This restoration is being led by Mike Foulkes, part of The Griffin Trust based in Ellesmere Port, and is effectively a nut & bolt restoration to provide a working vehicle as well as a show addition to the collection of Bedford trucks. Once a common sight, this pickup was the Bedford equivalent of the Transit van. This version is now rare, most examples being of the Dormobile variety. As a bonus, it has a hand cranked tipping gear. Progress to date has seen a re-built tipping body, the chassis stripped, sandblasted & painted. The cab has been welded and is now being prepared for painting. All the mechanics are ongoing, and reassembly is beginning at last, with the help of a student from the local college and a team of volunteers, aiming for completion by mid-summer 2024. The Griffin Trust does terrific work preserving items from the Vauxhall and Bedford stables and has featured previously in awards line-ups. As well as the Vauxhall and Bedford products, it restores, houses and displays many other items of local interest, including aircraft. This is a nice little project to restore a once common, but now rather forgotten, model of a lost marque. The effort going into the restoration is most commendable and aims to return the vehicle to a fully operational condition, including the hand tipping gear. Not the sexiest of vehicles, but nevertheless worthy of an award.
