The Autotanker: BP's Lost Tanker Of Tomorrow!

[@nexpro6985]

Minor crash in an Autotanker with four thousand gallons of 100 octane and no door to leap out of because there's a Morris jammed in it.

[@JackStackhouse]

Sounds like a Minor incident.

[@KnexJunkie]

Xd if that door would fail during a crash and fly true the cabine... or if the door fails to seal its a massive air hole into the cabine that is gone cause drag on the tanker car so gone be less fuel effective. and theres probaly more to mention on this idea. How ever i do like how its styled its different. But yeah it doesnt look to be some kind of tank hatch or vault door in the front of serten complexity or strenght... (i do wonder how this tanker would have done in a crash test).

[@stanislavczebinski994]

It's a 50ies prototype. Modern trucks have modern electronics like ABS and ESP - but mechanically, they aren't much better. Even today, they are still a chassis-on-frame construction. Hitting a small car - they would impact mostly at the bumper connected to the frame. The neat thing about this is it's all just one piece. Therefore, it can't jackknife on slippery roads. Which is a lot more likely than having something wedged in the door. But even if - a Morris wouldn't do much to a full-sized truck - and the windows were probably the sliding type. So getting out in a pinch wouldn't be much of a problem. And it's still a prototype - a proof of concept. A different way to enter wouldn't be much of a change to the overall design.

[@johnsearl6431]

@@JackStackhouse could be a Major

[@kuchenblechmafiagmbh1381]

You know why EVERY Isetta has a sunroof? Exactly because of that, so that you have an escape path if the famous front door gets jammed in an accident. AFAIK also most buses for cities but also overland and coaches have at least one sunroof and that's not so much because of lighting or ventilation but also because it's an emergency exit when the bus flips onto the side - the doors might be on the bottom side, you can't really climb upwards (and can't break the windows because the splinters would rain onto you), so that sunroof not on the side is the only escape.

[@spencerhardy8667]

Thanks. Always wondered about that vehicle, as I had the Matchbox one as a kid. Assumed it was American airport equipment that was extremely camera shy. Rather cool that an obscure one off experimental prototype has been immortalised in the legendary retrofuture it was designed for. Gerry Anderson would definitely have added ejector seats for the crew, though.

[@HorsleyLandy88]

I still have my matchbox one

[@FJeske-qq6cq]

Thank you. Correct written. Youth mystery solved i still have that tanker as matchbox of course.

[@clangerbasher]

British companies were so forward looking back then. Now what do we have?

[@diedampfbrasse98]

well, forward looking isnt very helpful when you are looking into the wrong direction all the time ... hence the autotanker being unsuccessful back then, and the UK failing now as you looked for tiny markets at the other end of the world instead of the big one right next to you ... brexit just being another lesson of "forward looking" being useless if its the wrong direction you turned to.

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

The phrase "Technological dead-end" exists for a reason. Seaplane airliners are a technological dead-end after enjoying a heyday in the 1930's because more runways were built. Same with the steam car: with ICE's becoming cheaper and more reliable, there is no point in making steam cars...

[@garethrandall6589]

@@diedampfbrasse98 You're using a phone or laptop made "at the other end of the world" 🙂

[@diedampfbrasse98]

@@garethrandall6589 true, and those who look left and right on top of looking forward still get those phones without raising trade barriers for the essential and perishable goods. So lets not cry after the "forward looking" people of medieval wonderland, they clearly had and still have some serious issues with direction no matter how far ahead they had their eyes.

[@Schlipperschlopper]

Now China controls the UK and the rest of the world.

[@Snipercakeman]

I was just thinking "you could mistake it for a vehicle from a Gerry Anderson series". Really interesting.

[@jacklamb2904]

Gerry adams would of loved them too

[@TrekkerUK]

Literally my first thought from the thumbnail!

[@paulkandi]

Yes, " Fireflash " episode and many others followed..

[@CaseyJonesNumber1]

​@speedbirdconcordeBOAB Gerry Anderson used many Matchbox toys in Thunderbirds. Some were hardly disguised and easily identified by us kids who had them in our collections.

[@alastairward2774]

First thing I thought when I saw the thumbnail.

[@theworkshopwhisperer.5902]

It's funny how many matchbox car that were thought to be so futuristic they slot right into such shows with minimal or no modification.

[@CrusaderSports250]

I still have my Matchbox one, looking a bit jaded after my restoration (in original colours) of around fifty years ago, more enthusiasm than skill, but we learn, it even got run on my Matchbox spring driven road/race track, happy memories, from the good old days😊.

[@Aye-McHunt]

I had a Matchbox Motorway, too. I remember sticking the little oblong foils with the pins to the undersides of my toys. I had begged my parents for a Scalextric and got that instead. I did play with it, but not as much as I would have played with a Scalextric. The motors seized up in the end, though, and it was scrapped. I continued to pester, and two years later, I got a Sizzlers track. I gave up asking after that.

[@trevormillar1576]

I had a Matchbox model of the "Stalwart" amphibious 6-wheeled truck in BP livery.

[@geoffbuck6890]

Why was the Leyland Octopus described as “infamous”, it was an extremely successful truck!

[@obelic71]

Leyland commercial vehicels were often very good. Leyland as the conglomerate it became in the 1970's is the infamous one because its a benchmark about total corporate and political failure . Back to the good part of Leyland ,DAF in the Netherlands did build under Leyland license Leyland lorry engines/drivetrains for their lorries from their beginning. Even today in the smallest lorry models they use a modern evolved version of that original Leyland 6 cillinder diesel engine. The now world famous Dutch LVB 668 public transport bus (Leyland-Verheul Bus, 6mtr wheelbase, O680 Leyland engine) was the start of a huge class of public transport busses who achieved reliable working lives of 40 years + in the Netherlands The mayority of them were exported to Cuba, Africa and Asia. There are models who are reaching 70 years+ of active service now.

[@beeble2003]

Because people don't know what "infamous" means.

[@geoffbuck6890]

@@beeble2003 you have hit the nail on the head sir!!

[@CrusaderSports250]

​@@geoffbuck6890even the BBCs standards have dropped to a point where their presenters don't know what it means.

[@1171karl]

@@beeble2003 My understanding of the word 'Infamy' came from Carry on Cleo 😆

[@Scots_Diesel]

I heard/read somewhere the engine itself, rear engine cowling/boot assembly and drieshaft, were off the shelf or derived from Leyland Atlantean double deck bus parts and this can clearly be seen at 1.42 especially if compared with a picture of an atlantean of the time.

[@jinbee2627]

Any relation to the bus from the Italian Job? Because that's where my mind went immediately on seeing this video.

[@Scots_Diesel]

@@jinbee2627 The bus used to transport the three Mini Coopers was a Bedford VAL with Harrington Legionnaire bodywork, registration ALR 453B, new in April 1964 and specially converted for the film, so unfortunately no relation, but most 60s buses and trucks were very similar, a bit like today's coaches and generic artics.

[@Rodger_Phillips]

My Dad worked for BP for many years, when this came out it was before his time with them, but I remember seeing the pictures on the wall at the local depot, where dad worked as a Driver, and they had a couple of the matchbox models on display at the local Servo as well, Dad would work there too. I also remember having one of the tankers for my own matchbox cars, I never realised the model in Stingray and Thunderbirds was actually a BP Tanker. I loved the Autotanker and often wondered why these never appeared in mass for Airports and similar at the very least. thank you for this video it was great to see the live footage and the driver accessing the cabin.

[@Dilbert-o5k]

I had a friend who had the matchbox model . I always though it was a fantasy model or something from the USA. Good to see it made it to stingray and thunderbirds. Incidentally they transmitted thunderbirds in French with English subtitles in the south of UK in the mid 90s. I used the episodes as part of my attempt to improve my French. Best French lessons ever😊

[@glen1555]

Did you have TeleWest cable? When living in Southampton we had their services and it included one channel in French and another in German. Used to watch The Sweeney and Star Trek TNG in German. Though can't remember what "Get your trousers on, your nicked" is in German😅

[@Dilbert-o5k]

@@glen1555 no I was in Kent, they couldn't get channel 5 because the frequency was being used in France. It was one of the Terrestrial channels probably itv or 4.

[@adriaanboogaard8571]

Interesting concept. I've driven tankers, and I know how they act when the fluid in them gets moving around depending on how full they are, especially if you are carrying a load in my case that didn't allow for serge prevention baffles or walls slowing the wave inside. Our vehicle was high center of gravity. I got a kick out of the older model. I'm 56. I had a Match box toy truck when I was a kid just like it. Made in England by Lindsey toys. Dad would bring them home on payday in his lunch box if I'd been good. Thanks for the memories

[@simonmcowan6874]

Yup, I used to have a die cast model too

[@stephenhargreaves381]

And me

[@marcbrasse747]

Still an iconic design to me. Thanks for filling in the blanks!

[@notmenotme614]

I love the styling. That’s the coolest looking truck I’ve ever seen.

[@uxboat]

Good day all , i have the toy made in the UK by Lesney my grandmother bought it for me when i was little . Still have about only "dinky toy " left . Cheers Mike wish i could post a picture

[@pjrazvoza4343]

Both television shows mentioned at the end of this video Stingray, and Thunderbirds are both available on fire stick at the moment. Great video!

[@markbickelhaupt4414]

I have one! Didn't have BP gas stations in 🇺🇸, back then. Got them later. One of my favorite Matchbox!! This is the first look at the real auto tanker! Very cool!! I think that they make a mistake, in not starting production of it! A legend in Matchbox & legend in UK Lorry history!!! Thanks for your work!👍💚💛🤍

[@ironhell813]

You jerk! lol, made me think you had a real one for a second…

[@IainDavies-z2l]

I got a model of that for my birthday in 1966, very futuristic. Wouldn't have looked out of place in Thunderbirds based in 2026.

[@2639263926392639]

Id love to know what made it unviable to persue. As an interested but absolutely unqualified haulier... the design looks really good. Ease of engine swop simplifying maintenance. Efficient payload to weight. Some intetesting design features- the periscope rear view ought to have been welcome. So what were the objections? Did it look too different for the plebs to accept it?

[@paulnolan1352]

Probably underpowered with just a Bus Engine for 24 ton Gross. Also, the cooling arrangements didn’t look ideal.

[@obelic71]

Axle load, max allowed total weight/lenght and safety is a concern for tanker vehicels in general. Hauling (hazardous) fluids is a completly different sport of transport. The railroads used at first tankercars were the axles/bogies were bolted directly to the tank without using a seperate chassis. Modern tanker road vehicles use a sort of minimalsitic backbone instead of chassis to get stiffness in the combination. And to be fair modern airport refueling tanker lorries look verry simulair to the autotanker. (6 wheeled lorry or 8 wheeled articulated lorry) But these don't use a classic chassis and need to be as low as possible so they can drive below the wings of an aircraft.

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

The question is "why?" What does this design have that the current models of trucks have not?

[@garethrandall6589]

Bit of a guess but if you had a crash then the access door to the cab would almost certainly be damaged and impossible to open, trapping the driver in a vehicle full of flammable liquids. Not sure if safety considerations would have been as much of a consideration back then as they are now but might have been a contributing factor.

[@2639263926392639]

On the safey considerations.... were there any really? If you were a driver back then there would be plenty lorries with wood framed cabs still in active service. Surely if anything untoward happens and you run into anything stout, or the load comes lose, your getting crushed. Not too.different from today, theres only so much you can do to protect the cab when 10 tons plus is on the move.

[@matt44128]

Loved this episode thanks

[@petersmith4455]

hi, great video, i had a matchbox toys one of these in 1962, great memories

[@Skorpychan]

Aside from the rigid body design, all those innovations have made it into current vehicle design by now. Although the periscope has been replaced by cameras.

[@jtveg]

Thanks so much for sharing. 😉👌🏻 I totally agree. Thunderbirds is definitely "the greatest television show of all time ".

[@anthonymrskipt9252]

Fun video. I had the Matchbox of this tanker (it might be at my sister’s still - she saved a lot of our kid stuff when my parents passed) and I definitely watched Thunderbirds. Great memories.

[@bobcholawo6787]

Lovely. Thanks for sharing too.

[@raccoon874]

*I had the matchbox toy of this, remember it with warm and fuzzy memories.*

[@rogerkujawastrains]

I had a Matchbox model of this.

[@carlwalker1843]

I don't think I've seen a matchbox model. It looks like something out of thunderbirds

[@howardsportugal]

My Grandfather Steve Mullaly was on the board of BP & was very involved & interested in efficiency...he was a lovely man & happened also to have a large collection of model cars. I don't remember this one, but like to think he would have seen this innovation...he retired in 1975 & lived until 2015. Sadly missed.

[@panhandle-123]

The autotanker looks amazing.

[@grayman999]

Really enjoyed this episode thanks for sharing ❤

[@tettazwo9865]

Great video, thanks!

[@pauladams286]

I recall reading that the Autotanker did have several emergency exits in the cab. The cut-away drawing (from Eagle ?) actually says (19) Ladder from cab to roof walkway (also acts as an emergency exit); and (23) Wrap-around windscreen, with sliding side windows doubling as escape hatches. I make that three exits, plus the front door.

[@fredtracy3931]

Cool truck, and I have the last name of the characters in the Thunderbird series. 😋 cheers from Canada 🇨🇦

[@diecast_MikeEspo]

Great video , awesome information. WOW . New subscriber to you today. Mike Espo .

[@tooleyheadbang4239]

Remind me of what was infamous about the Leyland Octopus chassis . I thought it was one of the most outstanding chassis of its day.

[@randomvariable1836]

Excellent video

[@pdtech4524]

Cool truck, very 1950s 'futuristic' style. 😊

[@JoeOvercoat]

The Thunderbirds is absolutely one of the greatest shows of all time. 👍

[@AfroMyrdal]

@0:45 one of these were used in the classic film Olsenbanden og Dynamitt Harry from 1970. I'm not sure if it appeares in any other of those films of the top of my head, but that's the one I know. There is a conservation group in Norway trying to keep it from the crusher. I don't have any updates on it as of today Sunday 2 June 2024 but I'll check if I can find the group and post it in the comments below.

[@MrS13Silvia1]

That's actually a pretty neat looking machine

[@MaxTSanches]

Just wondering if there was a second way out of the cab? Just in case it hit anything and jammed that centre front door. Well with all that fuel I would want to get out quick. :)

[@fenpikey]

I was thinking the same.

[@mikaelabowen5781]

I believe there was also a roof hatch.

[@Rodger_Phillips]

yes a roof hatch that was also for access to the tanks for fuel delivery and refilling

[@only1muppet]

I think that design would have been great for a weekend camper. Imagine taking a road trip in something like that.

[@finnmcginn9931]

The 1973-1978 GMC motorhomes had a somewhat similar look to them. They are pretty fun vehicles.

[@ironhell813]

Imagine finding one of these and modifying it into a caravan! Would be awesome, like a British GMC RV!

[@harveysmith100]

That front door would have been great in the summer for keeping the cab cool

[@jackbeam56]

Yeah, and all the bugs come in 🙂

[@michaelchallen]

I've got the matchbox model of this out in the shed, have to dig it out......

[@JockMurray-v1o]

Interesting this. Back in the eighties, a friend of mine worked for BP in Britain and Belgium. One of the projects he was linked to was on a vehicle of this ilk in conjunction with a company called Holming, (spelling). It seems that the idea did not die then.

[@PhilMarks-ki1ub]

No comment so far that recalls the page with cutaway drawing which appears in the video and originally came in boys' comic paper The Eagle. Also featured Dan Dare by Frank Hampson, Luck of the Legion, Harris Tweed, Knights of the Road. Great books and I kept the cutaways for years here in New Zealand.

[@derMenix]

Einfach ein schickes Design 🤩👍

[@crosmeracer]

Great campervan. I love the designs

[@ironhell813]

It’s not one, but would make a great one.

[@johnnyjrotten59]

Other than the door arrangement this actually looks really good

[@johnharolddoe6317]

What a interesting video and such a shame the tanker didn't get to production even now it's so advanced in design and looks futuristic

[@1258-Eckhart]

In the event, the largest fuel tankers were (/are) always articulated. I wonder if there was an operational advantage in having the tractor unit separate from its load.

[@HandleyR]

The advantage is that a semi-trailer has a higher gross weight and if the tractor unit is off the road then the tanker can still be used or the unit can pull another tank.

[@JonnyHolms]

This was excellent, Thank you and I just subscribed 😊

[@duanepierson4375]

The Autotanker looks like it could be a Hess Truck. A Hess Truck is an American toy for Christmas. They feature exotic looking vehicles, such as tanker trucks, fire trucks rescue trucks and helicopters. Good stuff but to delicate for kid toys.

[@markalton2809]

I had a matchbox auto tanker and recognised it on Thunderbirds!

[@KarrierBag]

I have one of the Lesney models sitting in front of me on my canal boat, pity they didn't 'go anywhere' so to speak, lovely design.

[@marccherry7409]

Remember the Corgi model of this from about 1960

[@graeme9679]

I had one of those.

[@bobneumann9781]

It was a Matchbox "Major Pack Series" model

[@marccherry7409]

This still looks futuristic now!

[@martykarr7058]

I had a Matchbox one as a child, but not the one you showed.

[@JPaul60]

I still have 2 of these Matchbox models of this tanker.

[@australiantruckspotting8883]

I remember the Matchbox models, didn’t realise they were based on an actual machine.

[@stephenricketts7764]

Well it looked good but that alone does not make it practical. Nothing wrong with thinking outside the box though. I think the drivers entry and exit was questionable for one thing in the event of an accident. Good TV shows FAB. 👍👍

[@nightlightabcd]

I was thinking the same thing! Should there be a front end accident, the driver has no way out!

[@mandywithell]

I think I read there was an escape hatch built into the roof, if my memory serves me correctly!

[@beeble2003]

Would be draughty AF, too.

[@jasoncooper460]

Great video! Hope you do get the video of the python Superfueller together at some point. Would be interesting to see :)

[@cpt_nordbart]

I would hope they have an emergency exit on the roof. Otherwise you'd need to smash in those windows to get out when crashing into something in the front.

[@chrispontani6059]

I know it wasn’t designed for the US, but its capacity is less than half a standard tank trailer (a little over 9000 gallons in four or five compartments).

[@geneva760]

I had the MATCHBOX version. CHEERS from AUSTRALIA

[@edwardbianchi192]

Always wondered about this. Had the matchbox model of this. I think I still may have it somewhere?

[@duncancurtis5108]

Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle, completely Mysteron proof. Only for Captains Scarlet and Blue.

[@shanewaterman4125]

The only reason I knew about this tanker was thank to Matchbox when I was a kid in the 60's. I had one which was handed down to me by my brother (who is 15 years older than me so don't know what he was doing playing with Matchbox toys?? 😂) Spotted it in Thunderbirds, but never twigged it was given a body kit and appeared in the Stingray titles though!

[@mikeprzyrembel]

Slight confusion here as the Leyland photos clearly show a rear engined chassis yet the Thompson prototype claims to have been an integral design with Leyland supplying the running parts. It would appear that the chassis was built to prove the concept as records show that it was scrapped at Leyland.

[@mikepocock575]

Had one of these as a child when Matchbox made them.

[@gedbentley8415]

Wow I had one as a kid👍

[@brianfretwell3886]

Was that the power unit used in the Leyland Atlantian buses?

[@routeman680]

Yes.

[@20121961]

I had the Matchbox model of this, so long ago!

[@harryboy3305]

Does the vehicle still exist?

[@Chester-y1y]

Certainly has that Thunderbirds vibe with the twin front axles and steering, not entirely unlike Lady Penelope's chauffeur-driven limousine.

[@garysprandel1817]

Had one of the Matchbox toys as young boy in the Chicago burbs. Too young to hsve made the connection as one of the background models but probably selected it when gramps let me pick out a Matchbox at the Kreske's or Ben Franklin because it looked like something from Thunderbirds.

[@DigitalDiabloUK]

A product built just a couple of miles from me. Goes off to read more...😂

[@klausstock8020]

When I first saw it, I thought it was a 1950s prototype for on-road refueling of cars, just like in-air refueling for planes. It looked much too sleek for just an ordinary tanker! Yes, refueling on the road while driving makes total sense (in 1950s minds at least). With nuclear powered cars (which need to be refueled only twice a year) expected in the 1970s, the petrol industry needed to compete by relieving drivers from the burden of gas station visits.

[@kevinmoffatt]

Shell introduced 'plastic' tanker trailers to the fleet in the nineties in spite of the obvious dangers and union objections. Quickly repurposed as water tankers and sent to Africa when static build up caused fires. Who'd have thought?

[@marciabaldwin2506]

Great video such a shame they never went in to production would of made a gorgeous camper or even a cae transporter ❤

[@jeanlefranc3817]

When even fuels delivery was stylish.

[@tracynation2820]

Super. 💙 T.E.N.

[@lucasrem]

The B.P. Patrol Tanker, the Matchbox model i own.

[@Joseph-pz5bo]

I think I might have that matchbox toy from my dad's collection

[@sk1nzsk1nz34]

Those doors would be whistling at 50 mph. The wipers are inadequate. The mirrors are pointless. What a gem of a vehicle!

[@manoahvanderwolf3259]

sounds like a french design!

[@tanello2]

i have this model, i expected that matchbox made it bc UK used them in real life, i was dissapointed to learn that it was only test model :D

[@DetroitMicroSound]

Makes me wonder if the Autotanker was inspiration for the legendary Tyrrell P34...

[@StephenAllcroft]

There was also an escape hatch above the second man's seat.

[@davidjones332]

More to the point, what were Leyland thinking of when they conceived the Dromedary chassis? It wasn't suitable for bus work, and with a rear-engine it's difficult to think of any other commercial application other than this tanker, except maybe an airfield crash-tender. Even then, the lack of off-road capability would make it a non-starter.

[@Exospray]

Was definately thinking the moment I saw it, that it was right out of gerry anderson

[@duncancurtis5108]

Spectrum is green.

[@Exospray]

@@duncancurtis5108 those windows scream the transports from captain scarlet

[@carlwalker1843]

It looks like something out of thunderbirds

[@ThePlayerOfGames]

I'm reminded a little of Michellein's Citröen-Chevrolet "Centipede"…

[@TimothyWorel-xj9he]

Rear end with bustle looks exactly like a single deck Atlantean / Fleetline.

[@routeman680]

It's an Atlantean engine cover with the same engine and gearbox as the Atlantean bus (600 or 680): 680 engine in this case, I think.

[@TheCyberSalvager]

Yes, that cab access didn't look too practical (or safe!), but apart from that it looked like a cracking design.

[@TheNiteinjail]

All I knew of it was the matchbox... Here I pictured the UK having a fleet of these that have since past our of service... Nope just one. Awww

[@lancomedic]

As a kid I did not know what BP was. I had the traditional Matchbox tanker and I thought the name BP was fictional.

[@wolfgangemmerich7552]

If i remembering right : Matchbox made this ,, Tankers " in the 1960`s ?

[@jimihendrix991]

''...greatest TV shows of all time..'' Along with (in no particular order)... Only Fools and Horses Minder Magic Roundabout Tomorrow's World Old Grey Whistle Test Vision On Dad's Army The Good Life

[@imbetterthanyouis]

ever remember the krypton factor ?

[@CrusaderSports250]

And Blue Peter with the great John Noaks, today H&S wouldn't allow him to do half of what he did, a truly great and influential presenter.

[@DiceStrike]

Jerry Anderson would like to know your location… oh wait haha bravo