Scooters by Double-decker
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A N unusual application for the r-1. Dennis Stork underfloor oil-engined chassis has been adopted by Douglas (Kingswood), Ltd., makers of the Vespa motor scooter, who have bought two vehicles with double-deck bodies.
These were built by Oldland Motor Body Builders, Ltd., Oldland Common, near Bristol. Each can carry 25 Vespas, 12 on the lower deck and 13 on the upper deck. The lower deck is loaded by a built-in ramp, and integral lifting gear provides for the upper floor. Both sections are closed by independent roller shutters.
At the front of the van the Luton extension is glazed to form a display window, which is floodlit after dark. The spacious cab has a Smith's heater.
One of these vans is based in London, tind each morning it collects at Padding ton Station a consignment of Vespas which has travelled overnight in a roadrail container from the Bristol factory. It then delivers the scooters to dealers' showrooms in any part of south-eastern England.
The other van operates throughout the Midlands, Yorkshire and Lancashire. On the first day of its rota it collects a load of Vespas from Birmingham railway station, and delivers to the various dealers around that city, finishing at the end of the day on the Wolverhampton side of Birmingham.
On the second day the van collects a load from Wolverhampton station for delivery in Stiaffordshire, and thus gradually works its way northwards to collect loads for railhead distribution from Sheffield and Manchester. Each day's route is arranged so that the van finishes at a point near a large city, where the next day's load is collected from the railway station.
In this way, Vespas leaving the factory each afternoon are in the dealer's showroom the followirig day, and places as remote from Bristol, as Dover or Southport can benefit from the express delivery service.
In the office, metal " dot " indicators on a magnetic map show how many Vespas are required in each town. The dots are removed immediately the Vespas leave the dispatch bay.