The Story of Leyland Vans and LDV

Hello! :D
Another seldom remembered aspect of British Leyland, the Sherpa vans and Freight Rover division of the expansive corporate monolith was in fact one of the firm's biggest profit makers during the early 1980s, accounting for a proportion of the UK van market that even gave the venerable Ford Transit a run for its money.
However, while this success was carried through briefly following its sale to DAF NV during 1987, the long-term future for Leyland-DAF and later the LDV Group was unfortunately dictated by its inability to create more modern vehicles, with the demands for vans with a greater degree of comfort, safety and performance seeing the near 30 year old products of the Washwood Heath company look distinctly out of place.
Chapters:
0:00 - Preamble
0:40 - Origins and Changing Tastes
2:36 - Innovation on a Shoestring Budget
6:45 - Enter the Sherpa
8:49 - Freight Rover and Privatisation
10:57 - Double Dutch
13:18 - Refreshing the Range
14:45 - Problems Begin
16:38 - The LDV Group
19:13 - Showing Their Age
21:36 - International Collaborations
25:24 - The First Collapse
26:53 - The Final Collapse
28:33 - Conclusion
All video content and images in this production have been provided with permission wherever possible. While I endeavour to ensure that all accreditations properly name the original creator, some of my sources do not list them as they are usually provided by other, unrelated KZbinrs. Therefore, if I have mistakenly put the accreditation of 'Unknown', and you are aware of the original creator, please send me a personal message at my Gmail (this is more effective than comments as I am often unable to read all of them): [e-mail]
The views and opinions expressed in this video are my personal appraisal and are not the views and opinions of any of these individuals or bodies who have kindly supplied me with footage and images.
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Thanks again, everyone, and enjoy! :D
References:
- AROnline (and their respective sources)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references)

[@jamesward5721]

As a mechanic, I smiled a lot when I first crawled in under an LDV - the simplicity, the clear lay-out, the perkins engines that just did. The complete lack of vank. Engine, gearbox, driveshaft, diff. Bolted to some iron. No driver comforts, no style - just stuff that did what it was meant to. Personally, I liked them a lot.

[@erik_dk842]

When just driving the damn thing was a tough job in itself.

[@fenflyer]

In 1983 when first Sherpa 350 was launched I was driving Transits , Iveco Daily ,Mercedes T1' s (1982-3 ) nothing compared to comfortable driving position of new 350 Sherpa. It was over 12-14 years before Mercedes sprinter hit the roads & everything thereafter evolved dramatically to compete with Sherpa 350 driver comfort & standard 5 speed gear box , transit & Bedford CF still had 4 speed🙄

[@FromMetayou]

Love ldv pilot if I could find a good un I'll buy it today but after looking for few yrs now I keep getting beaten to the good uns

[@hectorkidds9840]

​@@fenflyermost of those CFs were petrol too, thirsty. I used one for removals, it was fine around town, but you'd be in 4th by 25mph, and it didn't really like doing more than about 50mph, it'd carry some weight though.

[@erik_dk842]

@@hectorkidds9840 I liked the US van looks of the Bedford CF.

[@MStanleyRoss]

A sherpa van was delivered to our police station, the old 'jam sandwich' paint job. I was the first driver on the early shift, when I had a call to a stabbing on an estate. I was making my way to the call at speed when I approached a cross roads, I lifted my foot off of the throttle but the engine was stuck on full beans. Luckily there was no traffic on the junction, I had to turn off the ignition key to bring it to a halt. While I was awaiting recovery I opened the bonnet. The problem was immediately obvious. The air filter box was hanging on one aln screw, three of them had shaken out, allowing the paper gasket to be sucked into the carb, jamming the throttle wide open.

[@erik_dk842]

They hadn't time to fasten the screws, it was tea break time.

[@fenflyer]

In 1983 when first Sherpa 350 was launched I was driving Transits , Iveco Daily ,Mercedes T1' s (1982-3 ) nothing compared to comfortable driving position of new 350 Sherpa. It was over 12-14 years before Mercedes sprinter hit the roads & everything thereafter evolved dramatically to compete with Sherpa 350 driver comfort & standard 5 speed gear box , transit & Bedford CF still had 4 speed🙄

[@scooby2142]

Our local plod received a "souped up " Sherpa that surprised me late one night on my Yamaha RD350LC by almost flagging me over at 80mph on country back roads. I overcame the problem by twisting the throttle a little further and leaving them eating my dust. Souped up Sherpa - YEAH RIGHT COPPERS Lmao !

[@Brit_Toolmaker]

I worked as a toolmaker in High Wycombe back in the late 80's where we had to completely remake the tooling for the rear door handle that incorporated the name badge. The moulding company had got quotes from UK toolmakers but secretly had the tooling made on the cheap in Hong Kong! The sample mouldings were so bad that DAF discovered what they'd done, resulting in the MD of the moulding company being fired and the tooling being airfreighted, at huge expense (approx 1 ton of tool), so we could sort the sorry mess out ASAP as time was slipping for the launch date. I used to smile every time I saw one of those vans, with the parts on it that we sorted out.

[@cedriclynch]

Am I right in thinking that the rear door handle used on the Sherpa in the 1970s and early 80s is the same as the one on the boot lid of the original Mini?

[@Brit_Toolmaker]

@@cedriclynch I don't know if it is or isn't, although I found it amusing you listing all the borrowed parts from other models that reminds me of something. The company I was working for at the time were involved with the original Land Rover Discovery and was a game changer for them and probably saved Land Rover. At that time, they too were strapped for cash, so they re-used the tail light clusters from the Marina van that meant they had to apply a styling bevelled edge around the side edges all around the back of the Disco, so that the lights looked like they were really meant to be there, which to be fair, they actually did.

[@SuperTigertank]

@@Brit_Toolmaker Maestro van rear lamps were used on the Discovery, not Marina.

[@fenflyer]

In 1983 when first Sherpa 350 was launched I was driving Transits , Iveco Daily ,Mercedes T1' s (1982-3 ) nothing compared to comfortable driving position of new 350 Sherpa. It was over 12-14 years before Mercedes sprinter hit the roads & everything thereafter evolved dramatically to compete with Sherpa 350 driver comfort & standard 5 speed gear box , transit & Bedford CF still had 4 speed🙄

[@Brit_Toolmaker]

@@SuperTigertank yes you are correct, my mistake, I actually had a Marina van at the time 😂

[@discogareth]

I grew up (and still live near) Washwood Heath in Birmingham. Imagine being a small transport interested child being surrounded by endless supplies of Brand new MCW buses and Sherpa vans!

[@IN_THIS_DAY_AND_AGE]

The Pilot and Convoy might have been basic, but they did the job.

[@philipwelsh1862]

No frills just great vehicles and lovely to drive which is the top notch

[@malcolmwhite6588]

@@philipwelsh1862 if I had follow that policy in my personal life, I would’ve been much happier and had plenty of money. Instead, I often chose two legged Ferraris which were temperamental expensive to maintain ,some of them broke down and many ultimately got stolen.😂

[@enpeemac]

I worked for Home Express, the Littlewoods Catalogue delivery arm in the early 90s where our depot ran a fleet of approximately 50 Freight Rovers. They renewed the fleet in 1994 with Peugeot engined Pilots. We loved the older Freight Rovers for their characterful Perkins diesels and sliding cab doors but hated the lack of power assisted steering which could be very hard work on a 150+ multi-drop suburban delivery round. The Pilots felt positively spritely in comparison with 90mph (apparently, ahem) possible and lovely, light PAS which resulted in great manoeuvrability, with the still super tight turning circles afforded by that archaic front suspension set up. The vans were driven hard but never seemed to suffer any major reliability issues. I remember being told that many of the depots stuck with the old Sherpa design because of their relatively narrow bodies which allowed more vans to be parked per square metre over the competition which were all a fair bit wider.

[@cedriclynch]

The Sherpa has roller thrust bearings on the king pins, and if they are kept properly greased (using a grease gun) the steering is very easy even though there is no power assistance. If they are not kept greased the rollers develop flat spots or break up, and the steering becomes stiff but will still pass the MoT unless excessive vertical play exists.

[@macky4074]

I worked for Reality (prev White Arrow) in early 2000's which always ran a fleet of transits. They were bought out by business express and became HDNL and we swapped from transits to the LDV maxus. The Maxus was horrible in comparison to the transit. The ride quality, build quality and gearbox was just not in the same league. I then went on to drive the sprinter which was even better than the transit.

[@classicshit2]

I've still got a convoy it's a 1997 R reg it's still very much going strong!!! There's still a lot of them about most of the minibuses have been converted into campers. I stopped somewhere in mine and there were three of them. It's pretty unbelievable how long they kept building them. The drive is interesting, but I still love mine it's just a classic to me. What a shame they never got the investment for all those projects.

[@cerealtiller]

I own a 2002 LDV Convoy which started out as a School minibus...it is a pleasure to drive and always starts up straightaway. these vehicles are simple and robust and capable of hard work. many of them are used as Campers and and undergo restoration. MPG from the Ford 2.5 DI Diesel is 28 around town and 33 on the Motorway it also benefits from having no ECU. Modern Vans are way too complex.

[@cedley1969]

I've owned a Peugeot engined 1.9 pilot and a convoy rapid response ambulance fitted with a 3.5 V8 rover engine, both never let me down unlike my 2008 mercedes sprinter which is on its second engine and has constant electrical issues.

[@johnbunkle3280]

I've got a 2002 ex London ambulance service convoy, it has the Transit 2.4 F4FA engine. It has a bus style passenger front door and tail-lift that will easily lift the heaviest motorbike (I've tried) we use the van on our domestic appliance repair business and trust me when we change a range cooker that lift is invaluable! Ok it does have a liking for propshaft joints and wiper motor's literally disintegrate with a monster bang! But the underneath is like a new van after 22x years that says a lot about the supposed bad build quality? Handling borders on frightening sometimes and new vehicles give way because it is borderline mad-max and I love it!

[@ajwalou-nack2343]

My dad bought a brand new 1992 van and before he even had done 100 miles in it he had a heart attack. The van stayed at my mum's house for two years unused. I bought it off my mum as she was upset with it being there . I advertised it for £3500 as it was like brand new. On the same page of adverts there were the same year vans selling for £1500 . It was a lovely van though and sold it the next day . I wished I was able to keep it but I didn't want my mum to be upset by me driving it . Good narrow vans and ideal for towns and good driving position. I've had five transit vans since and every one of them has had some trouble or something wrong with it . I have a 2010 transit and it just decided to brake down. Never had a LDV brake down or rust away.

[@johnmurray9526]

Mk6/mk7 transits are second to the Vivaro as the worst vans ever made.

[@AussiePom]

A Sherpa Van appeared in the Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me. After having it's side panels ripped out by Jaws, Bond and the Russian major then escaped in it driving across the desert until the cylinder head gasket failed.

[@malcolmwhite6588]

…. Drove it until the cylinder head gasket failed - read that as 50 feet after commencing the escape.😂

[@nickcoppard5335]

​@@malcolmwhite6588only the o series , the b series was bullet proof

[@danielsellers8707]

@@malcolmwhite6588 So it had one unlike the Leyland National:-)

[@napierpaxman]

@@malcolmwhite6588 LOL! :D

[@islandhopperstuart]

Very interesting and thanks! I briefly worked in the Sherpa development department in Redditch in 1980 - 81. The panel fit from the old J4 was terrible as the tooling was all worn, so securing any meaningful refinement was next to impossible. Sherpa embodied many of the problems facing Austin Morris at that time, for example, designed at Longbridge, developed at Redditch and built at Common Lane. When consolidated under FR, that was the end of my time there. In terms of competition, you omitted to mention the Talbot vans and the subsequent Boxer/Ducato/Relay triumvirate from Sevel which, in my view, set a new standard.

[@skylined5534]

The Transit set a new standard before any of those.

[@_Ben4810]

As you know, British Leyland had a habit of retaining machining & tooling like they were precious family heirlooms...! Longbridge up into the late 70's was still using pre WW2 tooling on their own designed & built semi automated machining lines...😉

[@fenflyer]

​@@skylined5534In 1983 when first Sherpa 350 was launched I was driving Transits , Iveco Daily ,Mercedes T1' s (1982-3 ) nothing compared to comfortable driving position of new 350 Sherpa. It was over 12-14 years before Mercedes sprinter hit the roads & everything thereafter evolved dramatically to compete with Sherpa 350 driver comfort & standard 5 speed gear box , transit & Bedford CF still had 4 speed🙄

[@rbrouns9569]

We owned the DAF 400 and as a successor the LDV Concoy. The DAF had the Peugeot 2,5 l diesel without turbo, a Peugeot 504 gearbox, no power steering, but a excellent Isringhausen driverseat. Our Convoy had the Peugeot 2,5 l turbodiesel engine, Ford Transit gearbox, powersteering and again an Isringhausen driverseat. The Convoy was much easier to drive and had a much improved rust protection, but the new dashboard was very plasticy and far less practical. Both of the vans were very reliable and had never problems. Greatings from the Netherlands, Ralf

[@joellamoureux7914]

As a yankee i love these videos. Im always looking for old vehicle videos especially when ive never seen a single one of these vans before.

[@richardcrossley5581]

There is one the James Bond film, “The Spy Who Loved Me”

[@nickyoung4799]

Jaws eats it

[@noka1979]

America did better vans imo.. This is pure nostalgia for me..

[@bikeaddictbp]

@@noka1979 I'd say "different" owing to circumstances. The european vans were more economical and space efficient owing to higher fuel prices and congested cities. European trades used vans, American trades used pickup trucks, and it remains so to this day, leading to more variety in vans in Europe but next to no pickup trucks. European cities are filled with vans of all sizes and brand names.

[@bazd]

They used them as Police vans in Scotland (Glasgow) we called them Sherpa's can't remeber why.....

[@SteamboatWilley]

I remember my ATC squadron occasionally hiring a Leyland Daf/LDV 400 minibus to take us to Leuchars airshow and other such events. They were loud and uncomfortable with hard Isringhausen seats that were not great for a long trip from Ayrshire to Fife!

[@davidjones8680]

I'm still driving my 200 dropside pickup. It is one of the most useful vehicles I have ever owned.

[@daveash9572]

If its green, I think you must live near me.

[@marksinthehouse1968]

I had Sherpas as my duty van when I was a postman drove the original and re styled van plus the 300 we called the high top I liked them to be honest done there job which made mine easier due to ease of driving and loading 😊and later when it was to become the pilot and convoy Royal Mail brought thousands of them 😊

[@kevvynolan8753]

Yes I used to drive LDV Pilot and LDV Convoy with Royal Mail and used to get driving money to drive them too!

[@marksinthehouse1968]

Yes driving allowance they took it away in 2000 and you only got it if you drove a high top or bigger when I started driving we had 240EAs and dodge vans the early Sherpas had a thing under the sterling Column to switch the engine off and release the ignition key I started driving in 86 I was 18 blimey great times in the job then mate 😊

[@nickbannister775]

I to drove them for Royal Mail, their only problem was a very light rear axle which in winter was a problem when starting on hills, I also had a Sherpa as a camper, noisy but very reliable.

[@raithrover1976]

I drove a Sherpa 400 when I worked for Parcelforce in the mid 90s and remember it being a handful to drive due to lack of power steering. It also had a decidedly dodgy handbrake meaning you were asking for trouble if you didn't leave it in gear when you parked and the rear brakes used to snatch and lock up in the rain. Put simply, even the worst vans today (Peugeot Partner / Expert imo) are way better than what we put up with back then.

[@fenflyer]

In 1983 when first Sherpa 350 was launched I was driving Transits , Iveco Daily ,Mercedes T1' s (1982-3 ) nothing compared to comfortable driving position of new 350 Sherpa. It was over 12-14 years before Mercedes sprinter hit the roads & everything thereafter evolved dramatically to compete with Sherpa 350 driver comfort & standard 5 speed gear box , transit & Bedford CF still had 4 speed🙄

[@user-yt2vd9gz8y]

I had a 1975 Diesel as a camper, had an overdrive fitted to the back of the gearbox, I think it was from an MG sports car, and it made that engine so relaxed on the motorway and saved a lot of fuel too.. Ahh memories.

[@thatcheapguy525]

thanks for another superb history lesson. it beautifully connects Austin-Morris commericals through LDV onto SAIC. I was left wryly laughing yet again at how the British car industry got things so right and yet so wrong at the same time. I've sometimes wondered how the Maxus came about and the Daewoo connection answers it. the J-Series, Sherpa, Pilot etc were the backbone of British utility companies and the jobbing builder on the second-hand market. they were basic yet strong but never glamourous like the Transit. the Chinese understand cheap mass-market motoring better than anyone in the modern era. the fact SAIC own the remenants of BL cars and vans says a lot.

[@nealadsett8484]

I loved these vans. Drove many of them for different reasons over the years. I drove a 400 diesel minibus when I worked a a day centre for disabled adults, a Rover V8 engined 400 when I worked in the emergency services, which was fast and sounded great and I drove an ex Royal Mail 200 minibus from the uk to Romania several times when I volunteered for an NGO, this bus was bomb proof. They were all robust reliable vans that I remember very fondly!

[@joelawrence56]

Surprising this variant wasn't mentioned...NZ Ambulance service had the Rover V8 engine version which was very successful...

[@erik_dk842]

@@joelawrence56 As long as someone else is footing the fuel bill. 5 km/litre?

[@mattw8332]

In 1988 through fundraising the middle school I attended was able to buy a brand new E reg minibus a 300 series. It was 15 seater I think and in that pale blue colour that was commonly seen on Metro and Maestro Cities (Citys??) of the time. 😁 It was borrowed by the neighbouring high school and was still in use by the time I left 6th form. In summer 2003 I worked briefly at Royal Mail. Did a driving assessment in an LDV Convoy but used a Pilot on my mail collection routes. It was certainly utilitarian with a bouncy ride that I doubt wasn't much better than the 1970s Sherpa but it had a certain charm about it.

[@1258-Eckhart]

"cities" = 2 or more large urban areas; "citys" = 2 or more items of anything named "City" ( a proper noun).

[@lordpitnolen2196]

I visited the Bathgate plant Open Day way back when .. There seemed to be no attempt to prepare the factory for the day. I got the impression that the staff had just left work on Friday night and left everything as it was. There were parts lying all over and open bins of small parts like switches, locks, etc. It was obvious that they were currently working on a contract for the Post Office. Their vans had many custom parts and it was many hand tools has were being used - reflections of the 1930's. I also, previously, had a conducted tour of the Renault Billancourt factory in Paris, a dark, Dickensian place, but Bathgate was little better.

[@andrewblades8368]

Thanks for this video. As an ex postman I’ve driven various LDV vehicles over the years. Royal Mail still referred to them as Sherpas even if the manufacturer had dropped that name long ago. My first car was a Morris Minor and the interior rear door handle on the Sherpa was the same as a Morris Minor 4 door rear handle. The whole thing felt very much like a parts bin special

[@skylined5534]

Just about EVERY vehicle built after another in a company is a parts bin special. For example, mk2 Mégane door handles in the MK3 Renault master.

[@philhawley1219]

The square headlights were off the Triumph Acclaim.

[@robertwilson8365]

.morris marina not minor internal handles

[@andrewblades8368]

@@robertwilson8365 the rear door is morris minor. The side door and cab door is morris marina

[@brianfearn4246]

The Mk4 cortina shared its external door handles with the Hyundi pony 😊

[@Hants1066]

Ah, the sliding door Sherpa van, that brings back some memories.

[@aaronholmes8568]

I worked in an LDV dealer when they became the Pilot and Convoy. Basic but they did exactly what they were meant to and Royal Mail and Local Authorities bought them in droves. The Maxus was meant to be a leap forward but in our experience, in the garage, it was a disaster.

[@herseem]

Oh, in what way? I'm interested to know what mistakes were made.

[@scotty6346]

I hear the Maxus Italian VM Motori 2.5 diesel engine was a good unit but it was the rest of the van build quality that let it down?

[@marflitts]

I found the Maxus didn't rust as bad as Transits of the same era.

[@edmundholmes7559]

I remember travelling in a fairly new Sherpa van back in the late '70s; it was so low geared that with the engine spinning at warp speed it barely managed 50mph - and required throttle even on steep downhill stretches. By comparison, the MK1 transits we regularly hired were light years ahead in drivability.

[@robertjonas6216]

Rare footage of Rod Stewart working the production line at 12:54

[@yuglesstube]

I had a VW T4. Superb. Built like a rank. When I see.how primitive and underpowered these LDV vans were, im amazed they remained in production for as long as they did. Great show.

[@keithhooper6123]

Most went to Post Office, and utility companies.

[@skylined5534]

Because they could take abuse and keep ticking. Primitive isn't bad where reliability is required. Think of WW2 German tanks.

[@erik_dk842]

British class system. The upper class punishes the lower classes by forcing them to drive crude work vehicles.

[@yuglesstube]

@@erik_dk842 Yes! Dead right. You make a good point.

[@gjclark2478]

The best van I ever owned was a 91 200 diesel . When I was at RAF Lyneham, you had to take a special test to drive the sherpa out on the airfield as when they were empty, they had a problem of the back end overtaking the front on damp roads 😆 As sad as it sounds, one of my dreams is to own a pilot crew cab van, in red obviously............👍

[@andrewhenderson5645]

Fond memories of a family friend’s ex bomb squad LDV with the 3.5 rover V8 in it. He converted it into a camper which we borrowed once. The fuel consumption meant a second outing with us never happened 😅 I can still remember my Dads grumbing when filling it up (again and again) This would be around 1995 - it’ll be long rotted away now I’d have thought.

[@erik_dk842]

Thrice the fuel costs of a modern and faster turbo diesel

[@michaelbamber4887]

​@erik_dk842 they were crap, the diesel we had was a turd, it was before the ford engine, you opened the bonnet (3.5 ton convoy) and you saw this little engine with a massive turbo on it. Slow as, and you could empty the tank between preston an goole if you stayed at 70mph. The back doors always split because of the daft square corner design.

[@onelineal9382]

When I started work with the Post Office in the early 70s we had a fleet of the J4 vans,when I passed my driving test in 1972,I was given conversion training on the J4,they had the umbrella hand brake, which was useless,in the summer months we would tie the sliding door open because the engine was in the cab and the heat from that was unbearable, then later on we had them replaced with Sherpa vans,what a pleasure to drive after the J4,i remember when they introduced the new Sherpa with power steering,made life easier, then throughout my time with the Post Office we progressed onto the LDV vans,we had different model sizes they were good work horses,good memories,😊.

[@DKS225]

LDV also now sells utes in Australia as well as SUV’s in the form of The T60 Ute and The D90 SUV as well as The MIFA People Carrier among other models sold here.

[@Kamina1703]

Those vehicles are manufactured in China by SIAC since 2010. These versions you speak of are marketed as LDV in name only.

[@_dude..]

Chinese tat

[@dungbetel]

I had a 1982 ex-USAF 13-seater Sherpa diesel with overdrive. Used it as a removal van cum camper for a couple of years. Great van, but engine finally gav up the ghost.

[@ThomasMurrell-xr4mt]

I was the site manager for the construction company that formed the track pits for the track that was shipped from Lublin in Poland. Some of the crates contained cooking oil, some food products and scaffold sections that originated from Daewoo. The last time I was at LDV was to do some snagging works but the track was at a standstill due to a lack of wheels for the vans. It seems a shame that it all ended that way.

[@philhealey4443]

Hoping Michael Barratt's "Nationwide" interview with Lord Stokes turns up. I remember him squirming as Mr Barratt laid into him on the failings of one of his larger Leyland vans, which apparently included a habit of shedding rear doors.

[@obelic71]

The LDV/DAF 400 with the now iconic reliable 2.5L Peugeot Dieselengine did win the European van of the year award in 1992. in 1993 DAF NV went bankrupt so the LDV/DAF 400 is a very rare van to find nowadays. Lots of those were also used as cheap donor vehicels just for the 2.5L peugeot diesel that was in alot of diesel vehicels at that time. That engine could reach insane high kilometers/ milages.

[@PeterChapman-rg6gr]

I used to run several "Pilots" and "Convoys" with both the "K" series petrol engines, the Perkins conversion of the "K" series, Peugeot and Ford engines. Refused to have any one with the Rover engine. It was a very sad day when they stopped making them as the Transit was a lot heavier and used a lot more fuel than the "Convoy"

[@seangorry]

Excellent video as always As a Leyland tractor owner, a tractor division video would be very interesting. Nuffield to Leyland to Marshall to JWD

[@eddiewatts7792]

Theres a good video on here about Charles Nickerson and the move from leyland to marshal at gainsborough

[@seangorry]

@@eddiewatts7792 The news report one? Where he's racing the Jag

[@thomasfrancis5747]

Or even the prewar Austin tractors.

[@davidjbatley]

Having owned a couple of MK2 transits and a LDV 200 followed a few years later with a pilot they weren't much different underneath both had a single ohc 2 litre engine leaf springs font and back front beam axle with king pins the only difference was ford rolled the metal thinner. My 200 was a former police van with a bull bar and brackets around the windscreen for shield. Whilst having the dashboard out of the pilot I had to laugh because it was the same metal dash from the first generation Sherpa just covered in a cheap vacuum formed cover. They did a job and I never paid more than £500 for the transits or the LDVs try getting a van for that now and they were always around the 7 or 8 years old . Much simpler times and you could do a timing belt on the pinto and the o series with 3 spanners and a spare half hour so things haven't really improved when you think about it.

[@mervynsowman51]

They were very popular with Royal Mail (sliding doors and roller shutters) and British Telecom (removable box). I remember the minibus we had at college. Had wooden slat seating down the sides, would end sliding every time the driver braked.

[@mkeratking]

"Well, I don't care about trucks as much as trains so I probably won't enjoy this one..." wrong again. Thank you, Ruairidh! I hope you cover the Sentinel Wagogone works soon.

[@repairworld2367]

For the small vans in our haulage business we had Sherpa vans, a Sherpa Luton and a Sherpa flatbed. They were brilliant and did loads of miles. We then went onto the ldv,s for years only changing to Transit,s when they went bust

[@fenflyer]

In 1983 when first Sherpa 350 was launched I was driving Transits , Iveco Daily ,Mercedes T1' s (1982-3 ) nothing compared to comfortable driving position of new 350 Sherpa. It was over 12-14 years before Mercedes sprinter hit the roads & everything thereafter evolved dramatically to compete with Sherpa 350 driver comfort & standard 5 speed gear box , transit & Bedford CF still had 4 speed🙄

[@JamesFHarrison]

My Dad bought a second hand one (which i presume had been owned by a primary school at some point) when I was about nine or ten and all I remember about it was the back doors falling off while driving down a cobbled road and daylight being visible through the floor. That van must have had a very difficult life judging from the state of it!

[@paulphillipson2378]

When the Convoy took over from the 400, the Peugeot engine was dropped and it was powered by the Ford 2.5Di with EGR, the Pilot had the Peugeot XUD9A engine

[@brokenbritain9441]

I used to work in the rubber Factory that made all the rubber components for the vans the rubber is the same quality as that for Jaguar and Rolls-Royce and all the Land Rover rubber components. The factory was called w a Thatchers in South Wales. The rubber is very high quality.

[@fenflyer]

In 1983 when first Sherpa 350 was launched I was driving Transits , Iveco Daily ,Mercedes T1' s (1982-3 ) nothing compared to comfortable driving position of new 350 Sherpa. It was over 12-14 years before Mercedes sprinter hit the roads & everything thereafter evolved dramatically to compete with Sherpa 350 driver comfort & standard 5 speed gear box , transit & Bedford CF still had 4 speed🙄

[@SloopyDog]

The best vans ever made, I loved them. I had several, I wish they still made them.

[@fenflyer]

In 1983 when first Sherpa 350 was launched I was driving Transits , Iveco Daily ,Mercedes T1' s (1982-3 ) nothing compared to comfortable driving position of new 350 Sherpa. It was over 12-14 years before Mercedes sprinter hit the roads & everything thereafter evolved dramatically to compete with Sherpa 350 driver comfort & standard 5 speed gear box , transit & Bedford CF still had 4 speed🙄

[@autistic.adventurer]

I had a Pilot, once you got used to its "quirky" handling it was fine. Ultra reliable Peugeot diesel engine and very low maintenance. A real no frills workhorse

[@paulroach2538]

It was in the film 'the spy who loved me 'took a beating in the film 'still managed to keep going !

[@markbudgen3663]

I had a van sales business, back in 1990's and chose to specialize in LDV, for panel vans. All ex utility companies or government sources....a very successful venture for me and appreciated the value for money, by my customers. If LDV were around today and had stronger financial support and some forward thinking.... with the incredible facilties and workforce, together with the huge range of body adaptations offered, the current trend in electric vehicles, they would have become true market leaders.

[@howardsportugal]

I had a 3.5 V8 Freight Rover 400 van...converted it to a camper. Surprisingly economical & of course could scare many a car at the traffic lights! I believe it had a Landrover gearbox...not as good as a Transit to drive, but alot of fun.

[@fenflyer]

In 1983 when first Sherpa 350 was launched I was driving Transits , Iveco Daily ,Mercedes T1' s (1982-3 ) nothing compared to comfortable driving position of new 350 Sherpa. It was over 12-14 years before Mercedes sprinter hit the roads & everything thereafter evolved dramatically to compete with Sherpa 350 driver comfort & standard 5 speed gear box , transit & Bedford CF still had 4 speed🙄

[@johnstirling6597]

I drove a Sherpa van in London in the mid 80s, delivering Calor gas south of the river. That thing had a mind of its own, seemed to me at times the steering wheel had no physical connection to the front wheels, damn thing wandered all over the road like a mad woman in a rage. The other truck we used was a Thames Trader that we called the five ton vibrator....... and not in a good way.

[@nigelcharlton-wright1747]

During 2002-2003 I used to drive for an excellent job agency based in Letchworth, therefore drove quite a few different van models, including the Convoy, Master, Sprinter/VW van and Transit panel vans. I loved the Transit and the Master, and couldn't understand why the Sprinter/VW thing was so rated, infact I much preferred the LDV van, it was quite fast even with a load of water bottles, and just as good as the Sprinter but more character! I did once drive a Sherpa minibus and quite frankly was not impressed, compared to the Transit from that period it was dated by 1992, even the Bedford CF and later Midi-Van were far better. Excellent upload.

[@DiRF]

That is honestly wild that an LDV prototype laid the groundwork for BOTH the 2nd Gen Renault Master *and* the GAZelle.

[@stevehill4615]

a guy just round the corner has a Maxus van and I'd thought that it had a very LDV sort of styling, this video explains where Maxus got their styling cues from.

[@neil733]

@@stevehill4615 The Maxus was styled at Daewoo's Worthing Techincal Centre, so the styling also had to fit with Daewoo's product range. You can see similarity, in places such as the headlamp shapes, to the J150 Nubira, Y100 Ssangyong Rexton, and the Daewoo Shiraz luxury concept car. The original UK-built Maxus also had switches borrowed from the Daewoo Matiz, and a steering wheel shared with both the Matiz and the Lanos, while the centre-mounted instrument cluster was an idea also used in the M200 Daewoo Matiz and stillborn Daewoo F100 rival for the Renault Kangoo and Citroën Berlingo.

[@fenflyer]

In 1983 when first Sherpa 350 was launched I was driving Transits , Iveco Daily ,Mercedes T1' s (1982-3 ) nothing compared to comfortable driving position of new 350 Sherpa. It was over 12-14 years before Mercedes sprinter hit the roads & everything thereafter evolved dramatically to compete with Sherpa 350 driver comfort & standard 5 speed gear box , transit & Bedford CF still had 4 speed🙄

[@chrispy2117]

We had some trusty Convoy minibuses at our primary school! Took us safely on some great school trips, very much loved by all 😂

[@davidpeters6536]

I got a new basic trim one of these in 1978 after my Transit gave up its struggle for life. I have to say it was different being thin and tall. It went well enough and handling was okay once you got used to it but on winter nights the back of the van was no place to be to sort out stock for the next day.

[@keithwilkins1437]

I put a MGB engine in mine -bit juicy but went well !

[@jfwfreo]

One thing I don't think many people realize is that the Chinese company selling vehicles branded "LDV" in 2024 has no connection with any British firm that used to use the name (the Chinese simply bought the name and not any of the things that made Leyland DAF Vans what they were. (whether that's a good thing or a bad thing I don't know)

[@ronaldderooij1774]

I found the Sherpa very easy to drive and frankly quite comfortable. I loved the gear box. Even in passenger cars, I never drove a car with such a nice gear box. Yes, the Sherpa was slow, but who cares? It is a van.

[@ramblingman8992]

The British Government was responsible for the demise of LDV. During the financial crisis brought on by the global crash in 2008, the UK Government decided to help British based vehicle manufacturers keep their plants open in order to prevent job losses. LDV asked for just £800m and were turned down flat. Ford asked for £2.6Bn to keep jobs in the UK, then used the money to construct a new plant in Portugal and taking jobs out of the UK.

[@-DC-]

Incredible lifespan for the Platform given the lack of real investment, As an aside the Daf 95 was a superb truck 👍

[@Lot76CARS]

Excellent, really enjoyed watching that. I had no idea that so many parts had been carried forward from previous Leyland group companies and even the Morris J4 van. It must’ve had an incredible appeal to remain in production for so long. RIP LDV.

[@thewildybeast]

Past my test second go in 1987 after 12 lessons driving a Metro on Sussex roads. A few days later given the keys to a British Telecom box Sherpa navigating my way around Hyde Park Corner with a little smile and a little wave. I then worked for a company that gave me my Advance Driver for driving round the block. Only to find out years later from a person who I found out to be a ROSPA examiner, that even though I had not had the training that is required to pass the Advance Driving, my driving abilities were that of an advanced driver. Only for years later, to have my driving capabilities questioned by people who less qualified at driving than an autistic person could be

[@runoflife87]

Hmm, seems like the story behind LDV is more complicated than one can think. There is one mistake in Your video thoigh - IAD started their partnership in Russia not with GAZ, but with BAZ factory (located in Bryansk and producing 6×6 or 8×8 heavy military lorries back in Soviet times). The problem was - BAZ had no money to produce proposed light truck. Some (40 to 50) were hand-built from 1993 to 1996. The Gazelle design had some influences of failed IAD project, still according to most sources it has been of Russian origins. BTW that Lublin van LDV wanted to produce is not pure FSC vehicle. It was a Soviet-Polish project dated back to early 80's. According to those plans it should've been produced as UAZ (yep, that one) and FSC. Sadly those plans never came to fruition speaking of Soviet part. The factory was first relocated fron Ulyanovsk to Kirovabad (Azerbaijan SSR), being not fully constructed and dropped in 1988 because of Karabakh unrests. Still the country needed small vans and lorries, so by early 90's (as I wrote earlier) BAZ "entered the game".

[@goinghomesomeday1]

Fascinating history and very interesting. Thank you Ruairidh.

[@quanchyplimp]

I had a couple of 400 series, one short the other long wheelbase, ex Royal Mail and ex Sussex Water (had a compressor under the mid body) respectively. Never had much problem, bits were largely quite cheap and the parts place in Ashford, Kent, UK, delivers 24 hrs a day. I've called at 3 am and had bits dropped off by 7 am, I'm not a fleet owner but was treated like one, great service. Had to change nearside kingpin on ex Water van, but did both anyway. Even ran the ex P.O van on used chip fat, never had a problem, but always added plenty of normal diesel on top. The ex P.O van only had 23,000 miles on the clock but had been front ended somewhere in West London, I bought for £1700 at BCA Auctions, Paddock Wood. LDV get a lot of laughs at my MOT station, but mine always passed, shocking them even more.

[@fenflyer]

In 1983 when first Sherpa 350 was launched I was driving Transits , Iveco Daily ,Mercedes T1' s (1982-3 ) nothing compared to comfortable driving position of new 350 Sherpa. It was over 12-14 years before Mercedes sprinter hit the roads & everything thereafter evolved dramatically to compete with Sherpa 350 driver comfort & standard 5 speed gear box , transit & Bedford CF still had 4 speed🙄

[@quanchyplimp]

@@fenflyer my first van, a Commer Dodge, ex telecom, gearstick broke off in my hand, leaving me stuck in 2nd, it only had 3 gears, cooked it getting back to the yard, oops, nevermind!, ahh, yes, the Bedford CF, those were the days (not). hehehhe.

[@Mounhas]

Your output and variety of transport is amazing!

[@user-fx3yf3vu8n]

No mention of the Rover V8 with an auto or manual transmission used by the Police and London Ambulance

[@philipwelsh1862]

I drove these was working for Austin rover distributors enjoyed driving all of em but don’t tell clarkson as he hated most Austin rover stuff and loved talking them down but now people are realizing what good stuff they did produce and are appreciating it now it’s to late They hardly went wrong these vans and you could treat it really rough and it would take it all thankyou

[@fenflyer]

In 1983 when first Sherpa 350 was launched I was driving Transits , Iveco Daily ,Mercedes T1' s (1982-3 ) nothing compared to comfortable driving position of new 350 Sherpa. It was over 12-14 years before Mercedes sprinter hit the roads & everything thereafter evolved dramatically to compete with Sherpa 350 driver comfort & standard 5 speed gear box , transit & Bedford CF still had 4 speed🙄

[@philipwelsh1862]

I totally agree like I said lots ran leyland Austin rover down but I was working for and with these cars and vans and I’m not joking they were all bloody good if people like clarkson and the Tory government could have only had faith in the British made vehicles I’m sure they would still be going today but thatcher was determined to destroy the company and so you know the rest

[@Recessio]

We had LDV Convoy as school minibuses. To be honest, they were absolutely shocking. You could tell the interiors felt a lot more dated (being the remnants of the BL parts bin strapped to the outdated Sherpa) than they should have been. We also found they could really struggle on inclines. Eventually they all failed their MOTs at around the same time, mostly on rust, and we ended up replacing them with Transit vans.

[@distinctdipole]

Thanks. I'd forgotten how tortuous the Sherpa history was. Fond memories of riding in my dad's and my uncle's work Sherpas and there replacement with Transits. School and it's Venture Scouts unit had Sherpas minibuses for years into the 00s

[@duncancurtis5108]

A soft target for Jaws in Moonraker of course except its strong enough to escape his clutches.

[@railtrolley]

The spy who loved me.

[@thomasfrancis5747]

Fascinating video - well researched. Might be worth mentioning the Spanish Edbro and Turkish BMC Sanayi J4/Sherpa locally built derivatives. Ashok Leyland still build a rather weird LCV - might be worth doing a video on Ashok as a part of British Leyland that has survived?

[@joscarbon8140]

You keep pumping out top class content. Cheers to you mate.

[@m18tankdestroyer43]

I used to work for Cov City Council back in 96. We had a fleet of 1990 reg Sherpa vans in various configurations. They were battered and well worn but kept on going.

[@d.b.cooper1]

I'm gen z & recall some of seeing 1 of these in real life & often on old kids tv show reruns when I was super young only to never see them again, always wondered what they were, always liked the look of them. Such a shame most commercial vehicles disspear off the face of the earth

[@cabovermike]

I bought a s/h ldv convoy, lwb high top twin wheel ex police riot van with the peugeot diesel engine,. It was converted into motor cross transporter, it was nice to drive and reliable, 25 mpg wasnt great though, i went all over in it, uk/europe, no problems, it was on a p reg 96/7 but rust was an issue come mot time so it got scrapped unfortunately,. 150000 mls on clock,.RIP LDV,.

[@iananderson4897]

Just a quick point, Australia never received any variation of the British Leyland van, be it badged Leyland, Freightrover, Leyland-Daf or LDV. It wasn''t until SIAC motor introduced the LDV brand in Australia that we got the Maxus, which was badged LDV V80 here.

[@eddkennedy6458]

In 1979 I had an ex British gas van with sliding doors and a bmc 1.8 diesel engine, it was a great little workhorse

[@neilburns8869]

I distinctly remember the shape of the Sherpa vans, even when the maker was charged to LDV and they started to make a wider version.

[@Tom-Lahaye]

I once owned a Nissan Vanette, and yes was it slow. The van was also very noisy. After a year I swapped to a new VW caddy, and was that a difference, the Caddy felt, sounded and drove like a passenger vehicle, a far cry from these utilitarian vehicles.

[@oilguygamer1744]

I really do enjoy your post. Thank you

[@stephenphillips8956]

Despite being very conventional mechanically, I seem to remember the Sherpa’s alloy springs being hailed as an innovation. I know it’s not much, but nice to think there was at least some British ingenuity available in the engineering team.

[@rawbikes882]

I used to hire jumbo vans from time to time for bigger jobs, when my Toyota Hiace wasn't big enough, in the late 90s and early 2000s. The hire company had LDVs and Transits available. The LDV was so clunky and slow especially with a heavy load. It was like being in a time warp back to the 70s. The Transit was like a luxury sports car in comparison. After having a few terrible LDV experiences, I would always request a Transit when booking a vehicle.

[@BITTYBOY121]

Sad because they were really great vans... The fact that the original 1974 Sherpa design wasn't changed much proved just how good the original design really was !

[@urbansnipe]

I remember there being an issue with interior noise levels on the pilot and convoy so bad was this problem that health and safety mandated hearing protection for its drivers at royal mail 😂

[@skylined5534]

Links?

[@urbansnipe]

@@skylined5534 its hard to try and find links i remember being told this more than once being a coachbuilder for over half my life but the cabin noise does exceed 85db even at reasonably low speeds which by LAW Where noise levels reach or exceed 85 dB (upper action level), suitable hearing protection must be supplied and worn.

[@urbansnipe]

i often work with a firm that actually used to fit those ugly slat shutter doors to the side of royal mail vans years ago

[@gh7319]

I've been hoping for a while someone would do a video on the history of these. From mostly before my time I still have a soft spot for them. My grandad had three of them; two Leyland DAF 200s and an LDV Pilot.

[@derbyshireguru5680]

I've had loads of cars and vans over the years.. The only one I have ever regretted selling was my ex post office LDV 200 with its Perkins prima diesel and 5 speed box... it was the simplest; most basic; reliable; frugal and easy to work on vehicle capable of taking a heavy load and yet I really enjoyed driving it.. touring the British Isles; taking my motorcycles to events; many camping trips to North Norfolk; moved house with it twice... TBH the best vehicle I ever owned; I loved it.

[@TimothyWorel-xj9he]

One application of the Sherpa post deregulation of the bus industry was the minibus. Dubbed 'bread vans' by conventional bus drivers.

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

6:08 that’s the van I remember from the film the spy who loved me which is the bond movie

[@robertallen3441]

When I started work in 1974 the agricultural engineering company used J4s and Marina vans. As a new apprentice I shared the driving of a 1973 J4 reg no. AVX 307L. This was replaced with a Sherpa van in 1977 SOO 137R. Both were good reliable vans which put up with a great deal of off road farm tracks. Wonder if either are still around?

[@peterstevensons1181]

Great video sir. Full of info unknown to me. Well done

[@scofab]

As always thank you, very interesting.

[@bryanduncan1640]

I visited the factory as I was the vehicle buyer for my company. We ran about 200 vans at that time. They kept telling me that they ran on the “Just in time” principal and had won the Queens award to Industry. I asked what was the lead-time between ordering a van and actual delivery. I was given a time that was twelve times longer than for a comparable Ford or Mercedes. I did not buy any vans from LDV and was not surprised when they folded.

[@michaelbamber4887]

I recon you had a lucky escape there. Typical British motor industry shite, kept building the same crap, year after year, we won van of the year in 1908 so must be good in 2008 eh? Buy the time they made a good update van, they folded. Just like rover cars.

[@street-level]

Leonard Lord had worked for William Morris and transformed his profits. However, Morris would not reward him, so he left for Austin, where he eventually rose to the top job. Via BMC, Lord obtained his revenge by dominating the new company.

[@nmarycz]

Love the channel! Any chance we could get a video on Morgen Olsen and their history/vans? Looking forward to the C250e that Canada Post has procured.

[@deefox7333]

This may sound a bit weird from my perspective, but if you squint your eyes hard enough at a Leyland van, it resembles a hedgehog. It's a strange thought, I know, but that's just how I see it. Someone in Japan might draw it with the adaption of a hedgehog and the Leyland van mixed together, and it would look far too cutesy.

[@Rich-on6fe]

Hogvan doesn't really have the ring to it of Catbus.

[@nickyoung4799]

Sonic the Sherpa

[@andrewemery4272]

You need to change your supplier

[@howardrogers1147]

I know where you are coming from.

[@tomsommer8372]

Is „hedgehog“ British slang for „heap of s*it“?

[@TomsManShed]

I was an engineer with British Gas in Blackpool from 1975 to 1997 we had these and Transits (and little Bedford Rascals later) ...I hated driving the Sherpas and loved the days I was given a Transit :)

[@fenflyer]

In 1983 when first Sherpa 350 was launched I was driving Transits , Iveco Daily ,Mercedes T1' s (1982-3 ) nothing compared to comfortable driving position of new 350 Sherpa. It was over 12-14 years before Mercedes sprinter hit the roads & everything thereafter evolved dramatically to compete with Sherpa 350 driver comfort & standard 5 speed gear box , transit & Bedford CF still had 4 speed🙄

[@Whatshisname346]

Great video as usual.

[@kiwidiesel]

The LDV name is still alive and well here in NZ thanks to SAIC.

[@darrensmith6999]

Superb video thank you (:

[@szabolcsmihalyi4874]

I'm still waiting on a video on the VC-10. Is there any hope?

[@drstevenrey]

Wow, 15'000 mile service intervals. Only that my 2008 Peugeot Van/Camper has 150'000 mile service intervals. Yes, that is ten (10) times the service interval terms.