Budget Bedford Shines

UK-based restorer Mick Austin, and his brother Bob and good mate Neal, have recently finished this superb O-type. Mick has written a little story below giving the background of the Bedford and how and why she looks so wonderful today. Proof of what can be achieved on a limited budget.

The Bedford was new to Co-Operative Dairies, Northampton, England, and was used for collecting milk churns from various farms for many years. She was then sold to the Perritt’s company (also of Northampton) and used in their scrap business making runs to London a couple of times a week. After she was retired, restoration was started and abandoned and the vehicle was sold on to a local garage where her condition quickly deteriorated due to being stored outdoors and vulnerable to the British climate.

We bought the Bedford in a rather dilapidated condition and restored her in the open over a six-year period. This restoration was the subject of an eleven-part series in Classic and Vintage Commercials magazine. The whole point of the restoration was to see another Bedford O-type based on our Dad’s old motor which he drove for Procea Products Ltd in the 1950s. Neither myself, Bob or close friend of some 45 years Neal Boddington are skilled mechanics or vehicle body builders and we purely made it up as we went along ... on a ‘shoestring’!

It’s good to see our Australian cousins have opened up such a great Bedford web-site, good on yer sport and success for the future!

Thanks Mick and a huge thank you for providing the wonderful photos. The magazine series is a constant source of inspiration for me. I’ll have to read it again when I finally bring our Bedfords out of storage. Congratulations again.