In late 1959, BMC announced their new FG truck range. Different front panels/grilles were fitted to Morris and Austin badged versions.
The forward-control cab design was in some ways ahead of its time, the wraparound windscreen and low-level corner windows allowing the driver to see the kerb and manoeuvre more easily. Rear hinged doors were set back at an angle so that when opened, they only projected a couple of inches beyond the load platform, so passing pedestrians weren’t hit in the face and less space was needed to get out of the cab in busy urban streets.
BMC officially referred to it as “angle planned,” but the FG soon became commonly known as the “thrupenny bit” cab, which, for younger readers’ benefit, was named after the angular 3d (threepence) coin with twelve flat sides.
The downside was a somewhat cramped cab with narrow seats and an intimate driver relationship with the engine, particularly on
