MEET THE OWNER – MEL HOLLEY AND HIS BEDFORD HA
By Andrew Roberts |
6th January, 2021
There was once a time when the HA van was part of the daily routine. It might have delivered your post or your new DER television set, distributed the Co-Op’s groceries or attended to yet another malfunctioning telephone box. They could also be found in Gas Board livery or at warehouse yards being loaded with boxes by owners in Two Ronnies-style brown shop coats. But today, Mel Holley’s 1982-vintage example is one of a handful left on the road.
Bedford unveiled the HA in late 1964, nearly a year after the launch of its Vauxhall Viva parent model. The last of 689,512 examples left the factory as recently as 30th September 1983; for a brief, surreal period it was listed in the same brochure as the Astra Van. By that time the HA looked as contemporary as the Dave Clark Five. However, most operators were less concerned with aesthetics and more with value for money.
The truly bizarre original sales copy promised a vehicle that was ‘A la mode, as modern as the moment. A business-booster with its brilliant looks’. The HA also gave Bedford a long overdue rival to the Austin A35, Morris Minor and Thames 307E vans, with sales advantages of rack & pinion steering and an all-synchromesh gearbox. Commercial Motor of 21st August 1964 thought it ‘a very commendable machine and I would think that to use it regularly would present a very pleasing prospect and ease the arduous task of a delivery-van driver’.
Customers were offered a choice of the 6 cwt HAE at £394 and 8 cwt HAV at £415. The latter featured heavier rear springs and axle, extra brightwork, a parcel shelf and an interior light. A heater cost another £10 (as did paint finish) while a fleet operator with a taste for the decadent could also specify a passenger seat - £7 10s – and windscreen washers - £1 9s 6d. By 1967, Bedford replaced the original 1,057cc engine with a 1,159cc unit.
Commercial Motor revisited the HA on 19th March 1971 and found it to be ‘a functional vehicle that is light and easy to drive and promises to be even more durable than its predecessor’. A 1,256cc plant followed in 1972, and despite the introduction of the Bedford Chevanne four years later the HA remained a very popular light commercial.
LTY 612 X is a prime example of the entry-level HAE, with a cabin finished with the finest rubber floor mats available to humanity. It was initially commissioned by British Telecom, as denoted by its roof rack, and was registered on 1st January 1982. It also sports GRP wings although Mel remarks that whether this was part of the Post Office specification is unknown.
In the early 2000s the railway journalist Pip Dunn converted the Bedford to British Rail standards; ‘it was resprayed yellow, while the black painted bumpers were replaced for chrome’. As a finishing, this gentleman applied ‘a set of hard-to-find genuine BR decals’ to set off the paintwork. The result was the sort of vehicle that was as much a part of the life of many other stations, as BR catering was a must to avoid. The HA underwent a professional restoration in Lincoln in 2009/2010. The extent of the work included ‘a back-to-shell strip, with ‘crusty’ areas being around the front wheel arches and bodywork, driver’s side floor and front offside of the bonnet.’
Mr. Holley came by the Bedford at Gaydon’s Classic Commercial Show, where he uttered the immortal words to Mr. Dunn - ‘If you ever decide to sell it, let me know’. By 2011 he was indeed the custodian of LTN. Mel painstaking sourced authentic fittings, and the HA is now equipped with a BR metal boxed first aid kit, and uniform together with a fire extinguisher - a standard railway vehicle fitment, ‘but also recommended for any classic’.
On the road, Mel finds the HA ‘a joy to drive. Round town it’s nippy and is very happy pootling around at 30-40mph’. Indeed, the original sales material claimed ‘High top speed being irrelevant (and illegal), what is wanted from a van is plenty of torque at lower road speeds’. When LTN takes to the open road, it is best suited to travel at 40-45mph - ‘it will do 55mph at a push, but clearly dislikes it’.
One slight challenge to Bedford motoring is the worn gear selector slide. ‘The result is you have to be careful when selecting reverse, otherwise, you’ll be stuck in third. It was somewhat disconcerting the first time it happened’. It was even more disconcerting when the gear stick came off in Mel’s hand in the manner of a Norman Wisdom film.
Another issue is that ‘HA vans are notorious for leaking around the front - mainly the screen. However, during the restoration the front bulkhead drain channels were blocked, which causes water to flood into the cabin. Not knowing what horrors lurk behind, it’s been decided to leave this alone for the time being. The van is garaged and rarely goes out in the rain - it’s the only solution’.
Perhaps most importantly of all, Mel has preserved a vital aspect of Britain’s automotive heritage. Back in 1964 Bedford promised ‘head-turning style’ and LTN is almost guaranteed to cause more of a sensation than any Ferrari you mighty care to mention. After all, this is the van with ‘maximum space designed into a graceful shape’.
With Thanks To – Mel Holley
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