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The Mighty Sherpa (LDV etc)


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I've recounted before, I owned an ex RM 200 minibus. M reg, 1.9 N/A XUD (that apparently came from a Citroën BX after it lunched the original one) and brush painted blue. Cost us £250 with a fresh ticket, but I ended up paying £1300 to insure it the first year, despite my local broker's best efforts.

Doors had to be tied shut, conversation was a no-no with the engine on, it did 55 tops, got crashed into a couple of times, and generally annoyed the fuck out of the financed X5 mob at the kids school. Got chased by the police in it once: they were in a 1.6D Escort. Hilarious Brilliant. Rubbish. Perfect AS material.

When I worked for ParcelFarce I got to drive a few too. The main RM depot at Sighthill kept several vans worth of bits out the back of the workshop, such that by the time they were demobbed, they were probably a case of Trigger's Broom or the woodsman's axe! All XUDs too.

Did maw in law's flitting with a 2.5TD luton, which was just as slow, noisy and shite, except it had power steering.

My first interest in them though, were the unresolved youthful attempts to buy an ex Strathclyde Police V8 riot van from the abattoir auctions with my mate. Still would: the sound of that roaring up Hope St one Saturday night in full blues' n'twos mode is something to remember!

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Cheers! The one we bought was as a matter of practicality, with too many kids and big dogs to cart around. Nothing made it any better or worse, weight, gravity, momentum...didn't matter.

The riot van was because a joiner near our school had an equivalent V6 Tranny, and we thought that was underwhelming. When my mate worked out where the polis were disposing of them, the plan was hatched! If you were lucky, they'd leave the grills on them, in fact all they'd remove was radio, lights, siren and the actual Strathclyde logo!

 

Also forgot; the one and only FWD prototype, which I recall reading about in the late 80s. It was essentially the front subframe and rear axle from Peugeot's Sevel van, 'crafted' into place, to see if they could do a FWD Sherpa of their own. Looked quite distinctive, because the ride height was uneven and the back edge of the front arches had been reprofiled to accommodate the different motion of a steered FWD wheel.

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  • 2 weeks later...

One day we need to stage a drag race between Lankytim's Pilot and my Trafic. 

 

 

In other news, this is back on eBay, now at 99p start with no reserve. 

 

s-l1600.jpg

 

I would've expected an F plater to have a Peugeot engine rather than Land Rover, but I ain't no expert.  I have just Googled the dimensions though - the internet reckons 3.2m wheelbase and 2.1m wide without the mirrors.  I'm sat here wondering whether any of my local trailer hire places is likely to have anything that big.  And whether there's a cat in hell's chance the Movano would drag 3 tonnes back from London without shitting itself.

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Found this out on delivery today. From the livery it looks like an ex patient transport vehicle.

 

post-20743-0-28075300-1488811132_thumb.jpg

 

Though judging by the blacked out windows and it's proximity to a house receiving major works I think it's now a builders van. Seems to have an awning on the nearside too.

 

post-20743-0-13545000-1488811182_thumb.jpg

 

Seems quite rusty even from the outside. The panel behind the rear number plate is slowly dissolving as is the panel above the exhaust. If the visible bits look bad I dread to think what the bits you can't see are like.

 

post-20743-0-72387100-1488811234_thumb.jpg

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Guest Lord Sward

 

I would've expected an F plater to have a Peugeot engine rather than Land Rover, but I ain't no expert. 

 

 

I'd have said PSA lump too given that grille. 

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That white Liskeard one looks like the ultimate cut and shut, I think it's the way the change in shade of white halfway down the side matches up with the random change in window height. Sure it's not the front end of a 1982 Sherpa? ;)

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Today in Liskeard; late model madness!

Supplied by my former employer, Blythswood Motors; I had to go to Stoke or somewhere stupid to repo a 57-plate Convoy Max minicoach too.

 

He kept stuff lying for ages, the Transit minibus I sold Moog was a Blythswood job; '87 chassis, '89 buildplate on the body and it finally hit the road on an M-reg (M876 DDS) still with a 4 speed 'box and no PAS.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

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One day we need to stage a drag race between Lankytim's Pilot and my Trafic. 

 

 

In other news, this is back on eBay, now at 99p start with no reserve. 

 

s-l1600.jpg

 

I would've expected an F plater to have a Peugeot engine rather than Land Rover, but I ain't no expert.  I have just Googled the dimensions though - the internet reckons 3.2m wheelbase and 2.1m wide without the mirrors.  I'm sat here wondering whether any of my local trailer hire places is likely to have anything that big.  And whether there's a cat in hell's chance the Movano would drag 3 tonnes back from London without shitting itself.

This sold for £26.  Twenty six pounds. :shock:  I'm proper gutted that I couldn't figure out a way of getting it home.

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