Models such as the Morris Minor, Minivan, Ital and Maestro have all served as telecoms vans over the years. This gallery also includes a photo of the one-off Austin A35 GPO Telephones van which was evaluated in the 1960s.
The installation and maintenance of Britain's telephone network was originally the responsibility of the Post Office, and as with their purchases of Royal Mail vans, Morris (and later BMC) was traditionally the favoured supplier.
This virtual stranglehold was broken in the 1970s, although BL/Austin Rover continued to supply vans during the 1980s, a decade which saw not only the formation of the privatised BT (formerly British Telecom) but also the sale of ARG's Freight Rover division, which produced the Sherpa, in preparation for the privatisation of Austin Rover itself. Rover's final delivery of vans to BT took place in the early 1990s.
Car-derived vans
Models such as the Morris Minor, Minivan, Ital and Maestro have all served as telecoms vans over the years. This gallery also includes a photo of the one-off Austin A35 GPO Telephones van which was evaluated in the 1960s. |
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Purpose-built vans
A round-up of the larger BMC>Rover vans used by GPO>BT, so to speak. This gallery includes such models as the J2, LD, 250JU and, of course, the widely-used Sherpa and its derivatives. |
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