The turbo 400s actually weren't that slow, although the Rover V8 vehicles were the more famous as emergency service vehicles it is probably likely that more 400s that went to the blue light brigade were turbo-diesels than V8s...
@@A1DJPaul Having driven turbo 400s I can honestly say they really aren't that slow. They were a lot quicker than the same period Transit off the line and they could out-accelerate a fair few cars of the time too...
I drove one of these in Police trim regularly from about 87 when we went from 3.0 litre Transits van s to these. V8 and auto box, used to make a superb noise and if you put out an assistance call the noise made by that V8 coming to your aid was heard by all and sundry. My Claim to fame was on hearing an urgent assistance call ( police officer getting assaulted) I managed to A) handbrake turn a fully laden one and B) Managed to get it onto 3 wheels (due to some elderly gent totally not seeing us blue lights and sirens all going) and me needing to take last minute avoiding action or destroy an Austin Princess. You asked about economy. That night( a very busy non stop one we went from full tank to empty in about 4 hours and I think we worked it out to about 10mpg)
@Garry Talbot 10 MPG,that's going something. Last time I was driving buses (2002),I remember having a W reg Volvo 'decker,hugely fast,automatic & I'm sure they were the heaviest on the fleet at the time,they had trip computers & struggled to do 4.5 MPG however they were driven. These days my own barge is a Merc S320CDI & I'm known for wringing everything from a litre of diesel,I get 39 to 40MPG on a run,a 2 ton automatic capable of 145mph. Sometimes I have a trailer load of logs,950KG & I get 35MPG...
@@andythesoupdragon I always wondered what mpg buses got, 4.5 mpg is mad but I suppose it's hardly the lightest or most aerodynamic of vehicles. As a very occasional passenger the thing that always amazed me was the torque you could feel as the bus accelerates, pretty impressive with all those bodies onboard.
My job is arranging/booking motorhome holidays (outside of Europe). The company I use in Southern Africa still builds ALL of its motorhomes on LDV/Iveco chassis (very similar to this vehicle). They may rattle a bit BUT they are VERY robust - and the only model that can handle the unmade roads in South Africa; not to mention the corrugated dust tracks found across Namibia and Botswana. Having driven one across SA, they handle brilliantly. Stronger than they may look, simple to maintain and fit for purpose (importantly, with ample storage for tea!).
Postal/courier services loved them because they have a beam axel at the front which meant they could be smashed into curbs without messing up the tracking.
@@Johanniscool Yep they were bought out by SAIC who now make the maxxus pretty much on the old patterns with some cosmetic touches. It's got the ancient but worthy VM 2.5 diesel in it so at least that's not going to die.
Great interior in this. Thanks for the potted history of the Sherpa/Freight Rover/LDV. When I began my working life in 1978 the wire and cable firm I worked for had a 'P' reg Sherpa that naturally became very tatty. In 1983 it was replaced with a 'Y' reg Freight Rover (in Pageant Blue and they didn't bother with company livery on this one) and I got my very first van-driving experience in this, as being a youngster I had mundane tasks like going round checking how full the various workshop's oxy-acetylene cylinders were, and replacing them, and since we had two factories, I used to have to beg someone from the garage to drive me around to swap the cylinders, and it didn't usually go down well. Plus I was the one lugging gas cylinders around while the 'driver' just sat twiddling his thumbs while I worked. So eventually I managed to persuade the boss to put me on the company insurance, so at least I got a bit of a joyride out of the task. In 1986 they swapped the 200 for a 'D' reg LWB Transit with an overdrive gearbox, the first of the new generation Transits. Then in 1990 that went in favour of a high top Freight Rover 300, much like this one, and this one they liveried up in dark blue with orange company logo. I think by this time I was no longer doing the gas bottle collection rounds, as I was older and the company had shrunk and some departments had gone, so it was a while before I got behind the wheel of the 300, and I think maybe the first time I drove it was when I was allowed to borrow it to move a dismantled wooden greenhouse from an allotment to my parent's house. It was fun because yes, it felt wide. Taking a bend on my parent's estate I clipped a kerb with the back wheel just the once, then learned and compensated, and didn't do it again. An electrician colleague at a later time wrote off the sliding side door by cutting a corner and gouging the side on a bollard of some sort. I borrowed that van on a number of occasions and used it on company business, and I quite liked it. It's replacement was another Ford, a white 1996 Transit with a five speed box (which was nice but the gear lever seemed too far away, as if at fingertip reach) but the old Freight Rover was kept running alongside it for quite a while longer. My abiding memory of this van in its dotage is that I'd heard about a sticking front caliper, yet the van was still in use. I borrowed it to visit a company in Nottingham and on the way back, it became a battle to steer the van in a straight line and it would turn left just by releasing the wheel. Making it back to the yard, I jumped out and the left front caliper was smoking. Running inside the factory to find the 'doubting Thomas' of our fleet manager, by the time I'd found him and got him outside, the caliper had stopped smoking although the wheel was still hot. He jumped into the driver's seat, I into the passenger bench but sitting sideways so I could watch his expression, and we set off down the yard, minus seat belts, at a fair lick towards a brick wall dead end. Feet away from the wall Brian suddenly yanked on the handbrake and we shuddered to a stop. "WHAT HAPPENED?" I asked. Brian stamped on the footbrake which went straight to the floor. "No brakes" he said. "Hmm. It'll have to go in then. Oh well..."
We had a V8 with auto box when I was a young special constable. The throttle used to get stuck occasionally at the most inconvenient moments. I almost drove over a Reliant 3 wheeler one evening due to throttle sticking
Big fan of the LDV vans. Whenever we have had lots of work to do at our house or needed a vehicle for a specific purpose, LDV is always my first thought, as I begrudge throwing money away on van or skip hire. Great value workhorses and always sell on easily. We've had two LDV 200 panel vans with the 1.9d PSA engine including one with a sliding driver's door no less, an LDV 400 Tipper and an LDV 400 minibus, both with the 2.5di non turbo diesel Ford Transit engine! The tipper was bought for £1600 when my parents were completely gutting their bungalow and we figured we would've had to get about 14 skips @ £270 each to get rid of everything, and by the time we'd finished with the LDV, we'd only had to pay £16 for one load of plaster board at the tip. After over a year of solid use including collecting a huge amount of materials to go back into the bungalow saving us further money, we sold it straight away for £1850. For the life of me I don't know why Transits with their hideous propensity for rust are so popular when you can get the best thing from them (engine) and a chassis and bodywork that doesn't turn to dust.
As someone who has owned a couple of LDV vans I have a soft spot for them, I had a 400 with the Peugeot engine, a Convoy with the 2.5 transit Banana engine and a pilot with the XUD 1.9 diesel, all of which were self built campervans and served us well.
I worked as a Royal Mail driver mid 2000s and used to drive a pilot and a convoy, never really had an issue with them and they got rid of them and replaced them with a maxus, last year I saw the original pilot I used to drive parked up with people having a cup of tea in the back, it had been converted to a camper! Surprised it was still on the road with the stick it used to get from other drivers.
Yep, I bought a few from Paddock Wood (British Car Auctions). Used to pay around £1700/1800 each. Not a terrible vehicle and for me, I could order parts 24/7 from LDV/DAF motor factors in Ashford. I've literally ordered bits at 3 am and had them delivered 3 hours later!!, many parts were remarkably cheap. Thanks for the memory!!
I'd love that! It's not terrifyingly complicated or fast, it just bimbles. And when you've had enough of bimbling, you can stop and brew up or have a kip. Perfect! My dad had a couple of Austin J-4 vans, the second being his one and only brand new vehicle so I've always had a soft spot for their many variants.
Probably the best work van ever - so long as you don't need to zap along the motorway (which most work vans don't). A company I used to work for had two LDV 400 vans. One had the Peugeot engine and was great. The other had the Ford diesel and was gutless.
Oh the memories. I had a Convoy high high roof for twelve years, she was bright yellow and with the bonnet snout got called Big Bird. Big Bird ran from the south of England to the South of France for twelve years and in all the journeys she never died at the side of the road, with only one mishap which was a broken alternator bracket at Quercy but still got on the ferry at Cherbourg on time after a quick bodge. Vastly underrated and sad to lose her.
In 2000 we decided to drive from Somerset to Scotland for a holiday in one of these... stayed in a holiday cottage in Dunoon (didn’t use it as a camper, more a dayvan) As we neared the end of our stay, with an already major fuel crises happening, fuel rationing started and we had a 450 mile drive ahead of us!! We had chips from a chippy on a Glasgow council estate, plus cups of tea from some amazing people! And we stopped at every service station on the way back (we had originally planned a two day drive back visiting some sites, it did take over two days but the sites were motorway services) ‘but the LDV done exactly as it was meant to! That was certainly a memorable adventure!
Thanks for this! Always loved driving Sherpa/LDV minibuses for schools, partly because those door handles were a nostalgic reminder of childhood and my Dad's Austin 1800....
Cheers ian! Now I have to add an LDV to the list of vehicles i want! My church recently in the last few years got rid of there 400 mini bus! Always admired there simple utilitarian feel. The body was completely eaten with rust unfortunately.
I remember my grandfather used to drive these around when he worked for eastern electricity. Used to ride with him occasionally, great memories. Great video
Not boring history i realy enjoyed your explination. Worked for an Austin Rover dealer back in the 80s i remember the sherpa 200 n 300. We sold a vehicle to a charity that used it as a transport bus /ambulance. It had a 20 litre o series petrol engin flat as a pan cake bless it.😀 I think they did a 4x4 3.5 as well. Very nice van to drive. Great vid. Thank you.😁
Couldn't resist watching this again. The Peugeot 2.5 turbo seems to be a good engine. The 1985 Freight Rover 310 that I drove all over Ireland had a Land Rover naturally aspirated diesel engine I think. Like your 400 beavertail she went all over the place quite often at motorway speeds for long periods and never let me down. The hard ride did break on of the battery cables off once but that was an easy fix at the roadside, barely losing half an hour. She was roomy, strong and fast. The steering box was a bit worn so overtaking big trucks could make her wander a bit and when she was empty the rear single wheels would light up in the wet and lock up quite a lot, even in the dry but you learnt the limits pretty quickly. A proper workhorse. The cab doors were very well fitted and closed very precisely but the rear doors were made out of cardboard, it seemed. One of its talents was towing thanks to well chosen gear ratios. Great video. I think I am going to visit the LDV Pilot one again.
Awww, now you have my total and undivided attention. I had an older ex Staybrite Windows LDV 300 3 1/2 tonner. I converted her to a camper and travelled all over Europe in her. We went as far as Greece when I lived there, Sicily to visit friends and Turkey for the hell of it. I absolutely loved Connie the Camper, so many amazing adventures. This little beauty is positively sophisticated in comparison with mine. Mine lacked the turbo and power steering. The 2.5ltr Peugeot engine does have a fatal flaw as I discovered one morning just outside Bordeaux. The cylinder heads have a tendency to crack between the water jacket and the exhaust port. Needless to say it was an incredible adventure limping home. Luckily I was able to pick up a really cheap, very low milage engine in an RAF surplus sale. Putting it in was quite a job but a big strong friend happened to turn up at the requisite opportune moment 😊
I used to work at a towbar and trailer centre in Essex through the 90s and remember seeing these and their variants for towbar fittings. I found the history interesting, it's the way you tell it!!!
I used to drive for a company years ago when i was 17 and had a long wheel base version, absolutely bullet proof and will always have a place in my heart.
Thank you for starting my day off with a chuckle and a smile (brought to you by Lancaster ;) ). Over here in the States, most of our major auto companies had full sized vans up until sometime into the late 1990's to the mid 2000's. Most had either an I6 or a V8. Back in the early days, all of them had solid front axles. The last to have anything similar was the Ford Econoline series. I don't remember if they ever switched over to the Twin I-beam suspension of their full sized trucks. Very tough and true suspensions, hardly ever needing caster or camber adjustments (many were never adjustable). Now we are stuck with nothing but, if you'll pardon the expression, eurovans. You know the ones that sort of resemble a Sprinter, but in about 5/8 scale (almost look like someone in engineering decided to raise the roof on a Ford Escort wagon). In my profession, where I'm routinely off pavement and into dirt paths or fields, and the equipment we carry is best stored in a much easier to access area than a truck bed, the full sized van was about the perfect vehicle. (Sprinter is a bit tall - the headroom afforded there is only wasted). Ease of equipment access, all weather protection, including heat.for the equipment, and good ground clearance was what made them such a preferred choice. Lovely review of such a workhorse of the past. May you and the Mrs. have have a glorious weekend.
Thank you Mr Hubnut, for another informative video, I always learn something from you, and this time it was a question I asked myself when driving one of these vans, working for a parcel delivery company in the early 2000’s, it was brand new at the time, but it felt like it was about 20 years old!!, now I know why, the design of it was 20 years old!!.
Yes, rugged and tough old thing, I drove one owned by my company, used to take the service users around in it. It had an uncanny tendency to veer from a straight line. Was cheap to fix though, I liked it and I can understand why the more eccentric folk amongst us likes it as well...
I had a binding brake on one of these, Tended to be fairly frequent fault on the dafs. When i came to brake it did a huge veer too the left with only one brake working.
Being an American, I have heard that the UK has a ton of people owning camper vans. Or are they called caravans? With rising housing costs, more and more people are opting to buying caravans instead of paying rent. Either way it was a pleasant surprise to see this video this morning during breakfast. 😁
We used to call these "High tops". They actually drove better than the smaller LDV and with the double rear axle they did not spin and tramp when trying to pull away on a wet road.
MMM sherpatastick!!! a rare beast can't remember when i last saw one in the flesh they were a real work horse for the local council when i was a lad back in the early 80s in north Yorkshire they were a lovely yellow
"I had a poster of one of these on my bedroom wall". Why are we not surprised?! Farah Fawcett us no Farah Fawcetts when there's an LDV picture needing wall space :-). A very interesting story Ian, thanks for that; I'm sadder that they've gone now I know more about them.
We used them loads back in my military days. They were central to so many adventures! They were stuffed full of mates and as much adventure training kit as you could get your hands on and off you went, getting paid to go hill walking,mountain biking,canoeing and any other activity you can think of! They will hold a place in my heart as they were so central to these adventures. No very fast,not especially attractive or comfortable but very spacious and capable.
It needs velvet curtains and fringe. As an American that grew up with a friend's dad having a 70's "love van" there are certain details that are just necessary. ;)
“Wiper geek”..! 👍 A shame, Mr Seabrook, that we are a dying breed... Btw, I’m still waiting for that 10-min mega video of everything wipers... pantographs, the brilliant Mercedes single arm square arc wipe, and the newer 4-pivot wiper arms.. 😍
You just dont see ldvs on our roads most likley rust but credit to its owner keeping this one on the road the last time i seen one was a post van many years ago but everytime i watch these vidios its like a history lesson enjoyed this one
I prefer the dash to the later convoys. The convoy is an utter barn. It's going to be the basis of my camper. You need to so more "automotive history with hubnut " while driving round 👍
I remember seeing these in The Bill and noticing the Leyland DAF badge. It made me sad as it reminded me that Leyland Buses were no more. I noticed the van Jaws attacks and lifts off the ground in The Spy Who Loved Me is one of those early ones badged simply as Leyland and I immediately figured the vans with that sharp nose from The Bill was a later version of it.
In the late 1990s, our school had 3 minibuses: 2 LDV Convoys (one on an N and the other on an R plate), plus a rather battered and rusty F plate Transit. The Transit was the most reliable by a considerable margin; the newer Convoy was more or less brand new at the time, but both of the LDVs would regularly refuse to start. They also were absolutely not up to the task of ferrying a load of teenagers through the Peak District, the engines proving chronically underpowered when faced with any kind of upward incline. Yet despite their many failings, I can’t help but like the damned things. Possibly because they’re both British made and a compete underdog. Or maybe just because I find it remarkable that a van based on 1960s underpinnings was still made 40 years later!
Dunno why it is, but the French are absolute masters of diesel engines--or small capacity turbo engines in general, for that matter. The 1.5 dCi engine I had in my Nissan Micra was so smooth that passengers regularly thought it was a petrol engine, and the 900cc TCe in my current Dacia Sandero is probably the best petrol engine I've ever driven.
5 лет назад
Missus is on her second company Clio with the 1.5 DCi engine and they are awesome performers and great on fuel.
Hi Ian, drove one of those, same wheel base, as a mini bus and found it easy to drive and comfortable. Only let me down once when the alternator went , the battery went flat and it would not start.
Used to drive one when i lived in cambridgeshire in the late 90’s. It’s was awful to be honest but it never broke down, drove it all over the country delivering things. I can’t say i’m massively fond of them but no bad memories so there’s a plus
I always loved Leyland products and the BMC predecesors, I have had over the years a JU van an EA van and 360 FG and a 900 FG lorrys. All were very reliable and fuel efficient, the 360 would give me over 40mpg as would the EA the JU had the petrol engine and gave over 30mpg as did the FG900 which had the 5.1 liter 6 cyliunder diesel. Driven many thousands of miles in them.
I had an old 1976 BL Sherpa camper for a bit in the late 80s, the thinner model. Took it all over the UK and France for holidays, even sleeping in cold weather with the gas oven on low for heating (and an open window!). Like a lot of camper vans in the UK, it had a low mileage for its age and had been serviced well so it was very reliable. It seemed happiest at 60mph, though, like many campers then, it rattled a lot at all speeds .It had an overdrive and over time, this became increasingly difficult to engage but as it made surprisingly little difference to top gear and a local garage quoted a ridiculous price to repair it, I never bothered to fix it. In the end it went to a good home - I sold it to a local family with 4 young children, who gave it some TLC, and I sometimes saw them all happily chugging along in it on day trips along the coast.
My brother in law owned and maintained one of these for several years,without breaking it Amazing really,he had the mechanical competence of a baboon wielding an ill fitting adjustable spanner.
at work we made the chasie cab ones into tippers, the ones with the transit engines when i first started. LDV said we had to extent the bottom frame, the part that didnt tip into the cab on the crew cab ones due to the chassie being too weak! We had to chock the rear seat up on wood... love those vans, no one else did at work.
Thats the first ever time I've had a tour AND been for a drive in an LDV van/camper. Brilliant! and Oh so different to my 2017 Sprinter van. massive difference under the bonnet. Nonetheless I enjoyed this video, yes Im a van man at heart, ex "Toolmaker" too. I also watched the demolishing of the LDV factory from my trundlings up the M6, sad sight and even today I often glance across to the now flat piece of land. Great video!! Thumbs up from me.
Fridge-cam, actually created the full experience. I lived in a Ford Transit MWB hi-top, professional conversion, it was excellent. Resale can be whatever someone else is willing to pay, l asked for what l paid for it, and got it, the only vehicle l have ever owned, that did not depreciated. FFW 2 years......It went past me on a roundabout and though not as clean as l kept it, it was great to see the next owner, still enjoying it, as a daily runner.
Wow this brings back memories, my dad had one (without dual wheels) for a company he once owned after his ford transit got stolen in the mid 1990's. I remember doing a few trips with him in it delivering lawnmowers and other gardening equipment around the Midlands and Warwickshire.
Ferried to school in these larger sherpas, the freight rover incarnation years, as a 16 seater minibus. The smaller freight rover sherpa was a very cramped 12 seater. Bit of a squeeze when all us kids were in one with our massive "Head" brand school bags...
You were close to me Ian. I am on the coast in Porthcawl and I often ride my motorbike round that Caerau loop then turn left to go back down the Avon valley, Sometimes I go over the Bwlch (where you stopped) then up to Merthyr or even onto Brecon if I'm feeling adventurous.
I had one of these! Also decked out as a camper. It was possibly the best vehicle I ever owned. Mine didn't have a turbo though, all of 75 horsepower but it still had good torque. Mine didn't have a sliding door. We went everywhere in it. He would clag like a trooper when cold starting. We looked like complete gypsies but didn't care a jot. Ours was the Long Wheel Base version.
One of my work mates had one of these. Used to travel across country to Carmarthen at the weekends.. dropped me off in Knighton where I was bang...😎 SEEING this girl.. 😁
Nice old van, I used to drive a convoy box luton variant for a now defunct furniture charity years ago. It was a noisy and crashy over bumps but not too bad to drive. The main issue we had was it seemed to love eating though it's clutch. It was a transit engine, but not sure about the gearbox, but I know the transit didn't suffer the same way though.
I used to love driving the later Convoy's from Sixty Kennings with the Ford Duratorq engine which also sported the then 'new' Transit gear lever too, I'd regularly 90mph out of these. I'd happily buy and use one as a daily. I used to deliver around Shirley, Solihull, Birmingham, Redditch and Leamington Spa from Reading back in 2000 to 2004.
Takes me back! In the late 70's I worked for a professional video equipment distributor in Leeds and we had a contract to re-equip the entire Police force training (!!) acadamies with the latest video record/playback and editing euipment, it was a BIG contract! So my job was to drive around the country delivering and installing it all. The company hired a van for the first weeks schedule and I went to collect it. The hire company bod took me out to the vehicle, a brand new, red Sherpa diesel, delivery miles only, first hire! Being a petrol head I actually took it easy for the fist 500 miles or so, gradually easing up to the 1000 mile mark before giving it some stick! Must have been the only hire van in the UK that was ever run in!! Being new it was relatively quiet, for a van of the time, and everything was smooth but it was anything but quick! When loaded it struggled to maintain 50 up hills and 70 on the level seemed strained. I was relieved when that job was finished and I could go back to my Mk2 Escort 1.3L estate!
Like the LDV history with pleasant scenery too one thing that stands out to me the resemblence between the two vehicles fox and LDV front ends lights positioning number plate etc now there's a thought a mini camper van 😁
Great video I love an LDV I have a late Convoy with the 2.4 duratorq it's turbo intercooled with the 130bhp remap. She goes really well. It's nice to see a proper review of an LDV that doesn't slate them because that's what everyone does. Good work 👍👍
What kind of flaws does the 2004 convoy 90hp have, I have one I enjoy it but it's at 53k Miles bought it 6months ago and have had to change the flywheel and clutch, back brakes, left wheel bearing has been giving a lot of trouble so likely needs a who new hub and axle,.abs etc, the ignition barrel got stuck so that needs to be fixed, the air blew it's fuse and now after replacing only blows out cold so debating if it's a few bits to spend money on and then it will be right or if it will be a money pit 🤔 great for lack of rust to must have been stored indoors any insight greatly appreciated
It's a SOG toilet so never needs chemical or has nasty smells, so showering and *hitting is quite 'doable' :) Razor is in the cupboard opposite, which makes the 'three S's is a viable prospect lol.
I think the Sherpa's finest moment was in 'The Spy Who Loved Me'. We had the original Sherpas in my first job but they kept blowing head gaskets as I think the engine was just a dieselized version of the Marina 1800! Back in the nineties I was in Spain and saw a lot of Morris J4s rebadged as EBRO (I think) with black plastic trim and square lights. Also booted Austin 1100s.
In this post...I would have to say I like that a lot. All the comforts of home on the move. That would suit me and my wife for days out as, sadly, she is disabled and Couldn't stand long journeys by plane/train. No speed king as you say, but who cares?
Nice video Ian. All the COOP milkman had Sherpers around us. I was told the reason was because they could sit at tick over forever without damage or overheating.
We had a Convoy as a minibus at college. We were responsible for all the maintenance on the thing if we wanted to use it for college days out. Remember practically recommissioning the bloody thing to go to Haynes motor museum!
Paraphrasing: "I also remember these as riot vans when I was young". You rebel! 😉 I did a brief stint at Royal Mail in summer 2003. I had my driving assessment in an LDV Convoy but did my mail collection rounds in a bouncy 52 reg Pilot. I had the 'pleasure' of the LDV Maxus too a few years later which were rented from Hertz when the delivery company I worked for needed more vans. I had to take one of them back as the central locking failed. You needed decent locks when delivering in an urban area.
I like hearing the history of vehicle Sprinters arent falling over..they are rusting under your feet (like VW LT and Crafter) haha, I hope the new 3rd gen isnt rusty as the previous ones
I love the old ldv vans. I remember many years ago me and a friend bought an ex po one smaller version than this we used to drive it up and down from Devon to Wolverhampton every weekend I remember it wasn't a ball of fire and it smelt like someone had poured diesel all over the place. But what fun and it never let us down
It's funny at high school they had LDVs even more spooky is I ended up servicing them and decommissioned them when I was an apprentice mechanic 😊 I really love these vans. We had transits also but I just preferred the 400 the smiley face transits rusted just as bad. The interior I found it a bit plasticky but still 😊 being a Peugeot guy all my moderns have been Peugeots 3x 205, 2x diesel, 1x petrol and 2x 206 😊
Hell I am going off topic but the works van was a long wheelbase Ford transit 4x4 a bloody awful beast lol the older mechanic blew it up rebuilt it and was never the same again 45 to 50mph was a slog. Esp with plant spares arrrgh I can hear it screaming now.
I like the original Sherpa design too. But then, I like boxy square things so no surprises there! I remember that management buy out of Leyland DAF - we got local news from Birmingham and they talked of little else for weeks at the time (I think there were quite a lot of people employed at the plant, and even then I think most people knew the British car industry was on borrowed time). I worked for Royal Mail in Kidderminster in the late 90s and they were still using the LDV Pilots then. Nice little vans in red. Unfortunately that paint is some of the worst for fading to pink. You still occasionally see the odd one - someone around here uses an R-reg Pilot for his TV aerial business, but it's faded almost to white in places. (You can still make out the Royal Mail logo because it's redder than the surrounding paint, and also the little tyre pressure numbers they used to apply over each wheel!) I don't know what they replaced them with or what they use now - our postie drives a little Transit Connect. When I worked there it was a mix of Pilots and Ford Escorts. I do like the idea of camper vans but practically, they always struck me as too much of a compromise. Mainly because when you get where you're going, you then have to drag everything around with you if you go out for the day. You're limited in terms of awnings (which for caravanners, are great for providing extra sleeping space in nice weather) as again, you would have to dismantle it all before you go shopping, head to the beach or whatever. No, I'd rather have a classic caravan I think. Quite fancy a 70s Royale or Safari with the lantern roof, but all the affordable ones are rotten now.
Another great video!. I loved these vans, remembered them fondly when i was YTS trainee with my local council. Back then our council had mostly Leyland vans in it's fleet!
Used to drive a Sherpa minibus for a job. Underpowered for bus work and overheated a lot. Their best trick was gear sticks snapping off - happened to me in a town centre once.
