"My Dad invented the people carrier"

[morris_ital_lover]

Quote, John Bishop referring to his fathers attempt at creating a larger family car on a tight budget.

We've had "the Belmont factor" , we've had "estate of the art" so hows about shonky van based MPVs from the annals of time with "My Dad invented the people carrier".

 

 

Picture courtesy of Triggers scans on flickr.

[vulgalour]

Dad got a right bargain when Hotpoint were getting rid of their old fleet.

 

But the kids complained it was dark in the back, so to shut the little blighters up he carved some holes and put windows in for them.

 

Or at least, that's how I imagine it went. Probably got the idea from Mr Jones, his neighbour.

[eddyramrod]

That A35 belongs to Nick Bayliss of the A35 and A40 clubs. It was his dad's for many many years. We had one like it in 1973, a blue one, SCK 781. My parents used to tell me about their A40 Devon van, with windows much like the one you just posted. Seems they loved it. My entire childhood is littered with small vans (eg two Anglias) so this is a type of people carrier I know well! Might also explain why I kept the front bench seat from my rotten PA Velox and mounted it in the back of my CF van...

[morris_ital_lover]

We had one like it in 1973, a blue one, SCK 781. My parents used to tell me about their A40 Devon van, with windows much like the one you just posted. Seems they loved it. My entire childhood is littered with small vans (eg two Anglias) so this is a type of people carrier I know well!

 

A-ha we seem to have found a survivor.... Were the ones your parents used homegrown or professionally converted?

 

 

If you aren't a particulaarly woody kinda guy.... I assume this isn't too your liking:

So howz about this...

[eddyramrod]

I'm not much of a Minor fan at all, tbh, they don't do anything for me. As for the conversions, I would guess the Devon was a pro job (it was before I was born). A35? I think it was supplied new as a van, rear seat and windows added later as a tax dodge. It was already 10 years old when we got it, and rusty as hell. We later had a Mini van in a very similar blue, with a rear seat but no windows added. 573 DOU, long gone now.

[vulgalour]

Found some more.

 

Morris 10cwt converted van.

http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/morrisyvan.htm

 

This rather excellent Austin 10

http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/austin-10-van.htm

 

I suppose a Trojan minibus sort of counts?

[retrogeezer]

I remember drawing a wedge shaped people carrier type car when I was at school in 1982/3ish that was very similar to the Renault Espace.....sadly I binned all my school books when we moved house in 87.

[morris_ital_lover]

 

If found this but I don't want to believe that someone transported people in the back of it... does seem strange to have a rear window put in though!

 

Moving on... "Mummy, mummy... I heard Dad is getting us a new stylish 70s estate car. What shall it be? A coke bottle styled marina estate? A rehashed MK1 escort? A Hunter estate?"

 

 

"Oh"

 

Now availible in facelftied ex-BT flavour.

 

[Formula Autos]

John Bishop's Dad didn't invent the people carrier. Neither did Renault/Matra, with the Espace. Or even Dodge, with the Caravan.

 

The honour goes to either FIAT, with the Multipla:

 

Or maybe even little old Jowett, with this, the Bradford Van Estate (to give it its full title):

 

Unless someone knows of anything earlier? Straight from the factory I mean, not a home-made people carrier. (Pedant mode off)

 

Returning to shonky home brewed confections though:

[morris_ital_lover]

I think the Multipla is the first, I'm fairly sure it's the first built for the job, as opposed to converted from and existing model, mass production MPV out there. It's one of those statements similar to "we invented the seatbelt" when people from the 1950s talk about tying themselves to their seats when their parents were driving.... of course completely fogetting that there had been seat belts in a multitude of planes for ages.

[quicksilver]

Ok, so my dad didn't invent the people carrier but he did own what was allegedly the first Mitsubishi Space Wagon in the country - a white 84 B reg that was formerly an Autocar magazine long-termer. That's got to be worth something in the MPV bragging stakes

[Rusty Pelican]

I have this , A converted van done by a company called restall in Birmingham

 

[Pillock]

My grandparents had an A35 with shonky windows cut in the back.

I think back in the day, a people carrier was anything with physically enough space to put children in - vertically, horizontally, folded....

[barrett]

1949:

 

 

1953:

 

 

1958:

[Jozza]

I'd certainly go with the Multipla being the first purpose-designed and built people carrier, but what about a hat-tip to the Citroen Traction Avant Familiale with 9 seats?

 

 

although the middle row were fold-out things which took up most of the rear passenger's leg space.

[Father Ted]

Quote, John Bishop referring to his fathers attempt at creating a larger family car on a tight budget.

We've had "the Belmont factor" , we've had "estate of the art" so hows about shonky van based MPVs from the annals of time with "My Dad invented the people carrier".

 

 

Picture courtesy of Triggers scans on flickr.

My dad did a home brew version of the HA beagle with a grey HA (1968) , some glass, a jigsaw and a seat from a Ford Anglia bolted in the back to a wooden frame in turn bolted through the HA floor.

At some point I will pull the trigger on a Slide to Digital converter and convert some pictures of the van in the 70's gracing dads drive.

We ALL used to pile in the back of it.

 

Sheexh, its like the Red Hand Gang.

[dieselnutjob]

my dad had an A35 (I think) van with windows in it

then a

with two bench seats so six seats like a multipla

 

then a

with seven seats

 

and a

with wooden benches down each side

[barrett]