4x4 vans - Sherpa vs. CF

[Lacquer Peel]

These scans have been sitting in my photobucket for a while, I haven't even used photobucket for years due to it turning into a crock of shit. They might have been posted on a quieter forum before.

I love the idea of a 4x4 van and have driven the modern equivalents of these, a Sprinter 4x4, which isn't very good at being a van or an off roader, and a Transit AWD which is better at being a van and offers a bit of extra grip, but isn't really an off roader.

Not sure what these 80s efforts are like, probably very agricultural.

 

 

How purposeful does this look?

 

 

Jesus, 2.3 diesel automatic version available!! Imagine that with the extra drag of a 4x4 system

 

As you'd expect from FF it's quite an advanced 4-wheel drive setup with an automatic viscous coupling.

 

 

 

Who remembers regional councils? I do. The interior looks reasonably plush for a 70s designed van.

 

Sherpa scans coming later.

[Bren]

Sherpa with V8 powah?

[Rusty_Rocket]

We have a Sherpa 4x4.  It's a chassis cab and has a dropside pickup-style body.  I'd love to tell you how it drives but we've not had it moving under its own steam, but will hit the road again one day.  We got it from a welsh scrap yard, no-one else wanted it! 

[Lacquer Peel]

Sherpa with V8 powah?

 

B series diesel and O series petrols I'm afraid!

[vulgalour]

Pictures of that please, Rusty!

[Rusty_Rocket]

I'll get some snaps when I'm next at the yard.  It featured in the ebay tat thread at the time, I couldn't help but mention it to my Sherpa-loving friend.  We also have two Sherpa panel vans and a couple of ex-BT lutons.  I don't like driving them !

[vulgalour]

I'd love to find out if my nerves or the handling of a Sherpa give way first on a tight fast corner in the rain.  I've always wanted to have a drive of a proper Sherpa and never have, I can't imagine they're any good but they look super.

[Cavcraft]

In a local/mid range free-ads paper someone spent what seemed like years trying to sell a Sherpa 4x4 for £1,700. I always regret not saving up to buy it, think it was in Market Drayton somewhere.

Looking forward to seeing the scan.

 

 

*Tax ran out on that CF in 1994

[Rusty_Rocket]

Found a pic of the 4x4 on my laptop-

 

 

Collection day with my tRusty Discovery.

 

Vulg- the worst thing about the panel vans is a total lack of grip (and hence movement) when one rear wheel hits a patch of grass/ gravel/ crisp packet.  They are relatively easy to do a power* slide in apparently !!

[sheffcortinacentre]

never seen the CF,  seen a swb Sherpa poptop camper & loads of transit countys. the later two benefit from selectable 2 or 4wd.

[Guest Hooli]

O Sherpas, great for going sideways indeed. The make Transits appear to have a lot of grip & fast lol

[chaseracer]

The viscous-coupling FF transmission in the CF is pretty sophisticated!  Good enough for Jensen...

[Guest Hooli]

Viscous centre diff was used in some properly shaped RRs too.

[wuvvum]

I never managed to get a Sherpa sideways.  All mine would ever do was spin the inside rear wheel.

[cms206]

I never managed to get a Sherpa sideways. All mine would ever do was spin the inside rear wheel.

Sherpas seem to be a bit hit and miss in that respect. We ran a fleet of 2.5Di Convoys and most were fairly planted but one (W144 XTM) used to swap end without warning. It was fucking lethal. We had a W-reg 2.5TDi which did an indicated 3-figures and even that wasn't as scary.

[mercrocker]

My CF ambulance was FF 4WD.  Had single wheel rear axle like the council van in the brochure.   

[doobietoo]

Yep properly sideways mainly due to the superior steering lock, especially in the rain although its not something you would want to do really as they had the tendency to bounce once they were sliding...in a triumph transverse rear leaf spring sort of way...