Heritage Commercials Magazine - capturing the spirit of vintage days

Classic Truck - August 2011

Many years ago (32 to be precise) I went to school quite near to a Ford agent which sold both cars and lorries and I remember there once being a Commando in stock. It was about four or five years old and had been traded in against a D series. But the thing that stuck in my mind was the price – £1500. I remember thinking how expensive it was!

This month you’ll also find another manufacturer’s history by Ed Burrows. This time he delves into the archives of Renault. To be honest I never knew that Renault had such a complex history and was actually made up from loads of different companies. It’s a bit like our own British Leyland then, but with a bit of a happier ending.

The history of the Bedford TL is also covered in this issue. This is another vehicle from my school days when I’d spend the time watching lorries going past the window instead of doing quadratic equations or learning what goes on in a volcano. However, the TL feature doesn’t make me feel that old because there are still loads of them about. In fact I saw one on my way to work recently. It’s a shame they never became as popular as the TK – perhaps if they had Bedford would still be about and making commercials. Still, it was all in the timing and the start of the early 1980s recession certainly was an unfortunate time to launch a new lorry.

We’ve also given our man Gyles Carpenter four pages this month for his usual fantastic centrespread and also his coverage of this year’s Steelboys road run. So all that should keep you busy for a while!

Contents

04 Bedford TL
It may well be argued that, for Bedford, the remarkable success of the TK and a reluctance to interfere with a proven winner led to some delay in the development of a new vehicle. It was to be some 20 years after the first appearance of the TK that the company announced what was perceived to be its successor, the TL range.

10 On location
Gyles Carpenter reports on the 10th Steelboys Road Run held on June 11.

12 Centrespread
This month we feature Carl Jarman’s Scania 141 Astran replica.

14 Going Commando
The Commer Commando is a rare vehicle on the classic vehicle scene. David Bowers reports on one that has recently undergone a full restoration.

18 Camions casserole
Ed Burrows explores the history of Renault, which after the Second World War built underfloor engined medium trucks and became the cooking pot into which virtually all the French truck manufacturing sector was put.