Bedford TK
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Was Bedford’s little TK the UK’s ‘quintessential light truck through most of the 1960s and 1970s’ as claimed by Wikipedia? Or was it simply a lorry that sold well by doing exactly what it said on the tin? Either way, the TK’s popularity ensured that from its launch in 1959 it kept much-needed cash pouring into GM’s UK coffers for more than two decades before the arrival of its less-popular replacement, the TL. In retrospect it’s not hard to see the TK’s appeal. A simple driveline, no-frills cab and a broad model range that even included an artic was enough to convince thousands of hauliers and own-account operators to buy it, even though the TK’s non-tilt cab won it few friends in the workshop. Drivers,
meanwhile, grumbled about its lack of power, noisy cab and vision-restricting low windscreen. But, hey, who listened to drivers in 1970? Perhaps the TK’s greatest legacy is that, along with its Johnny-come-lately arch-rival the Ford D Series, it probably launched more truck-driving careers than any other lorry – then or since. (BW)