Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2025 i Classic Truck

Welcome to the December issue of Classic Truck, and where has the year gone? I will start with an apology to Patrick Boniface. I included a picture from his Weald of Kent Steam Rally (Page 30) on the Contents page 5 last month but forgot to add the description on page 4. Sorry about that Patrick. Leading the features this month, Bob Weir writes about a Classic Kenworth, which Brian Culpan follows with a piece on a Morris Z van. We then have a plethora of events; Ashley Lovering was at the Retro Truck Show, Patrick Boniface visited both the Kent Classic Car Show and the Laughton Autumn Show while Bob Weir was at the Shrewsbury Steam Rally. After the shows, Neil Johnston tells the story of L. C. Lewis.…

Joseph Lewis discovers a key south west contact's on-going projects. One of the great aspects of attending local rallies is catching up with key friends and contacts on their current projects. This was certainly the case at the 2025 Three Okefords Preservation Society's annual rally at Shillingstone, near Blandford, Dorset where I met Commercial Vehicle Steward and Tractor Pulling organiser, Norman Young. Norman runs N.D. Young Transport Ltd and often has new stories and projects on the go, especially with a Somerset or Dorset connection. This time around, we highlighted an ERF acquisition and an on-going project. The ERF is a 6-wheel rigid powered by a Gardner 6LXC engine, with Fuller gearbox and rubber suspension. This ERF was acquired in March 2017 from the former Wessex Grain Ltd of Henstridge…

My first visit to the Retro Truck Show held at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon did not disappoint. Hundreds of trucks which were highly polished of various manufacture, models and ages were certainly a sight worth seeing. There was a great atmosphere and it was well worth the early start to be there, writes Ashley Lovering.…

Now in its 64th year, over 1,200 exhibits turned up to join in the fun, making it one of the largest vintage vehicle shows in the UK. The rally has become increasingly important in recent years and draws enthusiasts from all over the country. Held on 45 acres of stunning parkland, the family-friendly show was supported by a bumper crowd. Although steam engines take centre stage, a large number of commercial vehicles were also attracted to the weekend jamboree. There were separate categories for Commercial and Military Vehicles, and both had their moment in the spotlight around the Main Arena. Nearly 200 commercial vehicles took part in this superbly organised event. Over the years, COSSES has raised thousands of pounds for charity and this year's beneficiary was the Lingen Davies…

When we heard that the French Government's military procurement office (the DGA) had taken one of their tired Army trucks and re-purposed it with more modern technology, we thought what a good idea, why didn't the British Army do that? It must have saved millions of taxpayer's francs. This is the Berliet GBC8 KT, an extremely angular 4-ton cargo truck and tractor, built for the French Army back in the late 1950s, the first prototype tested in 1960. Although quite armoured with a sharp appearance, they have always had a ‘Je ne sais quoi’ attraction in our opinion. The story really starts with the French Army's stock of vehicles after the end of the War; It was almost entirely reliant on ex-US trucks supplied under the Lend Lease agreement or…

American commercial vehicles are not everyone's cup of tea, but there is no denying their power and presence. The W900 is typical of the breed and is still going strong after 50 years. The Kenworth Truck Company was founded in Seattle, Washington in 1923. The company specialises in heavy-duty (Class 8) and medium-duty (Class 5 - 7) vehicles. It has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Paccar since 1945, operating alongside long-time rivals Peterbilt Motors. Kenworth has several ‘firsts’ to its credit including a raised-roof sleeper cab, and the first large truck with an aerodynamically optimized body design. The W900 model has been in continuous production since 1961, one of the longest runs in automotive history. The 1960s was a particularly good decade for Kenworth, which opened a new assembly…

The ancient Aylesford Friary just outside of Maidstone was the venue for one of the last large scale classic car shows of the 2025 season, but increasingly it's not just classic cars that attend these events. At the Kent's Classic Car Show held within sight of the Friars, owned by the Carmelite order, around a dozen commercial vehicles shared the space that attracted in excess of two thousand people in the early September sunshine. Among the interesting commercials at the show were a pair of Thames 15 CWT light trucks. The first was bought by Ellis and Sons Ltd new in 1964 and was used for general duties and deliveries by the firm until 1978. The owner Ernie Ellis, however, couldn't part with the vehicle and kept it for his…

Lewyn Cyril Lewis was born and raised in the village of Pwlldu near Blaenavon in the eastern valleys of South Wales. He was interested in vehicles and machinery from a very early age, his father, uncle, brother and two cousins worked as heavy plant operators in the surrounding coalfield and one of his first experiences of road haulage was with another relative who owned a Thames Trader tipper in the 1960s. Like many others in the area at the time, the tipper was working around the clock six days a week on the creation of what became Llanwern steelworks. Lew would help with the servicing and repairs on the truck and as a reward would sometimes be allowed to go with the day driver on a Saturday morning. This involved…

Swedefest is a wonderful show set in Suffolk. As the name suggests there are only two truck brands present, Volvo and Scania. They are parked around the show ground ‘facing off’ against each other, in a chronological order. This means that you can walk around and see the development of both brands, how the cabs evolved and got bigger along with the bigger engines as the years progress. The show has a serious pull for operators and drivers with a big contingent from Ireland and also the Netherlands making expensive and timely crossings and journeys to compete. It is also a joy for photographers. Each space is measured exactly out for the drivers to be able to fully open their doors without striking the truck next to them, and there…

I have to admit, it was a very ‘lastminute.com’ decision to attend to the last Truckfest show of the year, the Newark ‘original’ show, but working on the assumption that it would be my last truck show of the year, and a vaguely acceptable weather forecast, the 45-minute drive meant it was better than sitting at home! The images I saw on social media of the trucks arriving on the Friday made me think it might be something of a muddy quagmire, but the Sunday when I attended the ground had dried out. While the sun was in and out all day, I still managed to get some acceptable images, see some great trucks and have a good few chats with many of the attendees. And when I headed home…

SEND YOUR STORIES TO THE EDITOR ct.ed@kelsey.co.uk Classic Truck, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent. In September, I had my ‘Waste Transportation Nostalgia’ stand at the N.E.C. writes Timothy Byrne. The Expo took place on 17-18 September. Attached are some photos of my stand. Timothy is an expert on waste management and has written quite a few books on the subject. As readers will know, he is also a regular contributor to Classic Truck. Ed…

The first task was to bring an overhead wire from a nearby tall telephone pole, to the house, then pin a thin connecting cable to the outside wall before pushing it through a drilled hole into the hallway, ready to have the phone itself connected up. The three-section, wooden ladders were needed to access the metal steps fixed to the pole's sides to give access to the very top. If the pole didn't have the steps already attached, then the GPO Linesman had to strap a pair of leg-irons; their sharp spikes providing grip to ascend the wooden pole. All totally fascinating stuff to a young, would-be, engineer! This very attractive little van is now with Ian Ferguson of Peterlee in the North-East. Ian is a retired firefighter and wanted…

The small East Sussex village of Laughton saw thousands of visitors to the final show of the season at Laughton Exhibition Centre. Thankfully the heavy rain and thunderclouds of 2024 were absent, and the owners of the classic vehicles were instead treated to a nice late summer's day. Among the more interesting vehicles on display was a 1956 Commer Q4 G/P Hoselayer and a 2.4 litre automatic Daimler/ Puch Pinzgauer 718 TMV (Trauma Management Vehicle) that served with the Royal Air Force at RAF Marham and RAF Odiham. Other exciting vehicles included a beautifully displayed Dodge fire engine and several Fords, Bedfords, Scanias and Volvos.…

Tippers were a ‘hot’ market when this pair of new Leyland Reivers started their first week of work at Arthur White Construction having been sold to them by the Lex Tillotson Leyland dealership in Newcastle Upon Tyne. The Reiver was a six-wheel chassis fitted with the Bathgate-built ‘G’ cab and was a 24-ton (gross) tipper. It was designed for off-site work as hub-reduction was built into the drive to lessen half-shaft breakage, endemic with heavily loaded lorries on uneven ground, so it was an ideal chassis for tipper and cement mixer use. It was in essence an Albion, having been built at the company's old plant in Scotstoun. The Albion name was dropped by the new Leyland consortium in 1972, when the Scottish plant became the specialist division for the…

In the 1950s and 60s, International Harvester and Mack attempted to sell middleweight trucks in the UK, but they were never huge sellers. The story of US trucks in the UK in the late 1970s is more interesting. In mid-1978, the film Convoy was released, and it used a Mack RS700 as the main character's drive, but other classic American trucks - conventional and cabovers – were seen. In 1979, a US TV series BJ and the Bear aired, with a Kenworth K100 Aerodyne as the main truck. Also in 1974, TRUCK magazine was born. Beforehand its rivals in the trade press had been pretty stuffy, but the new monthly magazine was a breath of fresh air. As well as road tests and industry news, it also looked into the…

Great mag for October. Just read Pip Dunn's article on W.E. Head's Leyland DAF 60. He mentions RDB had a depot in Aberdeen and ran a trunk service to Glasgow. My sadly departed pal, Jimmy Masson, used to drive there, at first in a Ford Cargo and later in a nice new Leyland Freighter with sleeper. I attach photos of Jim and the vehicle. There was also a 7.5 tonne curtain sider. I often met the foreman when I drove for Reckitt & Colman (Mr Sheen). He was a nice guy called Dennis. One day at Hutcheon of Turriff, a temporary agency driver on their 7.5 tonne jumped the queue, and when I spoke to him he threatened me. I mentioned it in passing to Jim, who told Dennis, and…