Following my posting up a picture of the Bedford TL 'Aero' concept truck Ron Pearce has sent me an e-mail to say: "I saw that photograph and it brought back many happy memories as I drove for Vauxhall/Bedford at that time and had the 'Long Haul' on a low loader taking it to shows and dealers often. The TM concept (shown above) was called 'Long Haul'...
"The 'Aero' was a aerodynamic box TL rigid. Both vehicles were way ahead of their time but all that side skirting and aerodynamic bumpers made the vehicles a bugger to get onto the low loaders , requiring the ramps to be packed up to reduce the angles. I never thought to carry a camera in those days so , unfortunately, have no photographic evidence." Well fortunately Ron, Richard 'The Brochure King' Stanier had this picture which he sent to me a while back...now click through here for more...
Ron continues: "Does anyone know if those two vehicles still exist?I had the pleasure of seeing the
Ron Pearce." So does anyone know when the Long Haul and Aero Bedfords are..?
I don't know what happened to the two trucks shown but there was also a less elaborate TM 4x2 concpt called the Techmaster (B989 UBM) and this appeared on the rally scene fairly recently.
With regards to the Long Haul, its not good news i'm affraid. She was cut up, had acid poured into the axles, engine and gearbox, gone for good. All of this took place at Bedfords Luton design centre.