For most of the 1950s and 1960s. the British Motor Corporation (BMC) was the overwhelmingly dominant force in the British car market. Yes, there were others. But BMC was THE British make, and for most buyers the natural choice. And in no sector was this more true than the light van market. GM/ Vauxhall wasn’t in the sub-10cwt sector at all until 1964, and until the Anglia-based van arrived in 1961, Ford’s light vans were pretty archaic, though as vans were limited to 30mph except on motorways this wasn’t, perhaps as big an issue as it may sound. Rootes had their Commer Cob family, but though a good van, this was a bit dearer than BMC’s offerings, and the dealer network was smaller.
BMC’s dealer network, by contrast, was vast. When Austin and Morris merged to form BMC in 1952, both constituents had nationwide coverage with a dealer in every town and most rural communities. With the merger, 90% of these places found themselves with two BMC dealerships; one Austin, one Morris, and locally these would still be competing for sales. As is well-known, BMC’s shortterm solution for this – which lasted around 20 years – was to produce Austin and Morris badged versions of the same basic car hence the Austin Cambridge and Morris Oxford, and Austin and Morris badged Minis, 1100/1300s and 1800/2200s.
When it came to vans however, Austin and
