Luton body boost
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• Luton body sales have been enjoying something of a renaissance since mid-1986, and the appeal of the stylish new aerodynamic bodies mounted on the new shape Ford Transit is the reason why, according to Coachwork Conversions of Colne in Lancashire.
CC, which manufactures the "Maxiflow" Luton body for the new Transit, has been looking at the registration figures for Luton, box, and panel vans over the past four years. The annual figures make depressing reading for small body builders, as the share of Luton bodies in a largely static market has declined steadily since 1983.
That was the situation until mid-1986 when Luton sales performed a turnaround, and sales have been steadily increasing since then. Coachwork Conversions reports that bodybuilders have started to pay more attention to style and aerodynamics when designing Luton bodies.
The sloping aerodynamic nose on vehicles like the Transit and the Renault Traflc have helped to create an impression of an integral design when the Luton body is fitted to these vans.
The attractive appearance of the latest generation of Luton bodies — as supplied by CC, Walkers, Hawson Gamer, PEM, ATB and Brade Leigh — is already breaking down operator resistance, especially when they are compared with a conventional panel van.
Although Coachwork Conversion's Patrick Farrish says the panel and chassis cab overall market is likely to remain static during 1987, he expects the Luton share of that market to expand.
According to Farrish, the Luton sector will continue to increase until a peak is reached later this year. CC will be concentrating the bulk of its efforts on the 15 tonne GVW sector with its Ford Transit Maxiflow conversion.