A Smart
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New Bedford Delivery Van
MORE and more importance is being attached to the publicity value of the light delivery van, and retailers have come to look upon this type as a valuable moving advertisement, as well as a means for effecting quick deliveries. Vauxhall Motors, Ltd., Edgware Road, London, N.W.9, has long appreciated this factor, as is borne out by its 12-cwt. and larger models, which, from their introduction, have been extremely popular.
The company now announces a new Bedford 8-cwt. van which, in addition to having an interesting chassis specification, including a six-cylindered engine and four-speed Synchro-Mesh easychange gearbox, also possesses a particularly smart appearance.
The wheelbase is 8 ft. 5 ins, and the loading space behind the driver is 75 cubic ft., with an extra 10 cubic ft. if one includes the space by the side of his seat. The engine is a new overhead-valve unit with a detachable head and four-bearing crankshaft, and it is insulated in its anchorage by steelreinforced rubber mountings. The bore is 57 mm. and the stroke 100 ram. A Zenith down-draught carburetter is fitted, this beiug supplied by means of a pump from a nine-gallon rear petrol tank.
Lubrication is of the automatic pressure-feed type' and the connecting rods are drilled to give forced lubrication to the gudgeon pins. Air and oil filters are, of course, included, whilst chassis lubrication is by high-pressure gun. A 1-Volt electric lighting, start:Jig, and ignition system is supplied, the double-filament headlamp bulbs being controlled by a foot-operated dimmer switch.
The Synch ro-Mesh fitting in the fourspeed gearbox gives an absolutely foolproof change between the silent third and top gears. The device has been for Some time a standard fitting on Vauxhall cars and consists of a frictionclutch 'arrangement, which synchronizes the sp.3eds of the gears before permitting them to engage.
Worm-and-sector steering gives a right-hand turning circle of 35 ft. 4 ins. and a left-hand circle of 33 ft. 4 ins. The four-wheel-brake system is compensated and of an improved Duo-servo type, the hand lever operating the same set of shoes as the pedal.
The chassis has semi-elliptic springs at the front and the rear, and four hydraulic lecoil dampers are fitted. Wire wheels carrying 4.75-in. by 17-in. medium-pressure tyres complete the chassis specification.
As regards the bodywork, the body frame is well ironed at the joints, and
there are full-width doors at the rear, hung on strong self-aligning hinges and having a private lock. At each side of the driver is it full-depth door with a winding window; the driver's buckettype scat is adjustable for legroom. The safety-glass windscreen is of the single-panel type and has an electric wiper.
There is no doubt that the appearance of the van is enhanced by the shape of the chromium-plated radiator. This harmonizes well with the eddy-free windscreen top and with the modern curves of the front and rear wings;' which have side fairings. Another important factor in the appearance is the full-length sweep of the bonnet-top line, which is unbroken from the radiator to the rear doors. A. neat feature is the arrangement of the external petrol-tank filler just behind the near side of the rear wing.
The price of this Bedford van is £1541, which includes complete equipment with spare wheel and tyre. An extra £5 is charged for finishing in any of several standard colour schemes.
With the introduction of this new Bedford van, Vauxhall Motors, Ltd., now has a complete range of light vehicles that should meet the requirements of all classes of operator interested in small-capacity machines.