Nathan Williams posted a couple of shots of curbside van life in Bristol, UK. I can’t readily identify this bad boy, and don’t have the time to go digging around for an answer, but I’m sure someone will have it soon.
I get the clear impression from these and other shots of vans and trucks with living space and such that it’s ok to park them for extended periods of time on the streets. I know this one next to a primary school is going to bring on some reflexive comments about vans, candy and children.
This former safari support vehicle is obviously a DAF. Who would have thought it would end its day parked next to a school?
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAF_YA_4440/4442#YA_4440
The DAF is former Dutch military, the YA designation is still visible.
It must be YA4440 because it has single wheels at the back.
The other car is a Bedford, which looks to be a military vehicle as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedford_RL
Bedford RL, ex-military. 4.9l straight 6. Late 50’s to early 60’s
Front one is ex-military Bedford RL 4×4, the cab of the same design as used in 1950 on the Bedford S. Very long lived; I can remember them still being used by the Territorial Army at the beginning of the 1980s. Their tiered shape and the jacked up look of the 4×4 version makes them look bigger than they are, though no doubt in 1950 they were big.
Behind that is the Dodge Commando, which started in 1974 as a Commer but could also be badged Dodge, Karrier and DeSoto in some markets and ended up as a Renault in the late ’80s. The DAF is the earliest version of their classic ‘modern’ cab that ran from 1970 until the mid 1990s.
All I know is that the big black one without the grille is absolutely beautiful!
The usual expression is “shipshape and Bristol fashion.”
Since there are three of them, and caravans too, I would venture to suggest that the circus or funfare is in town.
Those Bedford 4×4 chassis were famously used for the “Green Goddess” military fire-engines.
Is there any chance that Bedford will ever be repaired (parts?) .
Do people live in these ? .
-Nate
Parts for the Bedford shouldn’t be too much of a problem, compared to some of the trucks the Brits restore.
As a trucker I can definitely say there is less hassle in the UK as to where you can park overnight.
Small roadside rest areas in Scotland used to have “No Overnight Parking” signs, presumably to scare away campers so trucks could use them for mandatory 45 min breaks, but as camping is a statutory right in Scotland it was pointed out that they were unenforceable and they were removed.
A lot of people live permanently in vans in Bristol, either as traveller/gypsy or “alternate” lifestyle or quite often to avoid the huge price of rent in the city. There’s a housing crisis across a lot of the UK but it’s especially noticeable here.
It’s not usually legal to park long term on the street, nor to live in a van. Often people will stay for a few weeks or even months before moving on in a circuit around the city. Some areas are more welcoming and others more hostile. It’s not unusual for someone in a van to rent a driveway and access to amenities from a homeowner.
The recent “kill the bill” protests were against a proposed law that would give the police and local authorities the ability to declare any form of protest or gathering a criminal activity at their discretion. The protests were in response to that obvious attack on democracy and liberties, but also because within the bill are proposals to extend trespass laws to make it easier to incriminate van livers.
That first rig totally creeps me out even during day time. My apologies to the owner but it looks like something Jeffrey Dahmer or John Wayne Gacy would drive. Drive that thing around at night with a clown suit on and I’d probably crap my pants.
How long do these Van’s sit in one spot? The Dodge has flat tires on it.
RL Bedford 4×4 was the transport truck for the NZ military for many years replaced by Mercedes Unimogs in the mid to late 70s tough old things those RLs go anywhere you point them they were superceeded by a version with the TK cab in the 60s, that one has the grille removed probably for repairs yet to be completed judging from the sign writing on the back.
Bedford R type, like this one
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake/carshow-classic-1956-bedford-rlhz-self-propelled-pump-the-green-goddess-will-save-us-from-armageddon/
Anyone else notice how much the cab and fenders on the black one look like a Mac B-61?
I was in the Dutch army in 1986/87 (we had to back then,14 months. I made it to the rankof corporal) and got my commercial drivers license on a DAF like that. Well, almost like that, the living quarter on that thing is non-original, “mine” had a flat back and a knuckleboom crane.