1953, a two-door A30 was announced (model A2S4), a little cheaper than the four-door (which became AS4). Both featured a redesigned fascia and other modifications. Buyers had to wait until August 1954 for…

BLACK GOLD Pt2: Nick Baldwin looks at the crucial role payed by Scammell in worldwide oil exploration and extraction. We looked at FWDs in America’s mid-West and Marmon-Herringtons battling across Middle Eastern deserts in the last episode and also considered the extraordinary Straussler. But there were other mighty beasts stirring, the most important of which proved to be Scammell of Watford, where the legendary designer O D North (with Scammell 1923 to1948) was willing to turn his hand to specials for every purpose. Renowned for its articulated vehicles, Scammell made its first rigid six in 1927 and was rewarded with early orders from the Venezuelan oilfields. The Colombian Maracaibo oilfield soon chose long wheelbase 4x2 versions with narrow cabs to accommodate sections of pipe alongside. These had winches and, in…