Austin 152.
Keith Belcher's father set up a plant hire business in the 1950s, and among various photos of vehicles owned by both Keith and his father were these two period images. Both show a specially-bodied Austin 152 truck in use with the business. The 152 dates from a period in the history of the British Motor Corporation (BMC) where badge-engineering was rife, in a bid to keep ardent supporters of the marques now brought together under the BMC umbrella, happy. Austin fans could choose the 152, while buyers of Morris-badged products (only) could instead buy the near-identical Morris J2, in either petrol- or diesel-powered form. Bar slightly different front panels, and badging, the Austin and the Morris were basically the same vehicles.
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Photograph number one is a side-on view of an Austin 152 loaded with a dumper truck, attached to a trailer loaded with a similar item of plant. The body looks to be a heavy-duty type built to carry heavy items of plant such as diggers, dumper trucks, and the like. So while similar to the factory pickup, this Austin doesn't have the usual factory-built rear body but instead a purpose-built beavertail design not dissimilar to that used on single-vehicle recovery vehicles. (Some years ago I bought a rare surviving example of the related Morris J2 pickup, with a factory body).
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The second photo shows the 152 (now signwritten) at rest outside the firm's premises. Various items of snow-covered classic plant are in evidence, as are - to the right - tantalising glimpses of a Ford 100E saloon, and a larger BMC lorry. Thanks for allowing me to share the photos on OCC.
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Return to Page 19 in the photographic archive, or visit the main index here.
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