Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2023 i Heritage Commercials

The 2023, Basingstoke Festival of Transport will be held in its usual venue at the Basingstoke War Memorial Park on 14 May. The show opens to the public at 11am and entry is free. The car park, accessed from London Road opens at 9am with a charge of £5 per car and card payment will be available. It promises once again to be a bumper show with 860 vehicles, 70 stalls and refreshments available all day. A whole range of vehicles will be on display including both large and small commercials, pre-war and post war classic cars, motor cycles and scooters and prestige cars. Contact: Rod Clarke, Club PR. tel. 01256 892775 mob. 07766677529 email: rodjclarke@btinternet.com…

If you have enjoyed this issue of Heritage Commercials and have a passion for the world of classic lorries, trucks and vans, then why not subscribe? You will save money on the shop price and receive every issue delivered directly to your door! WHY SUBSCRIBE? → NEVER MISS AN ISSUE → FREE DELIVERY DIRECT TO YOUR DOOR → BE THE FIRST TO READ NEW CONTENT → SAVE MONEY ON SHOP PRICES OFFER 1. DIGITAL EDITION 12 ISSUES FOR JUST £32.99 TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE DIGITAL EDITION VISIT: shop.kelsey.co.uk/HCM OFFER 2. PRINT EDITION 6 ISSUES FOR JUST £22.99* When you subscribe to Heritage Commercials VISIT: SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/HCM23 OR CALL: 01959 543 747 AND QUOTE HCM23 Offer available for UK customers only. Savings are based on the standard cover price of £4.99. Your…

Understood to be one of four new Seddon 14/4/400 prime movers sold to Keith Boxwell in 1964 by the Queensland distributors of the marque at the time, Duce Truck Sales of Fortitude Valley in Brisbane. Being powered by the Leyland O.400 and geared for 56mph @ 2,400rpm via a six-speed overdrive gearbox, this particular model was advertised as the ‘Powermaster Plus’ by the local importers. Unusually, a sleeper cab was offered at no extra cost!…

In the mid-1970s, Volvo got a foothold selling trucks in the UK, and its F86 and F88 models were widely regarded and sold well, so much so, they were eventually built in Scotland at the Irvine plant. It was one of the first European manufacturers to really get a loyal customer base in the UK and its trucks set new standards that many others simply had to follow or risk being left behind. After the success of the F88, which used a cab dating from 1964, the company never stood still in terms of research and development and in 1977, it unveiled its superb F10/12 range to replace the popular – but by now rather dated F88/89 models. As was to be expected, the new trucks were an instant success…

Design is often a combination of engineering and applied art. At its worst, the purely appearance aspect is the crude application of creative faculties. In the automotive world, exterior design is familiarly known as styling. The results have ranged from aesthetically pleasing individuality to today’s barely indistinguishable 44-tonners, designed in accordance with EU legislative diktat. A standout example of never-seen-before aesthetic distinction was the Foden FE4/8. Launched at the 1952 Commercial Motor Show, the eight-tonner (seven tons for exports) was powered by Foden’s two-stroke, four-cylinder FD4 diesel. The absence of an exposed radiator or grille panel characteristic of every other British truck of the period was made possible by the FD4’s low-set radiator. Its other main signature feature was the first-ever use of curved glass on a British commercial vehicle.…

At the time, my recollections of this vehicle with my local brigade in Gateshead was an appliance which had only been issued with a roof-mounted wooden ladder and such a small appliance looked a little incongruous with a huge, 50ft John Morris Ajax escape ladder slung on its tail. Model manufacturer’s ‘poetic licence’ I thought, but I was to be proved wrong when I recollected a story from my own life. In 1961, a certain young lad had just moved ‘over the water’ from Newcastle to Gateshead. At the tender age of nine and still in short pants, he had continued his passionate interest in commercial vehicles after spending the previous three years watching trucks pass along the Coast Road leading to Tynemouth and Whitley Bay. Yes, this is autobiographical…

The Practical Classic Restoration Show took place at Birmingham’s NEC from 24-26 March, superbly organised as always. Many iconic vehicles were on display seeing over 1000 vehicles displayed from more than 160 car clubs. Thousands of attendees, headed to the NEC for the show to see vehicles ranging from a rusty heap to concours stunners. The Minor LCV Register was out in force, gracing Hall 5, they had a nice series II van owned by Paul Leadbetter, and an interesting Austin Minor pick-up complete with a TENTBOX conversion owned by Meirion Woolf. They also had a Minor pick-up owned by Alan Hyatt, under restoration as well as a series V van seeing John Cannon the owner changing half-shafts as part of their working demo. One of their members Alex Wills…

Running right alongside the export drive, was a desire, and need actually to feed our nation by growing the food the country needed here in Britain, thus cutting down on costly importation of foreign food. Government recognised that to achieve that aim the British farmer had to be supported in every way possible. One way that this target was furthered was the subsidization of lime for the land, and as a result the demand for ground limestone sky rocketed. I’m no farmer by any means, however, my understanding is that ground over time can become acidic when being farmed for both arable products and grazed by livestock. I’ve heard it said that it makes the grass bitter for livestock actually. The ideal antidote to this acidity is lime, a calcium…

Minor LCVs commenced production in May 1953 at the Cowley plant, during 1960-63 some were built at Abingdon and from 1968, production was moved to the Morris Commercials plant at Adderley Park. Information from ex-BMC employees confirm that production of LCVs moved to the Nuffield Metal Products, Common Lane plant, Washwood Heath, Birmingham, which was later to become the Leyland-Daf LDV site. Minor LCVs were assembled, painted and finally trimmed at the Common Lane site, and then taken by transporters to the Adderley Park plant for fitting of the engine, transmission and rear axle ‘Nuffield Metal Products’ latter became ‘Pressed Steel Fisher’ who became part of ‘British Leyland’. During the 1960s and 1970s, they would have been found in every town and city in the UK. They also went to…

One of the commercial vehicle stars of the 2022 Abbey Hill Rally was a 1979 ERF B Series owned by Steve Waters. This Rolls Royce Eagle 265 powered model, plated at 38-tons gross was supplied by Cossington Commercials of Leicester to Cowan Transport of Milton Keynes on 1 October 1979. I was greatly impressed by the fresh-looking Waters’ colour scheme, but also fascinated by an intriguing array of optional extras. These were wired for fog lights, a 24v accessory socket, cigarette lighter, suspended passenger seat with head and arm rests, twin bunk and my personal favourite, a snake-like map reading light. These superb features enhanced an already notable 4x2 tractor unit, but the restoration had a deeper significance, by painting in Steve’s father’s company colours and in the process acting…

I write concerning the article ‘Super heavy champs’ in the March issue. In regard to the Scammell Commander, it is stated that it was capable of 40mph at 104-tons gross. From 1977-1986, I served with 245 Squadron RCT (Territorial Army), based in Bristol. When the Commander was introduced into service, it was rumoured in the RCT that it had been designed to do 70kph on autobhans. On one weekend following a signals training session in Taverstock, I was returning to Bristol along the M5 when I saw a loaded Commander on the Somerset Levels. The turret of the load was covered with a tarpaulin so I could not see if it was a Challenger or Chieftain, but either way, it meant 100-tons plus. As I drew level, I slowed to…