A panel van is a standard addition to a many a car builder’s range, and BMC were no different. Under a range of names from Morris Commercial, Austin, BMC, Leyland and Freight-Rover, a range of light commercials, some directly based on cars and others sharing engines and transmissions, were a common sight in Britain from the 1930s on. Although this was the last of the line, it came with a very different history.
BLMC’s light van heritage came (predominantly) from BMC and within BMC from Morris Commercial, part of the Nuffield empire. The last one, from that family line, was the 1974 Leyland Sherpa, itself a derivative of the early 1960s BMC J4 series (the rear doors were common, for example) soldiered on, under a range of names until 2004.
Under a range of names? Well, remember it was BLMC, so the brand names were always up for debate, from Leyland Sherpa, then just Sherpa, then Freight Rover Sherpa, Leyland DAF 200 series, when Leyland trucks and DAF merged and the LDV 200 series when the van business was separated again under a management buy out from the bankrupt Leyland DAF business in 1993. Finally, a major facelift resulted in the LVD Pilot in 1996, but eventually the market caught up with it. Leaf spring front suspension was really no longer good enough.
LDV was a small business, employing perhaps 1000 people, and like the later MG-Rover concern, had little in-house design and development capability. It was a van builder, buying in engines and gearboxes from its former parent, Perkins or Peugeot.
The new product actually stared life as a Daewoo design, developed in joint venture between Daewoo in Korea and LDV in Birmingham. The project started in 2000, with the intenrtion of Daewoo producing the van in Korea and Poland, as well as LDV in the UK. When Daewoo Motor had its troubles, LDV was able to secure full ownership of the project, and the production equipment was all moved to Birmingham from Poland.
The now named LDV Maxus came to the market in early 2005, powered by an Italian VM 2.5 litre diesel engine with 95 bhp or 120 bp, front wheel drive through a five speed gearbox. The gross weight ranged from 2.8 to 3.5 tons, with an option of short or long wheelbases, three roof heights and the usual possibilities for different uses and bodies.
The interior was notable for the central instrument pod, and the high mounted gear lever, both huge changes over the very dated Sherpa, and arguably fully competitive with its contemporaries. The interior quality was a bit rough and ready, even by van standards, although the specification levels were pretty good.
It was sold, predominantly in the UK and Ireland, although there were exports to some of the traditional UK export markets.
Users tended to be either the high volume, lower specification customers, such as the Post Office, and other organisations having to buy on value, such as the police, hire companies and school minibuses. The post office has only recently decommissioned the last ones, and given the use they got, that suggest a pretty tough van. And no doubt cheap.
Many are now filtering through to the sole trader builder/electrician/plumber and courier users, though they will never will hold bragging rights against a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter or the dominant Ford Transit.
LDV failed in late 2005, and was purchased by the Russian GAZ company, with a plan for production to start in Russia. The company failed again in June 2009 and was ultimately sold to SAIC. A Chinese assembled van and pick-up are now being offered in the UK, in a low profile, low volume way, and is also available in Australia.
The only vans now built in Britain are the Vauxhall/Opel Vivaro, a twin of the Renault Trafic, which is assembled at Luton, in the old Vauxhall factory. Ford Transit production is now centered on Turkey.
Very interesting Roger, I recall seeing LDV’s when last in Britain and being puzzled by the name. Then it was forgotten until just now so thank you! It’s interesting to see that such a relatively small operation can have some success (although it didn’t end successfully) along the way.
Buying in drive trains, and producing/assembling what is a relatively low-tech product could be somewhat profitable given the market competition. It’s interesting that it doesn’t happen more, “shed” operations seem to tend to focus on making unreasonable supercars and the like before usually folding rather than something like this.
And before I forget, I find “Sherpa” to be the best name ever thought of for a cargo/delivery vehicle. Brilliant and great piece of British wit!
In the same line of naming, the revised version of the Sherpa was know as the ‘K2’.
The whole J4 to Pilot is an interesting tale where some elements of the design carried through each time there were changes to the point where there was very little left of the original design save some of the measurements – a bit like the proverbial ‘Grandpa’s axe’ (or ‘Trigger’s broom’ as many in the UK might say).
what’s the Chinese one called (the one available now)?
After a failed brand renaming to Maxus, the vans are now available as LDV V80, now accompanied by a smaller one, called the G10 (this one only in Oz/NZ)
What happened to the “Cars We’ll Be Photographing Later” series? This seems like exactly the kind of unremarkable, slow-selling contraption that will be forgotten forever if not for CC! See also: BMW 5GT, Sterling Bullet, Suzuki Kizashi…
LDVs have always been well-known and popular in New Zealand – the Rover V8-engined Convoy/Pilot cab-chassis was used as the basis for a large number of prison vans and ambulances.
The current V80 (née Maxus) model is everywhere here too (although not at Transit levels), no doubt helped by LDV’s plentiful TV advertising and excellent prices. The larger V80 sells well in cargo van form to courier drivers and in cab-chassis form to camper-van manufacturers. Here’s the current range:
The new LDV G10s are getting quite common here in Australia… I want to say that Australia Post has started using them? Courier companies have, at least. No diesel yet but a 2.0 turbocharged four, modern styling inside and out. This is a Chinese vehicle that could make serious inroads here, where others have failed (Geely and Chery went nowhere, Great Wall’s cheap pickups turned out to be horrible and sales absolutely cratered)
There was a lineup of new LDVs parked roaside in Napier recently prices starting at 27K, thats almost used exJDM Toyota hiace money, but its new with a warranty, plenty of them in use here too.
After buying by the Russian GAZ company, the LDV Maxus became the base for the 2013 Gazelle Next, family of trucks and vans.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAZelle_NEXT