Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2021 i Classic & Vintage Commercials

NEW! SPECIAL EDITION CELEBRATING THE MIGHTY ANTAR ORDER TODAY JUST £8.99 + FREE UK P&P The first in an exciting new series from the publisher of Classic & Vintage Commercials, Military Trucks Archive tells the story of the Thornycroft Antar. Entering service at the beginning of the fifties, the Antar was based on a commercial oilfield truck that just happened to be ‘in the right place at the right time’ and was pressed into military service! It proved to be enormously capable, eventually replacing the wartime Diamond T, and serving until the early ‘eighties. INSIDE THIS SPECIAL EDITION… The story of Antar’s early years The development of three ‘marks’ of the military Antar Antar in service Antar in private hands More than 175 rare images HOW TO ORDER ORDER ONLINE…

NEWS LICENCE RENEWAL WARNING… DVLA and the Federation of British Historic vehicle Clubs are reminding motorists who celebrate their 71st birthday this year that they probably need to apply for their driving licences to be renewed, if they haven’t done so already. But there’s a potential pitfall here for some. UK Driving Licences generally run until the holder’s 70th birthday, at which point fresh declarations of health and fitness to drive are required. These are also needed every three years thereafter. Last year, however, due to Covid, those whose licences expired between February 1 and December 31 were granted an automatic eleven-month extension. If, for example, you were born on September 1 1950 and turned 70 on September 1 2020, your licence was extended automatically until August 1 2021. However…

MIDLAND RED 40 Transport Museum Wythall are having a special running event on Sunday October 3, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the famous Birmingham based bus operator – one of Britain’s largest – being split into six at the behest of the National Bus Company. In its heyday, Midland Red’s area of operation spread from the Welsh border in the west to Northamptonshire in the east and Derbyshire in the north to Gloucestershire in the south. It also built its own buses in Birmingham. The museum’s Midland Red collection is the largest under one roof. On the event day the museum intends to run eleven of its own vehicles with many more visiting from private owners and collections. Visiting vehicles will include a C1 coach fresh from a ‘nut…

PD’s archive There are some people who only like old stuff, branding today’s trucks as ‘modern rubbish’, while there are others who like lorries of all ages. It has to be remembered that the ‘classics’ seen here were all once brand new as indeed were all lorries regardless of their respective eras. This selection reflects the changing UK scene from the 1970s to the 1990s, as increasing numbers of imports were taking over from the traditional British makes.…

SWANSEA TRUNK Please find enclosed photos of two BRS Leylands my father drove for Swansea BRS during the 1950s. JCY219 is seen at High Wycombe depot, it was on contract to Metal Box and on night trunk Swansea to London, and while it carried Metal Box branding, the BRS fleet number was painted on the inside of the passenger door. NHU290 is seen at a factory in Hull, having just loaded for the NCB stores at Ammanford, near Swansea. I have also included a copy of a 1950 issue of Foden News, and a newspaper cutting of an account by a Metal Box driver of his overnight journey on the old A48 and A40 to London. I hope these will be of interest to your readers. Alun Thomas Thanks Alun…

AILSA DEVELOPMENT I enjoyed Peter Davis’s article about Volvo F88. A wee correction, Jim Mckelvie had his yard in Paisley, not Motherwell. One of the pictures is of an ’88 in Newton Haulage livery. When the “Ailsa” Double deck bus was in development, the rear axle was sourced as a “development” from Hamworthy Engineering in Poole. The prototype was sent to Irvine and fitted to an F86 4X2 tractor belonging to Newton Haulage, for reliability trials as there was concern about oil seals and bearings. The driver was Bill Ford; a great guy who gave the axle a good work-out. Has anyone seen any of the old F86 8x4’s with twin headlights?? Iain Ferguson…

NEW – ON SALE NOW! FORD&FORDSON Tractor Collection: Issue 1 FORDSON DEXTA The first in a new series of bookazines 100pages * A4 format * perfect bound * full colour throughout Edited by Chris Graham, editor of Ford & Fordson Magazine, this new bookazine spotlights the Fordson Dexta; one of the most desirable, affordable and popular vintage tractors from the late 1950s and early ‘60s. The Dexta’s appealing combination of straightforward design, reliable engineering and classic, visual appeal mean that it’s become a firm favourite with enthusiasts around the world. This bookazine celebrates all aspects of the wonderful Dexta, and its 100, all-colour pages are packed with information about buying, owning, running and restoring these iconic machines. On sale at WH Smith High Street stores or direct from the publisher.…

BACK NUMBERS Find back issues: shop.kelsey.co.uk/cvcback or call 01959 543 747 April 2020 • ERF EC10 • Foden S36 • Volvo F86 • Bedford Tipper • AEC Archive • Austin K2 May 2020 • Scammell Special • Volvo F88 • ERF EK44G • Foden DG • Bedford R-type June 2020 • Albion Chieftan • Mercedes 1622 • Bedford R Type • BT Bedford HA • Commer PB July 2020 • Bedford TM • Dennis • Leyland Bison • Atkinson Borderer • Leyland 15 • Morris LC Monarch August 2020 • Ford Thames Trader • ERF LV • Making Lorries • Foden FE6 • Bedford CA • Austin Devon September 2020 • Bedford WT • Leyland T45 • ERF 54G • Austin A35 • Austin Gypsy Oct 2020 • Foden S21…

Comment Driver shortage is in the news again – and being reported by many news outlets as something new. It isn’t of course; it’s been an issue throughout the seven years that I’ve been editing Classic & Vintage Commercials, and I’ve written about it several times. It does though, seem to be worsening. As I write, the government have just announced a temporary increase in driving time from nine to ten hours a day, along with up to two eleven-hour shifts allowed per week. The main aim, apparently, is to sort out supply chain shortages to food stores and other retail establishments, with out-of-the-way locations cited as key beneficiaries. However, the change (which, incidentally, isn’t automatic – companies need to tell the DfT they are doing it) has been condemned…

ERFS SELL AT EURO AUCTIONS Euro Auctions are one of the key players in the ‘remarketing’ of lorries and plant equipment for further use, and their three-day event from June16-18 was no exception, writes David Reed. Held at the companies Leeds base, the sale saw approaching 5000 lots sell. Bidding was although most bidding takes place over the internet due to Covid-19 regulations, bidding was certainly brisk. Concentrating on the commercials, around 150 were on offer, mainly modern vehicles looking for further work. It is always worth having a close look around the commercials here though as older vehicles are occasionally offered for sale. At this auction a couple of ERFs caught the eye. The first was C923 YNB, a rather tired looking 1985 ERF C Series that carried a…

FIVE IN THE NORTH! Mark Woodward Classic Events have announced that with the latest easing of Covid restrictions, the final five events in the classic vehicle show season are going ahead. Starting at Carnforth’s Leighton Hall on the 8th August, the popular vintage vehicle shows plot a course over the Pennines to venues in the North East for three back to back events at Tynedale Park, Ripon Racecourse and Ripley Castle They then return back to the west coast for a final show at Historic Hutton-In-The-Forest mid-September. All events run from 10am-4pm. These events are usually ‘all vehicle’ rather than lorry-specific; in other words, commercial vehicle participation is alongside other vehicles. Tickets can be pre-booked or paid on the day, though payment on the day is cash and exact-money only-adult…

BLACK OR GREEN? Confusion seems to exist over engine colours used on 1971/2 Austin and Morris commercial vehicles. Our family plumbing business used both Austin and Morris-badged ‘Minor’ vans extensively, and I can only report on our fleet. In our experience the Austin and Morris versions both came with green engines; our final Austin was YBW850J. We had just one Morris after that; the full registration escapes me, but it was YRW???K. This was of the very final type, with the bonnet chrome finisher deleted plus a steering column-lock and black ‘Leyland’ type seats and door cards. This Morris had a black engine. I believe the black engine was standard on only this, the very last type. That would imply that the green engine in John Halford’s pick-up (March 2021…

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE GET 6 ISSUES FOR JUST £21.99!* Classic & Vintage Commercials is the bestselling magazine covering the truck manufacturers from the heyday of road haulage over the past eight decades. We’ve got some really great stuff coming up over the next few months. Don’t miss out! Subscribe today and get your copy delivered to your door each month. Plus, for a limited time only, get 6 issues for just £21-saving 36% on the usual shop price! Peter Editor, Classic & Vintage Commercials GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE TODAY GET YOUR FIRST 6 ISSUES FOR JUST £21-SAVING 38% CONTINUE TO SAVE AFTER YOUR INTRODUCTORY OFFER ENDS GET FREE DELIVERY TO YOUR DOOR NEVER MISS AN ISSUE AGAIN! Simply visit OUR SECURE STORE SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/CVSA521 OR CALL 01959 543 747 QUOTE OFFER…

NEWS CROWLAND BUFFALO TO BE RESTORED As we reported in our June issue, a rare and genuine WW2 ‘Buffalo’ amphibious landing craft has been dug up from a Lincolnshire field, 74 years after it drifted away while being used as part of a plan to plug a gap that had opened up in flood defences. Now, in view of the remarkable condition in which the vehicle emerged after being buried since 1947, a decision’s been made to restore the “Crowland Buffalo” to full working order, writes Nick Larkin. The Landing Craft was shown to press and invited guests at an event in mid-June attended by, among others, 96-year-old Ernie Colville who had served with the 79th armoured division which operated the vehicles during WW2. Said Ernie, once again facing a…

Letters YOUR VIEWS, COMMENTS AND RECOLLECTIONS… NON-SYNCHROMESH BEDFORDS I refer to CVC March 2021 in which I read with interest the letter from Colin Chesterman about the gearboxes in the Bedford O-Type lorries of the 1950s. I worked for a fruit and veg wholesaler around 1966, who had four Bedford C-Types and one A-Type, all fitted with 214cu.in petrol engines, all made in the 1950s and still going strong. I didn’t drive the A-Type but I did drive a couple of the C-Types. I don’t remember them having synchromesh, I always used to double declutch when driving them; maybe they had synchromesh and I didn’t know it. The company took over another fruit and veg merchant who had six Thames Traders fitted with 6D engines. They had synchromesh and were…

GARDNER’S LONG 8LXB In his July CVC ‘PD’s archive’ photographic selection, fascinating as always, Peter Davies quite rightly points out the misleading ‘Gardner 240’ grille badge on Barlow & Hodgkinson’s Foden eight-wheeler. Gardner’s straight-eight diesel was in any case physically too long to be accommodated nicely under a regular day cab. As Peter says it went principally into tractor units where it could either be enclosed beneath the longer ‘bbc’ dimension of a sleeper cab, or otherwise stuck out like a sore thumb, where it could impede easy Susie connections. I think the 8LXB was rarely, if ever, specified in Foden, ERF or Atkinson eight-leggers. Customers at the time didn’t want that much power for a 30.5 tonne gross vehicle weight – albeit 240bhp incredibly modest by today’s standards –…

Letters GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE? Back in 1918 many that were lucky enough to have returned from the First World War decided to start up on their own by buying ex-army vehicles that were being sold, with their demob money. mostly doing coal deliveries, milk churn deliveries for farmers, shop work and work for bigger companies, just to put a roof over his family’s head and food on the table. All is going well when the government step in and introduce the driving test (not a bad thing) and raise the minimum age of driving a lorry to 21. It is okay to fight and lose your life at 18, but to drive a lorry probably no more than 4 ton up to 21 years. We all accept, let’s go forward and…

VINTAGE ROADSCENE ARCHIVE NEW! REMEMBERING THE NINETIES A remedy for the pandemic – we may not be able to go to the rallies that we cherish, but within the 100 pages of the latest bookazine in the Vintage Roadscene Archive, we are able to go down Memory Lane and enjoy rallies past – some which you may remember with fondness. We travel back to the early 1990s and the vehicles to be seen at many of the rallies and road runs around the country at that time. Yes, it was over 25 years ago! We concentrate on the lorries, rather than vans, buses and military vehicles (although a few ex-WD vehicles have crept in), for no other reason than that’s all we have space for! We have pictures here from…

LANDROVER SERIES 1 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SERIES ONE The Land Rover brand was introduced at the end of the Second World War. There was little demand for luxury cars, and priority was given to exports to earn foreign currency. Rover’s chief designer Maurice Wilks had come up with a blueprint for a light utility vehicle, similar to the Willys Jeep. Aimed mainly at farmers, the design featured a PTO (power-take-off) unit of a type used by tractors. The prototype was developed in 1947, and had a steering wheel mounted in the centre of the vehicle. Dubbed the “centre steer”, it was built on a Jeep chassis using the engine and gearbox out of a Rover P3 saloon. Steel was still in short supply, so the bodywork was hand-made…