30 YEARS OF THE THORNYCROFT SOCIETY
The first Thornycroft vehicle, Van No 1, was built at Chiswick, West London in 1896 and is preserved at the British Commercial Vehicle Museum at Leyland in Lancashire. It has many unique design features such as reasonable suspension for the time and a reliable steam engine.
The most successful Thornycroft model was the J Type of which 7,149 were manufactured between its introduction into service in 1912 and its withdrawal in 1927. Thornycroft became involved in war production and among the company’s many products was the Hathi gun tractor built for the British Army. Only 35 of this type were ever produced and
